cduenes41

Sounds about right. Hope you find something you love or at least enjoy doing.

GAREAT article! Thank you.

Update: Merced does have a 1 1/2 to 2 year waiting list for their LVN program, so I was told by one of the counselors to just go for the RN program, since it goes by lottery and merit. I started my prerequisites in September, and I am scheduled to graduate with my RN degree in 2022. At around 5k, Merced has the cheapest nursing programs in the area.

I agree with needlesmcgee. You are, however, wise to go through a registry. They can usually get you more money than being hired on directly by a facility, you can make your own hours, and if you find yourself working in a facility you don't like, you can request a different assignment. I would avoid skilled nursing facilities like the plague, as they ARE indeed the plague of the medical profession.

Very well said, Orion81.

I know this is an older post but one suggestion for new grads is to work the NOC shift initially, if possible. Less cattiness, slower pace, and less chaos. This type of flexibility is one of the main reasons I became a CNA. That, and the demand for hiring CNAs is constant. The program (depending on what school you attend) pays for itself the first month of working. All the bestest!

What an excellent reply, Angelkissed! Loving the positivity and results-based suggestions. I might take a few of them. :-)

No. I'm not. And I know the ramifications of being an RN with the 30 option versus having an ADN through a "traditional" program or BSN or MSN. Your options may be limited, but there's no way you cannot find a job after completing an RN program and obtaining your license. Perhaps the OP has reached decision, perhaps not. Perhaps she put it on hold. Perhaps she abandoned the idea. Some people become nurses and leave the professional altogether after realizing it's not for them, not liking the nursing culture, or burnout.

Pretty big pool out there and there's been a serious nursing shortage for decades. An RN is an RN is an RN...

Thanks for the comment. I'm not one to go into debt, and there are varying opinions on what one considers affordable. For now, my plan remains the same. The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians is very detailed on its criteria no matter which part of California you live in, and the qualifications that are required to challenge the LVN board are quite clear. That is my plan for now. But, as much in life, it is subject to change. My current employer does offer scholarships, and of course, there are grants floating around out there somewhere. But I'm so new to the nursing world that we'll have to see where this road takes me. All the best.

I guess every single person (myself not included) who responded on this thread is a Mormon, because THAT'S to WHOM she was addressing her question.

I'm sorry, but heh?

Give it time?

Congrats!!! Hope it's going well. They should be glad to have you, wherever you are working.

..."I do not know if anyone will hire me as RN if they know I have NP license? How I am going to explain this to them? " Do you have to disclose that you have an NP license?