Online LPN Programs, I have two listed. Are there anymore?

Drysolong · Dec 8, 2004

Thanks for researching the info.

I had requested information on the Deaconess program and was seriously considering it, but I received notification that I had been accepted into an LPN program at my school starting Spring Quarter, 2005. Although I don't have really small children (a 10-year old grandson whom I have custody of) I would have still liked to do an online program. I probably will do an online program from LPN to RN.

I will be finishing a CNA course next week and hope to be able to work weekends and/or PRN.

FocusRN · Dec 9, 2004

Yea I will do an online LPN to RN as long as it doesn't take too long. I am goign to try to find a good priced school that will let me in as soon as I finish getting my LPN. I say that b/c most schools want you to be an LPN with like 2 years of experience. And for all of that I could just go straight for RN. I finished my CNA in the summer, and truth be told I hate it. Okay we all know what the work is, and it is dirty work but that is not the bad part. The bad part is that we are soooooo under paid and under appreciated. At the LC that I was working at all CNA's were getting $5.30/hr. And for that I could work at McDonald's for six months and become a training manager making $5.75. LTC's suck. Being a CNA sucks. I love helping people but for the work that we do we need more money.

Fiona59 · Dec 10, 2004

So why don't you go straight for the RN?

The role of LPN and RN is quite different and the experience gained by working and gaining hours as an LPN is part of the reason for the bridge. You learn to use people management skills (staff), you develop skills in meeting with families and other healthcare professionals, your clinical skills are honed as are your drug calculations. That's why most LPN-RN Bridge programmes give credit for the LPN and knock off a few courses for "Prior Learning Experience" credits. Also they want letters from employers outlining your experiences.

FocusRN · Dec 10, 2004

I am not going straight for RN, because I am about to give birth to my son, and I need a career that can give me an income that I can live comfortable on as soon as possible. Going straigt to RN won't allow me to do that, but atleast while I am an LPN, I can make some real money espetially if I do staffing work while going for RN.

Drysolong · Dec 10, 2004

I empathized with your comments about CNA work. I haven't started working yet (just clinicals) but I hope to obtain an CNA position in the next few weeks. I've been thinking a lot about the low pay and also the LTC environment. I think the only way I'm going to be able to get through it is to think of it as an extension of school and as a learning experience. I thought it would be good for me to work my way through the ranks CNA, LPN, RN. I am still going to do that, but working as a CNA is going to be really hard for me.

In just the few weeks of LTC clinicals, I've seen enough to know I don't want a career in an LTC. It is more motivation for me to move on to RN ASAP. I love working with the patients, and I even don't mind the "dirty" work. It's just the atmosphere, low pay, and what I see as lack of respect for the CNA and the patients.

Does anybody have any suggestions about how to upgrade CNA work. There is a need for CNA's because the elderly and disabled need that level of care, but the pay is just insulting.

kaseysmom, LPN · Dec 11, 2004

I empathized with your comments about CNA work. I haven't started working yet (just clinicals) but I hope to obtain an CNA position in the next few weeks. I've been thinking a lot about the low pay and also the LTC environment. I think the only way I'm going to be able to get through it is to think of it as an extension of school and as a learning experience. I thought it would be good for me to work my way through the ranks CNA, LPN, RN. I am still going to do that, but working as a CNA is going to be really hard for me.
In just the few weeks of LTC clinicals, I've seen enough to know I don't want a career in an LTC. It is more motivation for me to move on to RN ASAP. I love working with the patients, and I even don't mind the "dirty" work. It's just the atmosphere, low pay, and what I see as lack of respect for the CNA and the patients.
Does anybody have any suggestions about how to upgrade CNA work. There is a need for CNA's because the elderly and disabled need that level of care, but the pay is just insulting.

A lot of states have CNA's who don't just do "dirty work". In a facility that my mother works at in VA (shes a LPN now working as a head nurse in a LTC setting), she was able to work her way up and get different certifications - (when she was a CNA). The facility offered her classes to become certified in rehabilitative care, which is the physical therapy aspect. See if your facility offers classes. If you are thinking about going on to become and LPN or RN, they will really help you as far as adjusting goes, and it will help you to better understand those aspects of care.

FocusRN · Dec 11, 2004

I agree with the last post but I have seen it somewhat differently. CNA's do have the opportunity (most of the time), for advancement in a hospital setting. For example I have ssen some go from CNA to ward clerk or unit secretary, but that is in a hospital. I have never in my experience seen a CNA, get any type of advancement in an LTC besides head CNA, and even when I saw that thee woman had been working for them as a CNA for more that 15 years to get to that position which truth be told isn't much better. So I would say that any CNA's best bet is to work in a hospital, the pay is better, and there is room for advancement. Having worked different units in a hospital I would say that one day surgery is the best, simply because these patients need less care individually, making it easier to meet all of your patients needs without having another one suffer. In LTC it's diffferent because most homes that I know of give you a ridicoulas amount of patients to start. I would be okay having 20 or so patients, if they all didn't have demanding needs, but when you get 20 patients that all have very demanding needs it makes it hard for you to do your job, without some if not all of your patients suffing for it. And that is the reason tht I won't go back to LTC as a CNA. Now when I become an LPN, I most likely will until I graduate from EC, then I will go to a hospital and work in maternity or pediatrics. Or after finishing LPN school, I may just work in a pediatrician's office until I finish EC, but we'll see how it goes.

HangingInThere2 · Dec 17, 2004

Just curious about an online LPN program. How will you do clinical time? Are they set up with a current hospital that will doing clinicals? Reason I am curious is because I will be going on to get my BSN next summer and it will be online. I have heard though clinical experience is very limited.

I am just amazed that they can do these programs online. I actually took my 4th semester MedSurg class online, but I still had to meet with the instructor once a week for clinical. And our progress was watched oh so closely to see if there was a need for "the talk." I have to tell you.. it was hard. And up until I started my nursing classes, I had taken every class online-- approximately fifty-something hours. So when I signed up for the MedSurg online I was sure that I would be able to handle. Let me tell you how close I came to flunking out..

->

I can laugh now (because I passed), but I would highly recommend taking Critical Care in a classroom. I thought I was going to have to get sedatives to make it through.. just too bloody stressful.

Boy, got off track there.. overall.. I was just curious about how it works.

HangingInThere2 · Dec 17, 2004

Just curious about an online LPN program. How will you do clinical time? Are they set up with a current hospital that will doing clinicals? Reason I am curious is because I will be going on to get my BSN next summer and it will be online. I have heard though clinical experience is very limited.

I am just amazed that they can do these programs online. I actually took my 4th semester MedSurg class online, but I still had to meet with the instructor once a week for clinical. And our progress was watched oh so closely to see if there was a need for "the talk." I have to tell you.. it was hard. And up until I started my nursing classes, I had taken every class online-- approximately fifty-something hours. So when I signed up for the MedSurg online I was sure that I would be able to handle. Let me tell you how close I came to flunking out..

->

I can laugh now (because I passed), but I would highly recommend taking Critical Care in a classroom. I thought I was going to have to get sedatives to make it through.. just too bloody stressful.

Boy, got off track there.. overall.. I was just curious about how it works.

FocusRN · Dec 17, 2004

For Deaconess, you have to find a place where you live to do the clinicals, and for the other program, you have to fly up there to do your clinicals.

FocusRN · Dec 17, 2004

For Deaconess, you have to find a place where you live to do the clinicals, and for the other program, you have to fly up there to do your clinicals.