sanb26

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond, I very much appreciate all of it and it is what I needed to hear. Right now I am already studying for my CNA program which will start mid May! Thanks everyone. I feel so much better!

Thank you so much for your advice, elkpark. I will definitely watch that episode you recommended. The LVN program has a total cost of $31,100. My family member is happy and willing to help but that still doesn't justify this massive expense. Looks like I might need to start researching CNA programs instead. Knowing that I can get a pretty good idea of what the nursing field is like, at such a much more affordable cost...

Hello everyone, I've been wanting to share my situation with people who are capable of giving advice, so here I go... I apologize if the information in this post is a little scattered but I'm completely at my wits end on how to even start my education in nursing. I am 26, live in Los Angeles with my daughter and husband. So far I have only worked in retail. I have no medical background so I hope to determine whether nursing is a good fit for me by taking advantage of a 21 day trial period at a nearby career college (instead of doing all the prereqs at my local community first and finding out much further down the line). I am currently enrolled in a for profit college to become a LVN. I have read all the warnings about for profit schools, but I feel in such a rush to start my nursing career. I have read all the posts about how for profit schools are a financial rip off. I have a family member who will pay my tuition minus all the grants I am getting so I do not need to worry about loans. There are no community colleges offering LVN in my area so I'm stuck with private. However, I know for a fact that if I determine that I like the LVN program, I will want to eventually go for RN. I am aware of the job market for LVNs and that it might be very hard to land my first job as a LVN. I am worried about so many things. Even though my family is willing to pay for my tuition, I wish I didn't have to ask for such a huge amount ($21,000 to be exact, for one academic year). I am also worried about maxing out my Pell Grants, when I do decide to do LVN-RN, before I would be finished with RN since you can only get grants for 6 semesters in a lifetime. Another concern I have is how to keep supporting my my family with rent and other costs, so I am torn on how to get started... 1. Should I become a CNA and work as one as I am enrolled for RN in community college? No need to ask for such an insanely high amount of money, but it would take much more time to achieve my goal. I'm already 26 and like everyone else, I need more financial stability through a career I truly love and better sooner than later. 2. Should I study for LVN, work as a CNA part-time and when licensed, enroll in the LVN-RN program at the community college? Very expensive, but I would be an actual nurse around September of 2019. But there's more of a worry of not finding a job quickly. 3. Is there a third path that I am missing or not aware off? I keep playing these scenarios in my head over and over everyday and I try to think of all the possible consequences of each decision but it doesn't become any clearer to me... Please, I'd appreciate honest advice from anyone, and thank you for reading my story.

Out of curiosity; what have they told you about them transferring to a different accrediting agency? I applied at Brightwood in Van Nuys and the fact that there's no guarantee they will be accepted by ACCET by June 12, 2018 makes me a bit nervous.

Hi everyone, After six years of working retail jobs and a lot of soul searching, I finally made the decision to go into nursing. I want to start out as an LVN since the programs where I live are easy to get into (no waiting list) and last 13-16 months. I'm so fed up with feeling unfulfilled in retail. Quite frankly, I am ready for a change and I feel extremely motivated and hopeful about becoming a LVN. But... I don't know which school to go to and I feel stuck. 1- Brightwood College in Van Nuys I like this school, despite it being a for-profit college. Their current transfer to a different accrediting agency makes me nervous since no one can guarantee that the school will become accredited and won't lose their Title IV. 2 - College of Nursing in Canoga Park Overall, my impression of this school wasn't a very good one. It is privately run and is one of the cheapest schools I've toured. 3 - PMCI in Westlake Village I haven't actually toured PCMI but I do know they have really high succes rates. The total cost would be around 26k if you pay everything before class starts and I think that's just way too much... 4 - Marian College in Van Nuys I just got accepted to the program. My remaining tuition would be 11k without loans. Taking clinical in downtown LA makes me worry one day I won't get there on time and fail the program. Also, I believe their succes rates are even lower than Brightwood. Sadly where I live, in West Hills CA, there are no adult schools or community colleges that offer the LVN program so I have to chose between a for-profit school or for a private one. Every day I keep comparing them, weighing pros and cons, but I can't seem to figure it out. Any advice or suggestions? I'm really confused... Thanks.