TraciLPN

Have you considered home health or hospice? I agree with Hoosier_RN, it is all about finding your niche. A co worker once told me, "The only time I felt like I really made a difference in someone's life was while working hospice."

My sister graduated from that program in August. She and the 5 women she made friends with all had positive experiences and passed their boards on the first try

Anyone else applying for the Spring start? I hope to be accepted to the OKC campus. I submitted my app this week and now the nerves have set in. I gather from previous cohorts, that decisions will be sent out around Christmas. I would love to hear from others who are suffering the same long wait to compare stats and help pass the time.

I would not apply for a nursing job until I passed the NCLEX. I am not familiar with jobs that will hire/ train you before you are licensed, but assuming there are some around I would wait until I had a test date before applying. I hope it works out for and you get your test date soon. Good luck!

No AHA moment for me either. I just work to pay the bills. One of the perks of nursing is that you can move around every few years until you find something that fits. Hats off to all of you who have remained in your jobs for decades, that is really impressive.

Are you currently working long term care? I ask because I have seen several new nurses get chewed up and spat out in a nursing home. My first job was in LTC and it was so hard even though I had a great mentor. I stuck with it and it all worked out in the end but I wouldn't advise others to start there. I wouldn't do it the same way if I could go back. I love LTC but 30 to 40 residents is too much for even a seasoned nurse. Add skilled charting, wound care, med administration, supervising staff, and unsupportive administration to that load and you have a perfect storm for burnout or even a trip to the board of nursing. I agree with all of the others that said "it's pretty normal to feel this way". Nobody leaves LPN school ready to confidently handle every situation. Don't let these feelings keep you from RN school. There is a reason you wanted in to the field, just focus on that. Remember that there are MANY fields of nursing, maybe where ever you are working now isn't where you are going to flourish best (and that's okay!).

Hi! Did you take your challenge exams? How did it go? I am applying for the Jan 2019 cohort as well. I passed Care of the Child last week and am all set to apply as soon as the applications open up.

I looked it up and WA only has 5 (!!?!) LPN programs. That just seems crazy because in Oklahoma there are 49 campuses. I'm sure that speaks to WA preference for RN's. I'm sorry that you are having a hard time with your desired program. If you can't commute or relocate than it looks like your only option is to speak with the nursing academic advisor and go over your application point by point to see where you might be able to improve and become more competitive. Ditto to what Neo said also, make sure you have done everything possible for any available points on your application. Any certification or optional test is going to make a big difference. Which college is it that you are applying to, if you don't mind saying?

There are practice exams for the NACE II online. After you register for the test you have to set up a login on the NLN website, after logging in there is a tab that says "store". Go there and find the practice test for whichever subject you want and pay $8. They are about 50 questions and I found them to be mostly true to the actual exam EXCEPT on the real exam there were fill in the blank questions occasionally. The practice only gives you multiple choice. I recommend the Review and Rational series by Mary Ann Hogan also. I was able to get a book over each topic for less than $4 at thriftbooks.com. Hopefully this finds you in time to be helpful,

Congrats Jean-Lys. I didn't get to apply for the fall start due to missing my Peds challenge exam by 1 point. I will be applying this fall for a Spring start instead. Good luck to everyone who applied. I hope you all get the campus of your choice.

Oklahoma City Community College has a fast track for an associates RN. It takes 1 year.

I used the 2017 Saunders NCLEX. I also benefitted from a series by Mary Ann Hogan that I found cheap at Thriftbooks.com; Look for "Reviews and Rationals" series. If you are able, spread the tests out and try to avoid taking them all at once. 4 of the 8 people who tested with me took them all in one 2 day session and the didn't pass 2/4 tests. All 4 people missed psych and peds by a few points. Another great resource is the paid practice exams on the NLN website. They are 8 dollars and about 50 questions each and I saw almost identical questions on my tests.

I agree. Go for it. Most RN programs have 3 semesters of prereqs before your can apply. By the time you are done with those you will know for sure if you want your RN. Good luck!

Have you looked at OU? MSN Family Nurse Practitioner

I am applying for the LPN-BSN program. I have my last two NLN exams this Friday. Are you applying for the traditional program? I'm applying at OKC and Lawton. My GPA is garbage at 2.9 thanks to a bad decision to leave school without withdrawing from classes a decade ago. My science is okay at 3.5 (I think). Do you know which classes are factored in to the science GPA?