ICHS 2023 (CA student)

[beautynursing]

Hi! I'm an LVn (LPN) in CA wanting to do a bridge program to RN this year! Any California students or recently licensed in CA? I know the CA board has become strict with operation nightingale in Florida right now. I heard all FL to CA RN endorsement licenses are on hold?

Anyone have insight?

[Laura La Roque]

beautynursing said:

Personally, I decided against ICHS because I didn't want to fly out last minute and constantly just to do a day or two of clinicals at a time. You need to have an extremely flexible work schedule, able to go last minute, and able to pay for lots of flights. 

Thank you for your feedback. I was speaking with an admissions counselor yesterday and was told they schedule 3 weeks of labs and clinicals per semester. I live in California so that means I am expected to fly to FL and stay there for 3 weeks each semester. Now, I am wondering if what I was told was just a bait. I am applying for the traditional BSN program, btw.

[beautynursing, LPN, LVN]

The reality is, students will get taken advantage of once they are in a program like this. They make it seem like a dream to get you to sign the enrollment agreement financial documents, then you realize how screwed you are.

You will need additional $15,000 to $20,000 to pay for flights, hotel for Airbnb for months, and rental car. 

They make the final exams and exit exams so high that majority of the class is failing so that those who take the NCLEX will 100% pass and give them a high pass rate to keep accreditation. Most people will pass in a normal nursing school, and ICHS it's only too 10-20% of the class, which is crazy!

Normal schools do this already with nursing school, but these types of schools are like nursing school on steroids.

So these nursing schools, distance ones, are much much MUCH harder to pass than a regular school. Just because there's so much competition with people looking for a shortcuts, so they make exams harder than the average school so most students fail and they maintain high NCLEX pass rate.

It would be very challenging to work even 40 hours a week and attend this program. Just because the school is harder than the average school, meaning you need to study even more than with the average nursing school. And the average nursing school already tells you not to work full-time.

Then you have to find the money for an extra 20 K for travel costs. A clinical day here, two clinical days next week, one clinical day the following week... That means you either have to be gone from home for months renting hotel or Airbnb, or you have to be flying back-and-forth constantly, which is probably more expensive than just staying there for 3 months each semester to get clinicals done.

Most people are repeating at least 2 semester of classes just to pass, and many have failed several repeats.

It's not worth it for California student. It's harder, more expensive, and more time consuming in the end. Better off going to Galen or Nightingale or something.

[Laque15]

dgonzales said:

What made you decide on IHSC versus Premiere college ?… just wondering I'm still debating but leaning more towards Premiere since it's fully accredited and I may get financial aid... I have a meeting with premier FA tomorrow so I'm goin to base my decision on that... trying to gather all the info I can on both schools so I can make a decision before the start date 

Hi. Where is Premiere College? Do they also offer a hybrid program? 

[beautynursing, LPN, LVN]

Laque15 said:

Hi. Where is Premiere College? Do they also offer a hybrid program? 

Fort Myers. For Premiere you have to be in front of a computer camera on sitting at a desk only and with no one in the room from 6-10pm (eastern time so 3-7 pacific) M-F (usually only 4 of those days which change randomly by quarter). They also don't accept all pre-reqs and make everyone redo some. At least Microbiology. They don't credit any LPN courses and don't offer testing out of any courses. It ends up being 1.5y with pre-reqs and 2 years without. I believe the program is around 50k without any, similar to ICHS.

You are not allowed to be late or miss any days. They have you fly in for 2 weeks every quarter.

They bill you by the quarter.

[beautynursing, LPN, LVN]

Laura La Roque said:

Thank you for your feedback. I was speaking with an admissions counselor yesterday and was told they schedule 3 weeks of labs and clinicals per semester. I live in California so that means I am expected to fly to FL and stay there for 3 weeks each semester. Now, I am wondering if what I was told was just a bait. I am applying for the traditional BSN program, btw.

Yes, ICHS the schedule is three weeks of labs and clinicals per semester, but it is not in a row. I wish LOL. It is one day one week, two days another week, one day a third week. They have too many students for it all to be in a row. It is completely random.

Meaning, you have to constantly be taking off of work and paying for flights and accommodations back-and-forth. It is often last minute too. That means you better have a very flexible job, and a lot of money saved for traveling. And no pets or someone to take care of them.

What I have heard a lot of people doing is renting a place in FL there for several months and staying there that whole time. Because it ends up being cheaper than having to pay for flights back and forth.

[Laque15]

beautynursing said:

Fort Myers. For Premiere you have to be in front of a computer camera on sitting at a desk only and with no one in the room from 6-10pm (eastern time so 3-7 pacific) M-F (usually only 4 of those days which change randomly by quarter). They also don't accept all pre-reqs and make everyone redo some. At least Microbiology. They don't credit any LPN courses and don't offer testing out of any courses. It ends up being 1.5y with pre-reqs and 2 years without. I believe the program is around 50k without any, similar to ICHS.

You are not allowed to be late or miss any days. They have you fly in for 2 weeks every quarter.

They bill you by the quarter.

Thank u for the info! This might not work for me as I completed all my prerequisites a while back. I'm sure they're going to make me redo a lot and I am trying to find a program I can complete in the shortest amount of time possible. I've been an LVN for way too long! ?

[Neda ER]

Is anybody starting ICHS in Feb 2024? Anybody from N, California?

[S.mas]

Hi Ned's, I'm from Northern California. I applied but I'm hesitant about their clinicals in FL. 

[Neda ER]

Is anybody starting ICHS in Feb 2024? Anybody from N, California?

[Neda ER]

@S.mas Hi there,  why? me and someone else might start Feb 2024. I was  nervous about clinical, but I think if we go as a group together we will be fine 

[Talaindy]

Michel Demma said:

Hi I am Michel, LVN in So Cal. I am starting ICHS Feb 5, 2023! Anyone else?

Hi michael, can you email me because im trying to go to that school as well. I am also an LVN. I was wondering how did the application went? Im not 100% sure yet with this school.

 

My email is [email protected]

[Norma Coronica]

Hi everyone! 
Im planning to start at ICHS in February as well! Any tips on what to review or what resources I can get for the advance placement exam in fundamentals and pharmacology?