I'm I wrong? Honest answers please!

[redraven_y2k]

Greetings to all

Today is my 38th birthday and I have looked over my life with joy however the one goal that I have not completed is becoming a Nurse. I know this is something I wanted to do for the past 12 years but life seems to get in the way divorce young kids etc. But now I can do this but here is the problem.

I tried to go to L.P.N. school last September but I became stressed because

1. I was paying out of pocket for a program that the high school students were getting for free, well not free because I was paying for not just my education but theirs too. I was busting my hump while they sit in class talking about illegal drug transaction, falling asleep in class, and not showing up to class and still passing exam when most could not even tell you where the four quads are located. one actual thought it was a music group seriously.

2. When I agree to be in the program I was not told that I would be expected to sell hot dogs at whatever event the school had on my own time. What does selling hot dogs have to do with Nursing? :angryfire

3. On top of that my nursing fundamental teacher (who said the first day of class she is a lazy nurse)was giving us all the wrong information. The book says one thing but she tells you something total different. I was on her list because I could back up the info when she was wrong.

4. How long did take you to learn proper hand washing? We did not learn until 3 months after school started and one month after how to do a finger stick. I had to tell my classmates and 75% were cna to put on gloves, no kidding.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not a know it all although I come from a family of nurses cna, lpn, rn, and nursing pract. I was always kept abreast of changes to rules and reg of the medical profession. I'm a chiropractic assistant by profession so the same basics apply. Now when I approached school it was with new eyes for example my classmates come down on me because when we were split into those who know how to do vs and those who don't I went to the don'ts reason although I was taught but that does not mean I was taught correctly and guess what I was not taught correctly; by the way the a&p teacher was the one who showed me the right way .

I guess what I'm asking is honestly

1.Should I even try to go back to nursing school or just try something else?

2. Should I go back to this school?

3. Was I wrong questioning the teacher and feeling like I was being ripped off?

FYI this school has a pass rate of 70% pass rate poor I know but it was cheaper than $24,000 @MCI.

[tfleuter, BSN, RN]

1. - YES! Go back to nursing school!

2. - Absolutely not! For whatever reason, this school was not a good match for you, better to find one that is

3. - I don't think you were wrong for questioning the teacher, but perhaps doing it after class or without other students around would have been a better approach. That way the teacher doesn't have to be put on the defensive. And I know the frustration of feeling like your school has ripped you off. I was in a vet tech program a year and a half ago and I was really disappointed in the school and some of its instructors. That's ok though b/c it lead me to reconsider my career choice (I was already a vet tech, just going for my assoc. even though it's not required in my state) and lead me to nursing!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

what i'm asking is honestly. . .honestly. . .unless you change your attitude you will have the same problems. you have a strong sense of superiority. as long as you carry that feeling you are going to have problems feeling that others are inferior to you and that you are being ripped off. age doesn't entitle you special treatment and it should make you wiser and more tolerant about the behavior of others. school is what you make of it and it only lasts for a few short months compared to the span of your entire life. instructors are merely facilitators (assistants) of your education. you do the major work of learning. when you sit to take the nclex exam to get your license it is just you and what you have learned. nursing is a profession where you work with people with all kinds of personalities as well. some patients are nice and some are really rotten. if you have problems with the school, with classmates and instructors how will you fare with patients and the rules and demands of an institution? what if you are required to belong and attend a committee or be a part of a community project for a facility that you work at?

in the event that you want to get mad at me, remember--you asked.

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

Hand hygiene was the very first thing we learned in clinical lab...why they didnt go over it with you all until 3 months in is beyond me. Its the number one thing you do before interacting with a client.

I would absolutely question a school with a 70% pass rate. Why is it so low? I'd talk with current and past students, as well as with those in the nursing department. Its very important to do your research before hand.

I agree with Daytonite. Your professors are an adjunct to your education. They are not there to coddle you and to hold your hand the whole way. The bulk of your education falls onto your own shoulders. My professors are really good with making us responsible for our own fate. From day one they said that they are our "guides from the side." The learning bit is up to us.

I think in order to be a good nurse you have to be good politician. You are going to be caring for and working with difficult people at times. And others will be easier to work with. You have to roll with the punches and take everything in stride. Getting yourself worked up over a few lazy classmates and/or professors isnt worth the stress. Its about being flexible and not expecting too much out of others. Just focus on what you need to do and not what others are doing.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Try a better school -- an inexpensive community college ADN program. It will be cheaper than MCI and you will end up with a degree that will give you more career options.

[NamasteNurse, BSN, RN]

go to a different school for sure. try a technical school that caters to adult learners.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

... and there is truth in some situations, to the saying, "If you can't hack it, teach it."

But here's the deal. Play the game. Be agreeable, lay low. Make it whatever they want it to be, so you get good grades and your RN. Spend no more time than that on school stuff. Just the minimum. Then study the stuff that you know you'll need for nursing with every ounce of extra time. That is what I do, I separate school from whats important. I look at it as if I am in two separate courses, one I care about (my nursing) and then the school's nursing course. :igtsyt:

[tencat]

It sounds like you were in the wrong program for you. I would have gone nuts with a bunch of high school students as peers, myself. Find a community college program that is more in tune with adults. I'd be a bit peeved about selling hot dogs for the school, myself.....especially if I were already paying tuition for the program when the 'kids' were not.

[redraven_y2k]

Thanks for everyones words of wisdom.

I do not get mad when it comes to wisdom.

I do not have "strong sense of superiority" that is for the doctors lol but when it comes to my money and life I demand to be told the truth. Yes, teachers are suppose to guild us but who is the more foolisher the fool or the one who follows the fool. If a teacher teaches you wrong will that mean you are right? No, that makes you wrong not just to yourself but the others you work with and for as well. What can I say when my but is before the state board well my teacher said this is the way to do it . They will say if you listened to her and she was wrong than you are a fool now give up your license.

UPDATE: I got alot of calls from my older classmates and my A&P teacher because it was my b-day and to gossip. My class size was 24 since I left it is now 10. My teacher said it was because during clinical alot of the students made bad mistakes and the nursing home asked for the students to leave and call the school asking them not to come back. No names were named by the teacher of course but the other classmates did not mind tell it. Those 10 that remained thanked me because they remembered I spoke up in class when the teacher told us wrong. Now if that makes me seem as though I have a "strong sense of superiority" I welcome it.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

You don't bite the hand that feeds you (I am referring to you and your friends gossiping about the school). Negativity leads to unhappiness and no where as you have seen.

[kcochrane]

I think you have legit complaints besides the teenagers that go for free. So? I had "older adults" going for free in my LPN class and there were awful as classmates. That should not be your focus and is only a waste of your mental energy. No matter where you go, someone is going to be there getting a free ride. Some will appreciate it, some will throw it away. It has nothing to do with you and your goals. I ignored the trouble makers, kept my head low, learned as much as I could and got my LPN license. Out of 43 that started, only 29 finished.

That being said, the rest of the school sounds horrible. If you not learning the material, then you really should seek out a better school, or maybe consider getting your RN. I am now working on my RN. I do find that the RN students are more serious since getting in is so competitive. IF you decide to go back to LPN school, check the school's NCLEX AND graduation rates.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

[foreverLaur]

I agree with the ADN at a community college. Your salary will be much higher, tuition is very cheap (mine is $79/credit hr), you will have a lot more knowledge and thus responsibility, and they offer part time and/or part online programs which tend to attract more adults.