Looking for info on Monmouth County Vocational LPN School-New Jersey

Columnist · May 16, 2011

Moved to NJ Nursing Programs Discussion Forum for better discussion.

bikz12 · May 17, 2011

I am also starting at Monmouth Votech in Sept. if i find out anything I will post and let you know. I don't know anything about the program either ! Good luck and keep in touch .

xdelitezx · May 17, 2011

i graduated from there in 2007 when the program was 15 months (i believe its 11months now). It was a lot of harder than I had anticipated. I had no life monday to friday, some free time saturday. Class started with 30, only 15 graduated, you really have to time manage with this course. Im not sure how much has changed since then, but ill tell you what I recall. First few weeks you will learn medical terminology, fundamentals of nursing/basic nursing care, basic a&p, math... then specific a&p and pharmacology. You have hands on lab skills, practicing on dummies. I just graduated RN from brookdale, and the LPN course spoon feeds you the content, so take advantage. They tell you exactly what you need to know to pass, you just have to learn how to apply it. Theres quizzes every few days and then content exams. A lot of the answers are given in the handouts given out in class. Do well on these because all grades count. Everyone is different, but I studied for a few hours after each class...we ran out of places to go so we studied at wegmans cafe area lol. They make you wear a hideous mint green outfit/tunic, the old people loved them because they look like its from the 70's. Not sure if they still make you wear them. Buy 2 sets (pants/tops) for clinicals.

My advice:

1. Learn how to manage your time -if you have kids/family, figure out the best time to study & be present for your family. Figure out a work schedule that works with your sleep & study.

2. Stay on top of the course content -they throw you a lot of content @ from the very beginning. Dont fall behind.

3. Study groups -I hated study groups but its what helped me stay on top of the content.

4. Note cards -for things you cant remember, Lab values, diseases

5. Buy your books used if you want to save money

6. Take 45 min breaks while studying, dont overload your brain with content because it will not stick.

7. Buy an NCLEX LPN book -use this to study each section you do in class (renal, cardiac, fundamentals) it will reinforce content, and you are preparing for nclex @ the same time.

Some useful books:

saunders nclex lpn, calculate with confidence (if you need help on math), straight a's books, memory notebook of nursing.

bonniedewy · May 17, 2011

Wow! Thank you so much for all that info!! Yeah, I heard the current class now had 30 students start and at this point only 10 are left... thats a bit scary. I am currently on the wait list for RN at Brookdale, So I have decided to do this LPN class in the mean time. I am a mom of twin boys, but I have a great support system, So I have high hopes that I'll do ok. Thanks for the tips on the program though, Now I have a better idea on what to expect. I'll def go buy that NCLEX LPN book too.

bonniedewy · May 17, 2011

@Bikz- When did you take the TEAS to get in for the Sept session? I Just took it a few weeks ago- Found out only 5 people passed. As of now they only have 10 people in for Sept. Looks like we are 2 of the lucky ones!!!!

My email is [email protected] If you want to chat more before the craziness starts!

bikz12 · May 17, 2011

xdelite. thank you so much for taking the time to write all that info. it is so appreciated. i will print that out and keep as a reference thru school.

bonniedewy, I took the test on May 5th how about you ? There were about 45 ppl taking it but i heard not many had past. i did not know it was that few ! I really sweated that test out !! My scores were higher than I thought they would be b/c I studied soo much. i was so scared about not passing !

now i'm scared about the course load. I have two kids as well, as 7 year old boy and a soon to be 10 year old girl. this is going to be some balancing act. But I have to stay positive and work hard. i am going to email you now. That way we can stay in touch over the summer and relay any tips or news you hear about school !!!

xdelitezx · May 17, 2011

The course load is a lot, but take it one day at a time. Go to class, have a snack and rest your brain when you get home, take care of the kids. Start studying after dinner when you are nourished & the kids go to bed. Review the content you learned that day, so it makes sense to you. Get sleep and dont pull all nighters. Good luck to you both!

bikz12 · May 17, 2011

Thanks again so very much. I will def. take your advice. when i try to cram too much into my brain at once it never goes well !!!

GoodtimeRN · May 29, 2011

1. Do not underestimate the intensity of the program. Take it very seriously and give yourself TIME to study. You will need 2-6 hours a night for the first phase. Seriously. The subjects of phase one include fundamentals of nursing, a&p, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, legal & ethical, personal & professional relationships, plus the skills lab and clinicals.

2. Make it a habit to always be in class (on time). You can only miss a small number of hours for the entire program, and at the end they add them all up. If you don't have enough hours, you don't graduate. The more you are there, the more you are participating, and the less you fall behind. A number of people dropped out because they missed only one or two days and couldn't catch up after that. The pace of phase one is incredibly fast, and they throw 3-4 TESTS at you per week, plus 2-3 quizzes a day.

3. Tie up loose ends and put your personal life on hold. Before you start the program, give your house a good cleaning (because it won't see one until next July), spend time with your family (they won't see you until next July, either), and kiss all the "extra" fun things you do goodbye. Apologize to all your friends and family in advance for missing out on birthdays, dinners, weekend getaways, etc. I can't tell you how many things I've missed out on, but in the end it's WORTH IT! Do you like books? Better finish that summer reading because you won't have time to read for leisure for months!

4. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Try not to get caught up in the classroom drama. If you work in the medical field, do not correct the teacher because "in MY facility we do it THIS way". It is disrespectful and I have seen many people fail out because of their failure to accept the schools way of doing things. The instructors teach you the way you need to know for state boards and to pass their lab. Go with it.

You are going to be put through ten months of pure hell, but in the end you will be an incredibly prudent nurse. Let the journey begin... :up:

DJB138 · May 31, 2011

I'm currently in the program and we just completed phase 1. I expected it to be difficult, but I wasn't prepared for how intense it actually is. "Pure hell" is an accurate statement! If all goes well I will finish in January. Goodtimegirl and Xdelitezx gave some excellent advice. Be prepared for most of your free time being occupied with studying and not having a life for a year, but if you keep your focus it'll all pay off. Good luck to you!:) By the way, uniforms are now hunter green bottoms and white tops for the women, white bottoms and hunter tops for the men.

bikz12 · Jun 19, 2011

1. Do not underestimate the intensity of the program. Take it very seriously and give yourself TIME to study. You will need 2-6 hours a night for the first phase. Seriously. The subjects of phase one include fundamentals of nursing, a&p, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, legal & ethical, personal & professional relationships, plus the skills lab and clinicals.
2. Make it a habit to always be in class (on time). You can only miss a small number of hours for the entire program, and at the end they add them all up. If you don't have enough hours, you don't graduate. The more you are there, the more you are participating, and the less you fall behind. A number of people dropped out because they missed only one or two days and couldn't catch up after that. The pace of phase one is incredibly fast, and they throw 3-4 TESTS at you per week, plus 2-3 quizzes a day.
3. Tie up loose ends and put your personal life on hold. Before you start the program, give your house a good cleaning (because it won't see one until next July), spend time with your family (they won't see you until next July, either), and kiss all the "extra" fun things you do goodbye. Apologize to all your friends and family in advance for missing out on birthdays, dinners, weekend getaways, etc. I can't tell you how many things I've missed out on, but in the end it's WORTH IT! Do you like books? Better finish that summer reading because you won't have time to read for leisure for months!
4. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Try not to get caught up in the classroom drama. If you work in the medical field, do not correct the teacher because "in MY facility we do it THIS way". It is disrespectful and I have seen many people fail out because of their failure to accept the schools way of doing things. The instructors teach you the way you need to know for state boards and to pass their lab. Go with it.
You are going to be put through ten months of pure hell, but in the end you will be an incredibly prudent nurse. Let the journey begin...

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this info. I have never been so scared ! I am actually looking forward to starting. The apprehension is killing me. I'm so worried about retaining all this info. I's been years since I've studied.

Once again thank you so much for taking the time out of your life to help a newbie.