Maryrose

That’s a tough situation. I’m in California and I know it takes a near miracle to land your first nursing job. My advice is to keep looking. You will find a position that will offer you proper training. This is your license you need to protect. I have heard of some ‘refresher’ courses. My first LVN job was in a convalescent hospital. I don’t think I was trained more than two weeks. After that I did home health and the training was better there. When I went to acute care, they gave me six weeks. Good luck!

Congratulations!

I agree, try both. You can gain nursing experience faster by becoming an LVN first. I became an LVN first and worked on the rest of my prerequisites for the RN program as I still needed more sciences. This enabled me to become an LVN at 21. I applied for the 1st semester of the RN program and when I got in, realized I was wasting my time at 23. I then got right into the 3rd semester without a wait and finished my RN at 24. In the mean time, I was working as an LVN in ICU. I learned a lot there. The hospital I worked at decided to restructure. That meant letting go all of the LVNs from ICU....except me since I was in school to become an RN. I was very grateful I was allowed to stay in my unit. The nurses were all very supportive and several of them were nursing instructors. i wish you the best of luck. Just keep going, you will get there.

Do you mean Pacific Union College in California? I know that they start next month. I know someone who is staring the BSN portion and has completed the associates degree in nursing this past June.

I know nurses who are travelers who live inside and outside of California and love it. One RN works as a regular employee 6 days a month and goes back to her home state for the rest of the month. Good luck to you! Maryrose, RN,MSN

In order to renew your license, you must complete the Mandatory continuing education requirements for your state. I like to take a variety of courses yearly to expose me to different aspects of nursing. I think it is helpful for any nurse to be aware of other specialties to broaden your knowledge. Another reason to take varied courses is to find out if it is something that you may be interested in. If you are interested in transferring to a different type of nursing specialty, taking continuing education courses could expose you to some of the knowledge, terminology, and issues those nurses have in that practice. I believe learning should be fun. As nurses, we are constantly learning and applying new information every day. I encourage you to broaden your knowledge in nursing practice and find interesting and relevant topics to you and your practice. Maryrose, RN, MSN

Yes, you can take a combination of how ever many units you need to fulfill the requirements for your state. Each state has a recommendation on how long you should keep your certificates if there is an audit. In California, the requirements for the 2 year period are 30 contact hours every two years. When you are nationally certified in certain specialties, more continuing education or other methods of proving expert competency are required. Maryrose, RN, MSN

If you still want to become an RN, it’s much easier to get into a bridge program when you have already been an RN. Its difficult for most people to get their first nursing job. It’s great that it only took a few months to get it. Life is too short to not love what you do. I suggest that you have a goal. What is the ultimate dream job for you? When you absolutely know that is what you want to do, then figure out how to get there. What will it take? It may take a couple of years or more to get there. If you have a plan and put it into action your goal will be achievable. If you find that as time goes on, you enjoy this line of work you are in there are opportunities down the road. You can one day be a case manager for dialysis patients. That would take going back to school to complete your RN and possibly BSN. I was an LVN before becoming an RN. I’ve held several positions. Keep working at what you want to do and become. Never stop learning and growing in your practice. Always stay curious. Maryrose, RN, MSN, CEO

Many years ago, I worked in home Health with vent dependent children. I even got to take them to school. It was great working closely with them and their families. I went back for my RN and worked in the hospital for years then clinic and education. I really enjoyed all aspects of private duty, clinic nursing, education, and hospital nursing. One of the best things about nursing is that there are so many paths you can take. It’s good to learn new things and see what you like. You won’t know until you try! Maryrose

You can do it! When I was going for my RN from my LVN, there were a few people in their 50s. It will be a breeze for you! Good Luck, Maryrose