I know LPNs from ECPI and while they're fine LPNs, my only real gripe is the cost of their diploma -- you're looking at over $35,000 for the program which generally runs about 1.5 years. Your local community college will probably cost 5% of that, if not less.
I can't say there's a better time than any other when applying for jobs. However, I will say that applying during May-July is probably the worst time, as the market becomes flooded with new RN graduates looking for jobs. There's a smaller surge in applicants around January-Feb as well.
Raleigh has more opportunities than Charlotte, I'd believe - especially if you settle down somewhere in the middle of RTP you have access to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham.
Research Triangle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is a list of hospitals and medical centers in the immediate area. I'm sure others with more familiarity with the area can suggest other close by centers as well.
Considering the accepted ranges of last semester being 158+, I don't forsee composite scores climbing 9 points in one semester but who knows. If it puts your mind at ease, retake - they take the highest of your TEAS scores.
Unfortunately where I work, the LPN attitude is pretty evenly split. There's some that won't assist with personal care, at all - no matter how simple it is. There's one in particular who I've watched walk into a room to give a resident their medicine, see that they're on the toilet (and bedpen as well; separate occasions), the resident says they're done and would like to be wiped and gotten off, this LPN will go "Yea, that's not my job." Gives the resident their medicine and walks out of the room, leaving them there and notifying no one.
Others, will throw on a pair of gloves and clean a resident up after they've claimed the honors of the nastiest blowout of the day.
Then again, there's also some older CNAs here too (hell, the LPNs and RNs too) (been doing it for 20+ years) that if the State Investigators saw what they did to the residents (and said to them), we'd be up **** creek in no time.
At the Information Session they said they had a massive spike in applications after Obama visited and mentioned them in his State of the Union address, I think he said something to the effect of Forsyth serving as the "national model" for what he wants community colleges to be. Before that speech, they had somewhere around 200 applications for the 72 ADN spots and the LPN programs were never able to fill the 24 spots each semester. After the speech, its been 400+ each semester for the ADN and a lengthy waitlist for the LPN program.
It would be interesting to see if GTCC has had the opposite happen, the same, or what.
I'm not sure why it takes GTCC so long to notify. As Tiffany Bryant said, she literally enters everyone into a database, sorts it by composite score, and contacts the lucky winners (and notifies the waitlist). Seems like it should only take a couple of days.
I'd like to get in at GTCC (I live in Greensboro but work in W-S), I assume Tiffany meant she'd begin notifying people the week of Sep. 17-21 but we'll see.
I'm not sure how they'll handle letters, honestly. I know FTCC sends out denials and acceptances first, followed by waitlisted applicants.
I was waitlisted for the LPN program at FTCC in the Fall (I only had half the pre-reqs completed) and then they notified me in July that someone had failed to complete their CNA course in time, so I was being accepted and then told me I had 3 days to get all of the paperwork in, shell out about $700 on various supplies and uniforms, etc...anyway, logistically and financially it just wasn't possible for me to do it, so I declined.
It sucks because had it worked out for me, I'd be graduating this Summer and eligible to test and eventually work as a LPN making about twice what I do now. Though ironically, my worksite is a clinical placement for the LPN students at Forsyth so I'm training several of them and oh lord...most of them are about 19-20 years old, never worked a day as a CNA, and openly telling me they look forward to being an LPN this summer so that they won't have to change any more briefs and can just walk around handing out meds.
Honestly, I don't know the number GTCC gets. I asked Tiffany Bryant and all she'd say was "It changes from semester to semester," which is the same answer she gave me regarding the accepted points range.
I was at the FTCC Information Session that had about 170 people there - most of them for the Spring as well.
FTCC, unfortunately, does something that GTCC doesn't -- that is, essentially anyone can apply no matter what stage they're at regarding their pre-reqs. Some applicants are applying to the ADN program having not even started, some are still taking pre-reqs, etc - obviously those not started or still taking pre-reqs have little to no chance of acceptance but FTCC still lets them apply, whereas GTCC seems to do a better job of screening people and being forthcoming with telling them, "You can still apply but I'm telling you now, you have no chance of being accepted."
From what I gathered at the FTCC Information Session - a lot of those attending thought you applied to the program, got accepted, and then started taking A&P I & II, English, Psychology, etc since those courses are included in the 5 semester outline on the website. However, when told that they essentially needed to have all of those basic courses completed to even be considered for acceptance - there was a rather large (and loud sigh), followed by probably 50+ people getting up and walking out.
What Martha Orr (FTCC) told me was that while they receive 500'ish applications, really only about 200 are considered "serious" in that they've completed most pre-reqs.
Reforms have begun??? Haven't you heard of OBRA (not Oprah)??? The reforms started in the '80s.
The reforms began in the 80s, yes but there are still LTCs out there that don't follow it to the T. Slowly they're being handled but they're still out there - quite a few in fact.
The 80's, in my mind, wasn't that long ago -- a good number of my colleagues have been working in LTCs since the 60's and still do things that are questionable.
But it's cool, because our DON is buddy buddy with the state investigation team that gives her a heads up when they'll be rolling into town (and by heads up, I mean "We'll be there on this date, at this time - days in advance).
My fiancee's mother works on an investigation team in the Western part of the state - I shared that story with her and she said it happens ALL the time. The DON gets a week or two heads up - they change schedules around, everyone gets re-oriented on exactly what violations the team will be looking for, rooms get super cleaned up, ALL residents are given showers a day or two before they come, CNA staffing goes from 4 to 6, etc.
Erin, I've taken some official practice TEAS this past week and gotten a 78 and 81. I will go in and at least retake it, officially - it can't hurt.
I have an app in at GTCC as well, their due date was the 11th and Tiffany Bryant said she should have everyone notified by the next week - so I might be okay there, but we'll see.
Unfortunately if I don't get in at GTCC or Forsyth, I'm going to apply to the LPN program and go the slower route to becoming an RN (slower by 1 semester, so not a big deal). The way Forsyth's schedule works I wouldn't be able to redo Psych (and possibly A&PII) in the Spring and make the deadline for the Fall since grades and acceptances are based on completed courses - not courses you're currently attempting.
Getting burnt out on being a CNA really - I've come to greatly appreciate the work they do and I love my residents dearly but it's not something I can see myself doing 1-2 years from now.
LTCs have long had a bad reputation, primarily because before national and state reforms things were, well...nasty (generally). You know the saying, "It takes one sour apple to spoil the bunch?" It works for nursing homes. They had a reputation of poor care - residents going unshowered for weeks, sitting in their waste for hours at a time, staff that were more concerned about their paychecks and socializing with friends rather than putting themselves in the resident's shoes and wondering what their life might be like, etc.
Fortunately reforms have begun changing this, drastically. My mother worked in a LTC that was eventually shut down by the state for many (and more!) of the complaints I listed above. A lot of the nurses/CNAs I work with have horrible stories of facilities they worked in 15-30 years ago but have noted that, for the most part, these days are fading away and that by the next generation LTCs will have a better reputation.
I work at a LTC facility myself (CNA - current nursing student) - most of my residents are total dependence care (quite a few with severe emotional/psychological issues but our Memory Care unit is booked so we have to care for them and honestly, we're not able to do it but we try). A resident's son not too long ago asked how I was able to work in a LTC being so young and I must have looked confused b/c he followed it up with "People go to hospitals to get better. People come here to die." Which is true, and perhaps part of the bad reputation...we're a place of death; that unless someone moves, they'll be with us til their last day.
Anyway, my facility has CNAs caring for 8 residents on 1st, 10 on 2nd, and 10 or 15 on 3rd (depends on the unit). Which is very good but as I do work in one of the Skilled Nursing Units and most of my residents I have to be eyes-on the full 8 hour shift. 2 LPNs a shift, per unit, caring for 15 residents each. During the weekday there's 1 RN per unit (so 30 residents), on the weekend it's 2 RNs for 90 residents in Skilled Nursing and then available as needed in Assisted-Living (LPNs usually cover it fine over in AL - they call the RN for count or if a resident falls).
I love geriatric patients as well, but I don't see myself still being here a year from now but we'll see. I'm an A-Personality kind of guy that has often been told I thrive on adrenaline rushes and chaos, but remaining calm and unnerved, and honestly - I feel very un-stimulated working in a LTC. I'm also becoming rather cynical about the LTC environemnt here, I'm seeing a lot of CNAs and nurses that cut corners on resident care (nothing illegal, but still enough to raise an eyebrow) and being a higherend LTC (residents start out at the basic level of 3000/month - some are closer to 7; they're also divided by private pay and government assistance, and sadly the quality of care between the two is noticeable).
According to the MAR review I went to, accepted students for the Fall 2012 program had composite scores of 158-183'ish.
On FTCC's system, I'm at 147 currently.
I have a C in Gen Psych and a C in A&PII from nearly 8 years ago, both dragging my scores down. I doubt, honestly, that I could bring the A&PII up to an A but the Gen Psych I know I could - I've gotten As in Developmental and Abnormal, so I feel confident there.
My TEAS was a 74 with absolutely no studying and no idea as to what the test even covered - so with some work I could boost this some.
I guess the question is, could I boost it enough to "matter" -- I'd say a 160 composite would be "safe" but a 13 point improvement on the TEAS would be interesting, to say the least.
I doubt most applicants are aware of allnurses.com, but it's possible that most applicants are more interested in day programs and would prefer not to spend their evenings and weekends in a classroom/hospital.
We'll see.
Either way, I think with 60 points you'll be guaranteed a spot.
As someone already pointed out - you shouldn't worry about nursing program losing students, but rather look at their first time NCLEX pass rate.
It's common practice that if a student stands a rather high probability of failing the NCLEX, the school WON'T graduate them. Why? If enough students fail the NCLEX, it could hurt the school's accreditation/the number of applications they receive for the next classes.
In some states (I'm currently in NC), it's quite common for them to take in 72 students (an example) and only permit 58 to graduate so that they may take the NCLEX. Some of the state schools are even rougher on their students -- taking in 200+ into the pre-nursing program (the first 2 years of a BSN program) and only having 100'ish or so permitted entry into clinical years, naturally some swap majors on their own as well.
I know LPNs from ECPI and while they're fine LPNs, my only real gripe is the cost of their diploma -- you're looking at over $35,000 for the program which generally runs about 1.5 years. Your local community college will probably cost 5% of that, if not less.
Waitlisted myself but not too surprising.
I can't say there's a better time than any other when applying for jobs. However, I will say that applying during May-July is probably the worst time, as the market becomes flooded with new RN graduates looking for jobs. There's a smaller surge in applicants around January-Feb as well.
Raleigh has more opportunities than Charlotte, I'd believe - especially if you settle down somewhere in the middle of RTP you have access to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham.
Research Triangle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is a list of hospitals and medical centers in the immediate area. I'm sure others with more familiarity with the area can suggest other close by centers as well.
Considering the accepted ranges of last semester being 158+, I don't forsee composite scores climbing 9 points in one semester but who knows. If it puts your mind at ease, retake - they take the highest of your TEAS scores.
Unfortunately where I work, the LPN attitude is pretty evenly split. There's some that won't assist with personal care, at all - no matter how simple it is. There's one in particular who I've watched walk into a room to give a resident their medicine, see that they're on the toilet (and bedpen as well; separate occasions), the resident says they're done and would like to be wiped and gotten off, this LPN will go "Yea, that's not my job." Gives the resident their medicine and walks out of the room, leaving them there and notifying no one.
Others, will throw on a pair of gloves and clean a resident up after they've claimed the honors of the nastiest blowout of the day.
Then again, there's also some older CNAs here too (hell, the LPNs and RNs too) (been doing it for 20+ years) that if the State Investigators saw what they did to the residents (and said to them), we'd be up **** creek in no time.
At the Information Session they said they had a massive spike in applications after Obama visited and mentioned them in his State of the Union address, I think he said something to the effect of Forsyth serving as the "national model" for what he wants community colleges to be. Before that speech, they had somewhere around 200 applications for the 72 ADN spots and the LPN programs were never able to fill the 24 spots each semester. After the speech, its been 400+ each semester for the ADN and a lengthy waitlist for the LPN program.
It would be interesting to see if GTCC has had the opposite happen, the same, or what.
I'm not sure why it takes GTCC so long to notify. As Tiffany Bryant said, she literally enters everyone into a database, sorts it by composite score, and contacts the lucky winners (and notifies the waitlist). Seems like it should only take a couple of days.
I'd like to get in at GTCC (I live in Greensboro but work in W-S), I assume Tiffany meant she'd begin notifying people the week of Sep. 17-21 but we'll see.
I'm not sure how they'll handle letters, honestly. I know FTCC sends out denials and acceptances first, followed by waitlisted applicants.
I was waitlisted for the LPN program at FTCC in the Fall (I only had half the pre-reqs completed) and then they notified me in July that someone had failed to complete their CNA course in time, so I was being accepted and then told me I had 3 days to get all of the paperwork in, shell out about $700 on various supplies and uniforms, etc...anyway, logistically and financially it just wasn't possible for me to do it, so I declined.
It sucks because had it worked out for me, I'd be graduating this Summer and eligible to test and eventually work as a LPN making about twice what I do now. Though ironically, my worksite is a clinical placement for the LPN students at Forsyth so I'm training several of them and oh lord...most of them are about 19-20 years old, never worked a day as a CNA, and openly telling me they look forward to being an LPN this summer so that they won't have to change any more briefs and can just walk around handing out meds.
Honestly, I don't know the number GTCC gets. I asked Tiffany Bryant and all she'd say was "It changes from semester to semester," which is the same answer she gave me regarding the accepted points range.
I was at the FTCC Information Session that had about 170 people there - most of them for the Spring as well.
FTCC, unfortunately, does something that GTCC doesn't -- that is, essentially anyone can apply no matter what stage they're at regarding their pre-reqs. Some applicants are applying to the ADN program having not even started, some are still taking pre-reqs, etc - obviously those not started or still taking pre-reqs have little to no chance of acceptance but FTCC still lets them apply, whereas GTCC seems to do a better job of screening people and being forthcoming with telling them, "You can still apply but I'm telling you now, you have no chance of being accepted."
From what I gathered at the FTCC Information Session - a lot of those attending thought you applied to the program, got accepted, and then started taking A&P I & II, English, Psychology, etc since those courses are included in the 5 semester outline on the website. However, when told that they essentially needed to have all of those basic courses completed to even be considered for acceptance - there was a rather large (and loud sigh), followed by probably 50+ people getting up and walking out.
What Martha Orr (FTCC) told me was that while they receive 500'ish applications, really only about 200 are considered "serious" in that they've completed most pre-reqs.
The 80's, in my mind, wasn't that long ago -- a good number of my colleagues have been working in LTCs since the 60's and still do things that are questionable.
But it's cool, because our DON is buddy buddy with the state investigation team that gives her a heads up when they'll be rolling into town (and by heads up, I mean "We'll be there on this date, at this time - days in advance).
My fiancee's mother works on an investigation team in the Western part of the state - I shared that story with her and she said it happens ALL the time. The DON gets a week or two heads up - they change schedules around, everyone gets re-oriented on exactly what violations the team will be looking for, rooms get super cleaned up, ALL residents are given showers a day or two before they come, CNA staffing goes from 4 to 6, etc.
Erin, I've taken some official practice TEAS this past week and gotten a 78 and 81. I will go in and at least retake it, officially - it can't hurt.
I have an app in at GTCC as well, their due date was the 11th and Tiffany Bryant said she should have everyone notified by the next week - so I might be okay there, but we'll see.
Unfortunately if I don't get in at GTCC or Forsyth, I'm going to apply to the LPN program and go the slower route to becoming an RN (slower by 1 semester, so not a big deal). The way Forsyth's schedule works I wouldn't be able to redo Psych (and possibly A&PII) in the Spring and make the deadline for the Fall since grades and acceptances are based on completed courses - not courses you're currently attempting.
Getting burnt out on being a CNA really - I've come to greatly appreciate the work they do and I love my residents dearly but it's not something I can see myself doing 1-2 years from now.
LTCs have long had a bad reputation, primarily because before national and state reforms things were, well...nasty (generally). You know the saying, "It takes one sour apple to spoil the bunch?" It works for nursing homes. They had a reputation of poor care - residents going unshowered for weeks, sitting in their waste for hours at a time, staff that were more concerned about their paychecks and socializing with friends rather than putting themselves in the resident's shoes and wondering what their life might be like, etc.
Fortunately reforms have begun changing this, drastically. My mother worked in a LTC that was eventually shut down by the state for many (and more!) of the complaints I listed above. A lot of the nurses/CNAs I work with have horrible stories of facilities they worked in 15-30 years ago but have noted that, for the most part, these days are fading away and that by the next generation LTCs will have a better reputation.
I work at a LTC facility myself (CNA - current nursing student) - most of my residents are total dependence care (quite a few with severe emotional/psychological issues but our Memory Care unit is booked so we have to care for them and honestly, we're not able to do it but we try). A resident's son not too long ago asked how I was able to work in a LTC being so young and I must have looked confused b/c he followed it up with "People go to hospitals to get better. People come here to die." Which is true, and perhaps part of the bad reputation...we're a place of death; that unless someone moves, they'll be with us til their last day.
Anyway, my facility has CNAs caring for 8 residents on 1st, 10 on 2nd, and 10 or 15 on 3rd (depends on the unit). Which is very good but as I do work in one of the Skilled Nursing Units and most of my residents I have to be eyes-on the full 8 hour shift. 2 LPNs a shift, per unit, caring for 15 residents each. During the weekday there's 1 RN per unit (so 30 residents), on the weekend it's 2 RNs for 90 residents in Skilled Nursing and then available as needed in Assisted-Living (LPNs usually cover it fine over in AL - they call the RN for count or if a resident falls).
I love geriatric patients as well, but I don't see myself still being here a year from now but we'll see. I'm an A-Personality kind of guy that has often been told I thrive on adrenaline rushes and chaos, but remaining calm and unnerved, and honestly - I feel very un-stimulated working in a LTC. I'm also becoming rather cynical about the LTC environemnt here, I'm seeing a lot of CNAs and nurses that cut corners on resident care (nothing illegal, but still enough to raise an eyebrow) and being a higherend LTC (residents start out at the basic level of 3000/month - some are closer to 7; they're also divided by private pay and government assistance, and sadly the quality of care between the two is noticeable).
/rant off
Same boat (different school) - working full time days and night classes. It's rough but I keep myself motivated by keeping my eyes set on the goal.
According to the MAR review I went to, accepted students for the Fall 2012 program had composite scores of 158-183'ish.
On FTCC's system, I'm at 147 currently.
I have a C in Gen Psych and a C in A&PII from nearly 8 years ago, both dragging my scores down. I doubt, honestly, that I could bring the A&PII up to an A but the Gen Psych I know I could - I've gotten As in Developmental and Abnormal, so I feel confident there.
My TEAS was a 74 with absolutely no studying and no idea as to what the test even covered - so with some work I could boost this some.
I guess the question is, could I boost it enough to "matter" -- I'd say a 160 composite would be "safe" but a 13 point improvement on the TEAS would be interesting, to say the least.
I doubt most applicants are aware of allnurses.com, but it's possible that most applicants are more interested in day programs and would prefer not to spend their evenings and weekends in a classroom/hospital.
We'll see.
Either way, I think with 60 points you'll be guaranteed a spot.
As someone already pointed out - you shouldn't worry about nursing program losing students, but rather look at their first time NCLEX pass rate.
It's common practice that if a student stands a rather high probability of failing the NCLEX, the school WON'T graduate them. Why? If enough students fail the NCLEX, it could hurt the school's accreditation/the number of applications they receive for the next classes.
In some states (I'm currently in NC), it's quite common for them to take in 72 students (an example) and only permit 58 to graduate so that they may take the NCLEX. Some of the state schools are even rougher on their students -- taking in 200+ into the pre-nursing program (the first 2 years of a BSN program) and only having 100'ish or so permitted entry into clinical years, naturally some swap majors on their own as well.