Military certified LVN trying to go RN

[wmnadeem]

I haven't been to nursing school for my LVN because I was eligible to take the NCLEX through military experience and I was wondering if that would affect whether I try to do an RN program for California when it concerns to requirements IE credits or if I have to take certain mandatory classes. Also I my LVN is the through CA BVNPT.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE ...

Yes, you will have to take some pre-requisite classes to advance your education. The vast majority of LP/VN programs are 'clock hour' programs... they are not divided into individual (transferable) courses. But programs that provide degrees which make you eligible to sit for RN NCLEX (e.g., ADN, BSN, etc) are based on college hours / college credits. The pre-requisite classes are transferable between schools but nursing courses are usually not. You'll have to provide transcripts as part of the admission process so that course completions and your GPA can be validated. BTW, you can also CLEP some of your pre-requisites - I CLEP'd all my English courses as well as sociology & intro psych.

Some schools are much more 'vet-friendly' than others. Usually these are in areas that have a strong military presence. In TX, it's San Antonio. You may want to explore options with various schools to see if they have any special programs that you can take advantage of to ease your transition.