what's LPN school going to be like?

pagandeva2000, LPN · Mar 19, 2008

Nursing school on any level is very time consuming. But, I think that your previous education will help because you have already developed study habits from before. Many people have had to work impossible hours and care for family, and have still made it. Time management is of essence, here, and the quality of studying. Good luck!

jelorde37 · Mar 19, 2008

your previous education will definately help you. i went into the lvn program with no prior health education(fresh from highschool) and i struggled with everything while friends of mine that have all the science prereqs for RN completed, comprehended everything a little bit easier. i think its possible to complete the lvn program while working 2 days on the weekends cause i managed to get through school while working as an assistant manager at a pizza place on the weekends with no healthcare experience. sooo... all in all, i think youll be okay and good luck to you.

jon lvn

picurn10 · Mar 19, 2008

oh, good this is making me so much less anxious! I'm thinking my serving job will be perfect, because I can just work Fri. and Sat. night and focus on school the rest of the time.

Thanks!

notthereyet · Mar 19, 2008

It is going to be everything you thought it would be and more. I am just 2 months into an LPN program which runs M-F 7:30-2:30. It is challenging but manageable, if you have good time management skills and study habits. We generally have a test or quiz, or sometime both everyday but the most given in a day has been 3. At times it is taxing but you have to push on to get through it. I find the class very fast paced; you quickly move on to new subject material. You are learing a wealth of information in a short amount of time. I went from getting 7 hours of sleep a night to 5 due to studying. I also work part-time and have a family of 5 including myself. It has not been easy but I have learned a wealth of information in just 8 weeks. As much as it is hard, it is rewarding. Best of luck to you in your endeavor to become a nurse. :)

jelorde37 · Mar 19, 2008

ohhh... i forgot to tell you. it was really hard to get used to the schedule of working and going to school full time, but you get used to it after awhile. i suggest having sundays off so you can take a break and study. anyways, good luck to you.

jon lvn

scrapgirl2000 · Mar 21, 2008

Nursing school is NOT easy and NOT for the lighthearted! I was a CNA, and had taken the same pre- nursing courses also. NOTHING can prepare you for the emotional toll it takes. At first, the program is easy because it is basic terminology and skills which are learned as a CNA. Clinical rotations become hard. We had instructors yelling at us for "being to slow / taking too long" in front of the patient, with the syringe in hand and saying "just give it" and "hurry up". Instructors tend to hone in on your weakness. If you are soft spoken and tend to get teary or cry, the instructor will yell at you or humiliate you until you break. If you are confident and strong, the instructors will make you second guess yourself and ask you if you are sure you gave the correct answer. When you say yes, they say okay, go ahead and sit down. They have to be this way because you are dealing with patients lives. Other nurses have said of the instructors "those who can't do, teach". I disagree. There will be cramming and many late night study sessions. Many tears, lot's of starbucks, lot's of doubt and nausea! All in all, they put you through the ringer and weed those out who are doing it for the money and who don't have the heart. Our instructor asked our class who had kids. She said it will be hard for you to be successfull, blah blah. But let me tell you, there was a girl in our class (Virginia R. of Hacienda LVN program) who had a couple of kids and was in my opinion the best student and the LVN who I would to take care of me if I needed it. I am sure you will do great! best of luck to you.

3sodapop · Mar 21, 2008

I already posted this in the Student Nurse Forum, but here's your answer:

Neglected ChildrenAuthor unknown (but had to be aNursing student!)

Our home is seldom very clean

The meals are not as good

And we don’t take a bath,

As we ordinarily would.

The hamper is overflowing,

The ironing is seldom done,

And the socks that were neatly in the drawer,

Are practically down to none.

She was a model mother,

The house was shiny and bright,

She was so even-tempered,

And a perfect “guiding light”.

But all that now has changed,

Dust “neath the bed does pool”,

Where is that wonderful mother?

Why Mother goes to school!

She has no time for cleaning,

We kids must do our best,

We’re having eggs for dinner,

Cause Mom is having a test!

She got a terrible longing,

A nurse she wanted to be,

So she nagged our dad for tuition

And the poor guy had to agree!

So every morning she packs her books

And walks out of the door,

We’d like to try and stop her,

But we’re sticking to the floor!

We take our vitamins and drink our juice,

Cause it would be terribly cruel,

If we caught a cold and fever

And Mother couldn’t go to school!

So if you’re in the hospital,

And on your back you lie

If you happen to see a student nurse

Tell Mom we all said – Hi!

DelanaRN, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 22, 2008

I already posted this in the Student Nurse Forum, but here's your answer:
Neglected ChildrenAuthor unknown (but had to be aNursing student!)
Our home is seldom very clean
The meals are not as good
And we don't take a bath,
As we ordinarily would.
The hamper is overflowing,
The ironing is seldom done,
And the socks that were neatly in the drawer,
Are practically down to none.
She was a model mother,
The house was shiny and bright,
She was so even-tempered,
And a perfect "guiding light".
But all that now has changed,
Dust "neath the bed does pool",
Where is that wonderful mother?
Why Mother goes to school!
She has no time for cleaning,
We kids must do our best,
We're having eggs for dinner,
Cause Mom is having a test!
She got a terrible longing,
A nurse she wanted to be,
So she nagged our dad for tuition
And the poor guy had to agree!
So every morning she packs her books
And walks out of the door,
We'd like to try and stop her,
But we're sticking to the floor!
We take our vitamins and drink our juice,
Cause it would be terribly cruel,
If we caught a cold and fever
And Mother couldn't go to school!
So if you're in the hospital,
And on your back you lie
If you happen to see a student nurse
Tell Mom we all said - Hi!

LOVED IT!! Had to share it with some fellow PN Students!! Thanks for sharing!

RFWB · Mar 22, 2008

Just to chime in, although it looks like I'm a little late....

I'm half-way thru LPN school as we speak - it IS very rigorous, as most people on here have already said - but I've gotta say that I haven't found the material to be terribly HARD. There IS, however, a WHOLE LOT of it - and it goes VERY quickly.

Like you, I have a bachelor's degree already. I also work pretty much every night during the week and all day sunday, which most people would say is suicide while in school. So I'm in school/ clinical 7 - 3, then usually work from 4-8:30 or 9, go home and study, sleep, then get up and do it all over again. I am getting it done and pulling a 4.0 so far - but it's MURDER. I also think that as the coursework gets harder as we advance thru the program that I'm probably going to have to cut my work hours way back, and I'm already preparing for that. I'm also very lucky that my job is very flexible (I teach private music lessons) - so if I need a night off I can cancel my students and just not get paid. I've had to do this alot more than I'd like - but it's either that or flunk a test. So - if you have a job that requires a set amount of hours or set days, you might be in trouble.

M-F we spend two days at clinical and 3 days in class. What this means is that we basically have at least one test every day of class, and often two and sometimes even three in the same day. In our program, this is also on top of having to have clinical paperwork assignments completed after every shift as well (i.e. care plans, kardex, medication summaries, research into pt diagnosis, etc). It's ALOT. If you have really good study habits and are good at rapid memorization, you'll be cool. If not, work plus taking care of your family might really take a toll on your studies.

The thing that is keeping me sane is that I've set aside my saturdays as COMPLETE free days. This means I have time to really devote a day to trying to study and get ahead so I'm not crazy during the week - or just to catch up on laundry or maybe have an hour's worth of a social life. You really NEED to set aside some time for this or you will very quickly get burnt out.

I think the important thing to remember is that anyone can do ANYTHING for a year if you really set your mind to it and buckle down. Figure out contingencies for childcare, prepare anybody you have in your life as a support resource so that they understand what you are going thru, and have a backup plan in case you need to rethink or reschedule work. Then just buckle down and DO it. There are times when it is MISERABLE, but it really goes fast and I've already got job offers lined up 6 months prior to graduation. It' all worth it in the end. Good luck!