My first day was today! :)

[FloatyFlowers]

Today was day 1 of my LPN program.

Overall, it seemed to be a very positive experience! My instructors were all very friendly and eager for us to succeed. The guy I sit next to is deaf in one ear, though, so he speaks very loudly and is very talkative (read: interrupts constantly). I hope this doesn't become an issue. But even so, he's nice. So it wasn't that bad. Anywho! For those of you who haven't had your first day yet and are wondering how it'll be, I'll share my experience with you below :)

Orientation/class started at 8. I arrived at 7:50, and almost my entire class was already sitting at the desks which had their names on them. (Note to self: arrive earlier next time.)

My lead instructor and the nursing coordinator were both there and they introduced themselves and took roll call. They told us about their history as nurses and how they met. Our books were piled on our desks, and they handed out some pamphlets and explained them. One was the student handbook and one was the syllabus, which they didn't go into much detail about honestly. They played a DVD slideshow which was made by the class president the year before and was basically just a slideshow of everyone's picture and favorite quote (far too many Marilyn Monroe quotes for my taste.... but anyway ) with music in the background. When that was over, the instructor wrote out our list of supplies for us to copy. She also explained what the following week would be like for us. The next two days are CPR training, unless you are already certified, in which case you don't have to come to school. "Real" class begins Friday, and we will begin with Fundamentals of Nursing and A&P. We were told to read Ch 1 of Fundamentals of Nursing and do a workbook exercise when we finish and that it would be due tomorrow (or Friday for those already certified in CPR). Then we went around the room and everyone introduced themselves and said something about why they were in nursing or gave some background info on their lives or a mixture of the two. We were fitted for our clinical uniforms and given a price to pay for them in October. This took a while as there were 43 of us. We handed in our physical/immunization slips and CPR cards if we had one. Then we got a 30 minute lunch break. When we went back in, we met with a few other instructors who each talked with us about their background and what they'll be teaching us over the course of the program. People were still being fitted for uniforms as this went on, a few students at a time, so we didn't go over anything *too* important, mainly just an explanation of the program and stuff like that, and stories from past clinical experiences. We had a 10 minute break after that, and a lady from ATI came in afterwards. She explained the ATI website and told us how to create usernames and log in and stuff. By the time she left, everyone was finished with their uniform fittings. Another instructor came in and introduced herself. She handed out two booklets on adult learners and finding out what type of learner you are (visual, auditory, tactile, etc) and started a slideshow where she went over every sentence in detail. Honestly, that part was very boring and long because she was basically just reading it to us off the screen and asking if we had any questions. After that, it was 2:50 and we went home (class ends at 3).

All in all, it was very informative and I got a good feel about everything. Hopefully the next year runs smoothly! :)

Good luck to you all in your programs!

[cengstrom90]

I start my LVN program on August 25th! We had orientation a few days ago where we went over, in little detail, about the nursing program and what to expect. They gave us this HUGE stack of paper, probably over 500 pages, which included the syllabus for each class, outlines, etc. We also don't start clinicals until October, but we got our uniforms at orientation (basic sizes, S, M, L, etc). In that lovely bunch of paper (which I put in a 2" binder) was a list of assignments we have to do before classes start. I've already done the online portion (a few modules and activities). The only thing I'm waiting on is my blue card from the BON, other than that I can't wait for classes to start!

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Orientation sometimes takes care of some of the "housekeeping" that must be done. Sometimes they just use the orientation time as a deadline time for you to get the necessary stuff in to them so that they can get the clinical placements rolling.

First day (or so) is usually the housekeeping day where you go over lots of stuff and a day to tie up any loose ends left over from the orientation day. It also is another day to get to know who your instructors and classmates will be, if you haven't/didn't go over that stuff on orientation day.

Now if your program didn't have an "orientation day" then the first day is effectively your orientation to the program. It's going to be a busy time from here on out but it'll be a wild ride and in a few semesters, you'll really look back at today as the beginning of a new point in your life, and only you can decide if you ultimately dreaded or treasured this day.

My first day, so long ago, was a day I look back upon fondly. This past January, I looked in on the new students doing their first day and saw just how far we'd come since then.

Welcome to the ride!

[Valerie99]

Congrats! Sounds like you have the right attitude - I'm sure you'll excel there.

[sassysuzy]

Enjoy! :) Im just starting my last semester for my LPN. Went fast!! Whew!

[medieval5879]

Enjoy! :) Im just starting my last semester for my LPN. Went fast!! Whew!

Congrats on getting closer to the end! I start sept 5! How difficult would u say it has been so far for u??