ree-nee

One thing that I wish more people would acknowledge is that there is a huge difference between the responsibilities and the day-to-day life of an LVN and and RN. Its not just picking which path you can afford or which you have more time to set aside for school and yeah, they are both nurses but...... LVNs really have different responsibilities but most importantly they have very different limitations on their careers. Sitting in class, ive heard the professors say many times "And this is the point where the LVNs in the class will agree that their duties are very different in this procedure than the RNs". There are things they simply will not be allowed to do. You need figure out the reason you want to be a nurse and if being an LVN will allow that kind of interaction. Maybe what you want to do (like specialize in something) is only possible as an RN. Do you really want to spend all that time to become an LVN, then have to take your time to establish yourself at a job to where you can go back to school, and then spend another year in school (2yrs if you want BSN)? Its just a thought. ..I have no idea on the ultrasound thing. I wouldnt let money stop you though. If you can invest in a 20,000 dollar car that goes down in value everyday, then i believe you can invest as much if not more on your mind. If you get a loan now maybe ur future earnings will allow more than enough to pay that back. sorry so long...its cold and rainy and there's nothing else to do. HEAVEN FORBID I SHOULD STUDY! :)

The prices on the books really depends--u can buy lots online used for about half and they are just as good...u wont use most of them though...i bought a nutrition book and havent even cracked it open yet and ill b startin the 2nd semester in a couple of weeks...if i could do it over again i would just buy the 2-3 essential books and scrap the rest ...i spent about 500 total...Its not hard , just challenging. There is lots to juggle at once. I would invest in a good laptop bc that's most peoples lifeline in class (there are network ports to hook up to the network at each chair in the auditorium)...my gpa was 3.89 which is about average for most of us....But overall, YES its tough but possible... c ya

Im not sure how u feel about online classes but they are a real lifesaver when there are scheduling problems. You should check and see if your school offers the course online and if they dont I would be willing to bet that Virtual College of Texas offers it. Go to www.vct.org and check it out....all courses are transferrable and with so many schools participating there's a good chance that the course u need is there...good luck.

That is awesome news Kim!!!...Congrats :smiley_aa

WCJC (Wharton Co. Jr. College) is a great school. I applied to their ADN program as a back up if UT-H didnt work out. Applications are accepted sometime around February ( if i remember right). They have typical requirements as far as classes. The more general education courses you have completed at the application time the higher of a chance you have of getting in. There is no waiting list or anything like that ...but there are less than a 100 spots-I think its like 60 seats or something. I got accepted with a 4.0 science GPA and a 3.8 overall GPA. I had to resign my seat when I got the letter bc I had long since accepted my seat at UT-H. My mom went to their LVN program around 15 years ago and loved every minute of it. I remember helping her study while she went to school. She did her clinicals at Polly Ryan (Oakbend Med Center now). I think the RNs do their clinicals at Gulf Coast Medical in Wharton. RNs only attend class in Wharton but I think LVN have the option of Richmond and Wharton ( I could be wrong on that last). The tuition is reasonable ($90 per credit out of district). I think the LVN program is a flat fee somehow but not sure. I would have done it if the BSN thing fell through. hope that helped Irene

Hello :)....i know exactly how u feel-i was there a year ago. Here is a link that some of us started on here and it pretty much has everything you were looking for (we all posted our GPA's and situations at the time of waiting/acceptance)...hope it helps https://allnurses.com/forums/f175/ut-hsc-fall-06-applicants-141084-2.html?highlight=valentine%27s

i got the "cliff notes for statistics" at half-price books in sugar land before i started the class in the spring.it seemed like a really helpful book and explained things in a condensed version.....i didnt need it though. it turned out to be the easiest class that ive ever taken in college. it wasnt that bad at all. i think you'll do fine-it sounds harder than it seems. just brush up on algebra and you'll do good.

Hello!..Im a Fall UT-H student and i was in ur situation. I was finishing up the last of my requirements over last Spring. However, I was finishing my philosophy and statistics requirement-i finished up my sciences last year. I think things swing a bit more in ur favor during the application process if you have more completed science courses in addition to the minimum required science credits to apply. Sciences were highly emphasized! Much luck to ya :) ree-nee

yeah actually we have to take the NET when we go for orientation on Aug. 28th. And "excited" is hardly the word...whats the word for the tickly, nauseating, jumpy, scary feeling that makes me nearly barf everytime I focus on the fact that EVERYTHING is about to change?? :).... :barf01: How are u Kim?..How is the HCC thing going?

Im goin to UT-H but I applied to Wharton ADN program and got in but I had to resign my seat (it was my back up plan if UT-H didnt work out). My mom went to the LVN program about 15 years ago and did great. She's still a nurse and loved every minute of school. I was young but I remember how tough it was for her. The teaching staff hasnt changed much at all....Its a good place. ree-nee

I agree with some others on here. I had excellent results with Sallie Mae Tuition Answer loan. All major lenders (Chase, Bank of America, Wachovia, Wells Fargo...etc) have education loans that they offer and dont need to be payed back until 6-9 months after you graduate. The key is to look for loans that are NOT CERTIFIED by your school. This means they send the check DIRECTLY to you and NOT the school first. You do need good credit to get the best rates, but from the research Ive done you can still get approved with less than desirable credit-you'll just have to pay higher fees and rates. Good luck ree-nee

oh and I did a Barnes and Noble and Amazon comparison: Barnes and Noble-$754.00 Amazon- $620.00 BUT both of those prices are before shipping and handling and minus the one book (should be 13 books total but only got 12) which could add a bit more to the total. good luck

here ya go guys. i found all of the isbns and bought all of them already. i found everything and got the current edition of every book. the only one i couldnt find any info on was "nutrition handbook for nursing practice". i used abebooks.com (half price books) and did extremely well i think. i love this site. with shipping and handling it came out to right at $500.00. i just need to see what the deal is with that one book. physical exam & healt ass. 0721697739,, concise rules of apa style 1591472520,, mosby's 0323037364,,drug calc 0323025625,, manual of lab and diag tests 0781741807,,nurses pocket guide 080361179x,,phipps 0323031978,, fundamental of nursing 0323025862,,davis drug guide 0803611528,, pathophysiology 0721603386,, patho study guide 1416023836,, nursing research 0323028284,, like i said, the one book that i couldnt find a current edition on was "nutrition handbook for nursing practice" but ill keep lookin ( i found a 3rd edition but didnt buy it). ill let yall know what i find. if it means anything i buy from abebooks all the time and have never had a problem. i would recommend using a physical address as a shipping address in case u normally get mail to a po box ( some vendors wont ship to po boxes). the actual book total was about 480.00 but shipping from several vendors added up to about 500.00. i still think it wasnt bad. let me know if i mistyped one of the book isbns. talk to yall later reenee

Not sure about the accelerated program but I do know that they will use the previous year's tax return statements to base financial aid funding. It kinda sucks cuz in my situation they wont consider that I will not be working once school starts this fall- all they see is that I made WAY TOO much money on last year's tax statements. ...but good luck to you reenee