NolaDad

I was part of CARE XVI. We had people get calls from the waitlist less than a week before orientation. One of our best people was a last minute from the waitlist.

I will be done the CARE program in May. I have two kids that are 5 and under. Out of our group, there are 5 parents all with kids 6 or under. We just learn to schedule better than our classmates. I have coached my 5 year old's playground sports teams, gone to most of my kids' school functions, and taken a couple small vacations. Some classes I could have an A, but I accepted a B instead to spend extra time with my kids. The faculty is understanding as well. I have taken my older son to class with me once or twice when he had off from school. This is just to show that CARE is very possible without sacrificing all family time. If you are a single parent, it may be too difficult without any other support. 1. I doubt there is proof either way. My personal experience has been that I have been told CARE students are usually grabbed first by managers. I have even had a manager of an ICU find out our group was the CARE group and specifically told us to come talk to her if interested about a job. 2. LSUHSC is one of the few nursing schools in the country with a cadaver lab, which was awesome experience. First time pass rate for NCLEX is 83% at Delgado and 96% at LSUHSC. CARE is even higher, and it is common to have all pass first time or only 1 person not pass first time. I have been told the difference between BSN and ADN is research training. This includes being trained on how to research and interpret best evidenced based practices, which is a skill that you should use your entire career. If research is included in every class then it becomes part of your thought process. If it all has to be made up after ADN, then it is just a lot of research courses like the poster above me states. Also, LSUHSC is ranked #9 nursing school in the country. If you plan to find a job out of Louisiana, #9 school in the country (5th out of publics, 2nd in South) carries more weight than the best community college because the manager is unlikely to be familiar with any CC outside of their area. However, everyone has heard of LSU. 3. Some hospitals that want magnet status need a certain level of BSN trained nurses. Often the ADN just needs to agree to obtain or begin classes for BSN within 1-3 years of hire. 4. Another career change friend, just decided to do CARE based on cost being similar for a BSN compared to ADN + Bridge BSN. Timeframe is similar.