My life as an LPN Student

Nursing Students LPN/LVN Students

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My intentions with this thread is to share MY journey as a LPN student. Even though we are either in NS, graduated or figuring out if this is for them, we can relate to one another but at the end of the day..Our journey is our own. So while MY experience may not be a common one I hope to make another student less nervous or just have an idea of what to expect in the life of an LPN student...

I will be attending Monmouth County Vocational School on Sept 5, 2012. So obviously our official day has yet to begin. However, we had a two day orientation in July. Although we didn't receive any cookies or pizza (saw this in another thread lol) we received our basics such as our calendar, book list, briefing about the school and what to expect etc etc..We also dove right in and started studying Chapter 1 from our A&P on our first day and we had a quiz on it on our second day of orientation. I passed with an 82. I would have liked to have a better grade but it's not the end of the world, it's passing.

We received a lot of reading for the remainder of the summer. And we will be welcomed back with 2 tests and 2 quizzes. And a test the following day. I have of course been studying. I want to put 110% into this course. While I would love to enjoy my summer I have been trying to get myself into a routine so that I am not completely out of my element when I start school...Going to bed earlier, waking up a tad earlier..Eating healthier and starting to exercise more.

This is it for now..I will keep those who are interested posted. I don't know how exciting my posts will be lol but it's also a good way for me to also sit and enjoy school and be able to look back and read this..

Good luck to all those starting school as well...Here's to a year we will never forget :w00t:

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My intentions with this thread is to share MY journey as a LPN student. Even though we are either in NS, graduated or figuring out if this is for them, we can relate to one another but at the end of the day..Our journey is our own. So while MY experience may not be a common one I hope to make another student less nervous or just have an idea of what to expect in the life of an LPN student...

I will be attending Monmouth County Vocational School on Sept 5, 2012. So obviously our official day has yet to begin. However, we had a two day orientation in July. Although we didn't receive any cookies or pizza (saw this in another thread lol) we received our basics such as our calendar, book list, briefing about the school and what to expect etc etc..We also dove right in and started studying Chapter 1 from our A&P on our first day and we had a quiz on it on our second day of orientation. I passed with an 82. I would have liked to have a better grade but it's not the end of the world, it's passing.

We received a lot of reading for the remainder of the summer. And we will be welcomed back with 2 tests and 2 quizzes. And a test the following day. I have of course been studying. I want to put 110% into this course. While I would love to enjoy my summer I have been trying to get myself into a routine so that I am not completely out of my element when I start school...Going to bed earlier, waking up a tad earlier..Eating healthier and starting to exercise more.

This is it for now..I will keep those who are interested posted. I don't know how exciting my posts will be lol but it's also a good way for me to also sit and enjoy school and be able to look back and read this..

Good luck to all those starting school as well...Here's to a year we will never forget :w00t:

This is great! Can't wait to read more! Good luck!

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I would appreciate that! Congrats and the best of luck on your journey! :yeah:

Many return just to say,"Finally, I'm finished"! But, those who haven't traveled the road yet would like to know what the journey was like. As mentioned above, each experience is a bit different but very similar.

Thanks a bunch!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/LTC.

Awesome! I wish I would've kept a journal of mine, but I was attacked by care plans 99% of the time!

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As my first day nears I am getting a bit more stressed, nervous and excited.Normal emotions I am quite sure. We have to get CPR certified before our first day of class starts, so that's checked off. We are also suppose to have 25 volunteer hours before the end of year (advised to do it over summer instead of scrambling til the end) but I have had no time to do squeeze in hours. Any extra hours I have were and are dedicated to working extra hours to put away some extra cash..

A few other things to prepare beforehand was of course the physical, titers, and insurance...I have already gotten supplies such as: 3in binder, highlighters of several colors (i will use one color for me and a different color during lecture for teacher)..Pens, loose leaf paper, a voice recorder (that i will only be using to study with and not record lectures as we aren't allowed to record)..Planner to note when things are due etc..Record book so that I can keep track of all my grades...Lunch tote because my poor self will have to bring lunch everyday lol...Index cards because I will be making flashcards like it's my job...I'm sure I have gotten a few other things but that's all I can think of right now..Uniforms and other nursing supplies won't be until a week after we start school..They have a company that comes in and size us for them etc...I wonder how much those are going to be..

My husband and I have decided that I will just focus on NS and only work one day on the weekend. We will struggle a little but a sacrifice to make sure my head is completely in NS..I am very lucky to have a VERY supportive husband...

My next post will probably after my first day....I hope those who have already had their first day had a great one!!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
As my first day nears I am getting a bit more stressed, nervous and excited.Normal emotions I am quite sure. We have to get CPR certified before our first day of class starts, so that's checked off. We are also suppose to have 25 volunteer hours before the end of year (advised to do it over summer instead of scrambling til the end) but I have had no time to do squeeze in hours. Any extra hours I have were and are dedicated to working extra hours to put away some extra cash..

A few other things to prepare beforehand was of course the physical, titers, and insurance...I have already gotten supplies such as: 3in binder, highlighters of several colors (i will use one color for me and a different color during lecture for teacher)..Pens, loose leaf paper, a voice recorder (that i will only be using to study with and not record lectures as we aren't allowed to record)..Planner to note when things are due etc..Record book so that I can keep track of all my grades...Lunch tote because my poor self will have to bring lunch everyday lol...Index cards because I will be making flashcards like it's my job...I'm sure I have gotten a few other things but that's all I can think of right now..Uniforms and other nursing supplies won't be until a week after we start school..They have a company that comes in and size us for them etc...I wonder how much those are going to be..

My husband and I have decided that I will just focus on NS and only work one day on the weekend. We will struggle a little but a sacrifice to make sure my head is completely in NS..I am very lucky to have a VERY supportive husband...

My next post will probably after my first day....I hope those who have already had their first day had a great one!!

"Curiously_Inspired"] I am feeling the same way stressed about starting school a week from today. I was assigned three chapters in the medical term book and one chapter in the fundamentals book I am almost finished with it all. I am just struggling with the fact that I feel as if I can't remember what i am reading or writing. We also have to complete some volunteer hours to be completed by the end of this semester but I have a cancer walk and autism walk lined up. Far as all the requirements I have completed all (CPR, titers, shots, and blood work). We got fitted for our uniforms in July and I received mines a few weeks ago, I brought my stethoscope from allnurses.com, and received my books from amazon.com so I am ready to go. Just have to get over this anxiety of starting next week. Good luck to you I will keep in touch with you.

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Sooo excited for my first day yesterday until I got to school and realized it wasn't until today LOL...my instructor got a good chuckle from it..St least I will be known as the very eager student haha...

Today was our first day and of course it went smoothly. I would hate to think a first day being hell.. Although I am sure there is someone out there that didn't particularly care for their first day ..

Mine went rather well..We were welcomed back with two quizzes...I did very well on them. We went over briefly about things we talked about on orientation day such as uniforms, clinical, our hours and etc...

Did more of the medical terms with the audionyms...We have our first test tomorrow. Three chapters in A&P. Took a break from studying to post here and then it's back to the book...

I created a Facebook page for my class and I so that we could go over homework, lecture and just have a positive mutual place to chat at...

I hope everyone had an amazing first day!! I will post as often as I can.. I'm sure the crazier it gets the more limited I will be posting here but I will not forget about this thread...

Have a great second day tomorrow :)

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We also had our first skill check off today... Handwashing.

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Specializes in Allergy/Immunology.

That's so funny, :) I love your enthusiasm and the fact that you showed up a day early. You're going to do well. I'm STILL waiting to start, 9/18!

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We also had our first skill check off today... Handwashing.

We had that skill this week too. We've also done bed making, complete bed bath, oral care, feeding assistance and bedpan placement. You should see the dummies we practice on -- creepy as hell. I'm afraid I'm going to have nightmares tonight. :eek:

I just completed my 2nd week, and it's all going pretty well so far! We have a test every Monday (our first one was this week and I got a 97%!), so my weekends are definitely going to be filled with studying as well as getting a start on the reading for the coming week. It's a little overwhelming how much reading we have every night; at least 5-6 hours worth. But I'm keeping up and even doing a little extra credit project this weekend!

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Congrats!!!! I tried to get into monmouth county voc and didn't pass the test! Im going to pine lands great school!! Good luck

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It's been about a month and a half since I posted. I'm sure as the program progresses I will be posting less and less. But I will certainly try my best.

So overall the program is great!! My grades are good for the most part with the exceptional missing a test by one point (two of them). But I make up for it on the next test usually. Every single free moment I usually have dedicated to studying. They are NOT playing when they say you have to study ALL the time. Unless you happen to be like one of my classmates who just needs to hear the lecture once and just reads the material once and retains it all. Bless her because I WISH I could do that lol. And she has a small child. Kudos to her!! But I cannot compare MY journey to anyone else's. That's something important for anyone reading this to remember as well. This is YOUR journey. Embrace it.

As of now the only advice I have is to make sure you do NOT fall behind in any reading. Use your free time wisely. Always read ahead when the instructor lets you know what they will be lecturing on next. That way the material is not foreign to you when you hear it. If you are a highlighting freak like me than use TWO different colors. One for the teacher when she lectures and one when you go back over the material. I do not suggest highlighter when you read beforehand. As it may confuse you more when your teacher is telling you what's most important on the test. I also like to make notes directly in my book when my instructor lectures, this may or may not work for everyone. I also ALWAYS do the workbook that comes with the books, the end of chapter questions, key terms and objectives. I know it may seem like a lot in addition to all that reading but it's part of my studying routine. Which has proved to be very helpful for me and may also be for you.

I was debating whether or not to get a rolling tote. Books are getting heavier so I think I am going to cave and buy one. I don't have to worry about taking up leg room or being in the way of a fellow student. My only real problem was spending the cash lol.

I have been trying to save money by bringing lunch every day. This has been very helpful. Minus the last couple of weeks I have spending way too much on eating out so next week I am back to bringing lunch.

I hope it's normal but some days I feel so burnt out from reading. I think, gosh, could I already be burning out it's so soon??? But once I have started to feel that I took a day to just do something other than nurse related and it helped me refocus and feel better...Than of course I feel guilty because I feel like I should be doing something and than go back to studying lol...

I hope everyone that started in September is enjoying school. I know I am! Although it's stressful I do not want to forget the reason I am doing this..I just need reminding sometimes lol...

I start my first real clinical day on Monday. I'm a little nervous but it's all your basic AM care so I think I will be fine. I think I am mainly nervous about speaking with the nurse while I give report. And then when we meet with our instructors and discuss. I am always scared that they will ask me a questions and I won't know the answer to it..This terrifies me because I do not want to look unprepared. Their opinion matters to me and I highly respect them.

Take care everyone...Even if I don't post here I do read allnurses everday..Usually on breaks. I get a lot of great info from this site. I feel like you cannot go to nursing school and not be a part of this site haha...In any case, I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!!

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