Lamie

I LOVE picmonic! I wish I would have found about it before I took the NACE LPN-RN bridge exam. I'm starting the LPN-RN bridge progam this fall and I subscribed to their RN course to get a head start on everything. I cost me around $42 from now until January, with the option to extend my subscription. Seriously, it is the only system I've found that helps me memorize lab values without torturing my brain. I love it, and it's actually fun to study. I highly recommend it.

Yeah, I should be happy to have this job, but I'm not loving it. I still miss the hands on part. I'll stick with it for now because the money is good and I need those hours because of my kids, but eventually I want something else.

Thank you for all your input. I think I will try to work PRN at another facility or in home health to test the waters there. My only concern is that they might not be willing to train me if I only work for them once a week (can't do more due to my main job and family). I'll contact some home health agencies and see what they can tell me. Thank you for making me realize that I should be grateful for such an "easy" job.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. I graduated from my LPN program last fall and got a job at a large clinic right away. I had spent part of my clinical rotation there and I liked it. The pay is really good, the hours are nice (no nights, no weekends, no holidays). benefits are great, etc. BUT....I'm not really using any of my nursing skills nor am I learning anything new that is nursing related. I'm basically a medical assistant with better pay, just there to support the docs. No assessments, no independence. A lot of computer work (all files are electronic), phones, minor procedures like injections, earwashes, etc. At first I was glad to have it so "easy", but now I'm really worried that I won't have much of a chance for any other areas later on. I'd like to work for an agency eventually because of the flexibility and the pay, but all the skills they usually want (trach care, vent, wound care, IV, etc.) I have never done. I'm thinking about looking for a new job either in LTC or home health so I can get more experience in these areas. At the same time I'm not sure if it is wise to give up such a "cushy" job with great pay and benefits. For now it would make sense to keep it, but down the road I might regret not getting my feet wet more. Any advice?

How about working in a clinic? Lots of jobs there.

The trick worked for me! I took the NCLEX PN on the 14th and the computer shut off after 85 questions. I felt really confident that I passed because I didn't find the test all that hard. I went home and tried to re-register on Pearson Vue's website and got the infamous pop-up window. I knew right then that I passed. Checked the quick results this morning anyway, paid the $7.95 and got the official "pass" message. Yay, I'm a nurse now and I'll start my new job next week!

Thank you! I did what you suggested and contacted my BON. Sure enough, they messed up my SSN and had not forwarded the info to Pearson Vue (never mind contacting ME!!). Anyways, they fixed it on the spot and I had my ATT a few hours later! So now I'll take the NCLEX next week. I'm scared but ready to get it over with.

I'm seriously frustrated here. I even called Pearson Vue to make sure they received everything, which they confirmed, but they couldn't tell me when I would finally get my authorization to test. It's been more than a month and I have a job waiting for me but can only start it after I have my license. Also some of my former classmates who registered at Pearson Vue AFTER I did already received their authorization to test. ***????? I'm soooooo angry and upset, I want to get this over with and start my job!!!

I just graduated from an LPN program in August and got hired after my first interview. I have no prior health care experience, but the interviewer was more concerned about work ethic than anything else and it helped to have great references. I made sure I wore a NICE (as in silk or light-weight wool) skirt suit, matching shoes that were in top-notch condition, my hair was out of my face and neatly set up, makeup was light and neutral, had my nails done, and made sure my breath was fresh. So far for the appearance part - first impressions do count. I prepared for the interview by reading several websites that listed possible questions that could be asked, such as listing your strengths, weaknesses, etc., and I mentally reheorificed my answers. What really impressed the interviewer was that I came prepared with additional copies of my resume and a list of references with addresses and phone numbers (printed on high-quality paper), copies of all my certificates, licenses, awards, etc. I also contacted all the people I listed as a reference to make sure they were OK with it, and to get a feel if they would give me a good review. Even my old bosses from almost ten years ago enthusiastically agreed to vouch for me. That made all the difference and two days after the interview, I was offered a job! Now, I had another interview right after that one and it did not go well at all. They were not impressed by all my efforts and clearly just wanted someone with lots of nursing experience, which they should have been able to tell from my resume I do not have. I could tell that I more than likely would not hear from them again because the interview was short and they did not care to get my list of references, etc. Oh well, I liked the first job better anyways. I wish you the best of luck! Looking for a job is hard work and emotionally draining, time-consuming and just plain annoying. Don't give up, you have a great background and eventually, something will happen.

I am a middle-aged career-changer who was a SAHM for many years with no background in the medical field. Here are some things I did that may have helped land me the job: - I had my resume and cover letter done by a professional - For the interview, I wore a very nice, high-quality business suit, had my hair done (set-up, out of my face), wore discreet makeup and looked polished overall. Shoes are important - make sure they are shined and look good from all angles. I even went and had my nails done the day before. First impressions do matter. - what really impressed the interviewer (she told me this repeatedly) was that I came prepared with several more copies of my resume printed out on high-quality cotton paper, copies of all my credentials, awards, list of references, copies of certificates, etc. She was really blown away by that. - I contacted my former bosses and made sure they were OK with being a reference for me. Since it had been almost ten years since I last worked there, I made sure to refresh their memory about the tasks that I had performed for them, and all of them enthusiastically agreed to vouch for me. This was probably the deciding factor in getting me hired. I wish all of you best of luck. At this point, ANY nursing job is better than doing nothing or working in a non-nursing position. If I hadn't gotten this job, I would have tried home health agencies, which I might still do on a very part-time basis to get more hands-on experience on things like trachs, vents, ostomies, etc. GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!! YOUR TIME WILL COME!!! THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Thank you!

I just graduated from an LPN program a bit more than three weeks ago and just got hired today by a clinic where I spent some time during my school rotations. It was my first interview and I have not even taken the boards yet. They will hire me as an MA at a lower rate until I have my nursing license and then bump me up to an LPN with a nice pay increase. I'll work 8-5, no weekends, no nights, no holidays, the pay is almost as high as in a LTC facility (which I hated in school), they'll pay for my education to become an RN, give me a one-month long internship, and I'll be floating through all clinic floors and get experience in all areas. I feel very lucky to have a job so quickly after reading this thread. Good luck to all of you!

I agree, and I have been on both sides of the issue. When I first started taking my pre-reqs, I had a straight 4.0 GPA in all my classes, until I got pregnant and my husband deployed. I was sicker than a dog all day and sat through chem and statistics trying hard not to vomit during class. i ended with a 3.0 and 3.2 in those two classes, which is really a miracle considering that I still had to take of our school-age son with no family nearby to help out. I just graduated from my LPN program in August with an award for my GPA (only four out of 50 people received one). GPA in pre-reqs is not necessarily an indicator how well you'll do in nursing school, but you will definitely have an advantage if you have the knowledge of your pre-reqs down.

I'm still a nursing student and was not able to find a clear answer anywhere online. Could someone let me know if it is within the scope of an LPN do perform this? Thanks!

That is a smart move, and that's what I'm doing. I'll graduate from my LPN Program in less than four weeks and many of my classmates are going right into different LPN-RN programs with NO WAITLIST! Every single one who wanted to go on into an LPN-RN bridge program got in right away, bypassing the first year of the RN program. I'll still need some pre-reqs before I can bridge to RN, but the good thing is that I won't have to have the crazy 4.0 GPA in all pre-reqs while competing with hundreds of other eager appliants for a few available openings. For LPNs, they require a 3.0 (not that I won't try for a 4.O anyways, but it's nice to know that you WILL get in for sure as long as you have a 3.0). Can only speak for my part of the country though. Either way, I'll try to find a part time job as an LPN while taking my pre-reqs, getting paid and getting some real-life experience. Beats waiting year after year for a spot in an RN program.

I have four more weeks till graduation! Just finished my second med surge rotation today. I have to tell you, there was a time in my second/third quarter where I seriously doubted that I wanted to be a nurse anymore. Thought about quitting - my grades were and are excellent, but the clinicals freaked me out (mostly d/t instructors, not so much the hands-on part). Glad I stuck it out though, because I really enjoyed this last med surge rotation. I can totally see myself working in the hospital on a med surge floor. Love the pace and I think I'd love it even more once an instructor is not breathing down your neck every step of the way. Even when they are nice, I found it unnerving at times to be watched all the time. Good luck to everybody, I'm so excited to be a nurse soon!

I just don't think it's fair. Who decides what is "only" a diploma and what is a degree? College credits are college credits, and we are not talking easy liberal arts classes here. Makes me mad after spending so much time and money.

Or even worse, why does an LPN program only give you a "diploma" and not even an associate's degree? When I'm done with my LPN Program, I'll have 120 college credits - and that's COLLEGE LEVEL courses, such as statistics, chemistry, psychology, etc. If you added the additional credits for a nine-month RN bridge program, I'd have something like 190 credits - that's about as much as some people with a Master's degree have. I don't understand.....

Could it be that also matters what part of the country you live in. Like I said, the hospitals in which I did my rotations had MANY RN openings, specifically for new grads. In fact, many of the nurses who worked on the med surge floor were new grad nurses. They were hired and trained by the hospital. Not many jobs for LPNs in the hospitals, but lots for RNs. Also there were quite a few agency nurses who worked on the floor I was at.

I'm still in LPN school, will graduate in August, and it seems there are a lot of positions advertised around some hospitals (a large military hospital here hires LOTS of LPNs) as well as many clinics and nursing homes, agencies, state positions, etc. Some of them specifically state that they will hire and train new grads. Ditto for RNs - the hospitals in which we did our med surg rotations had many, many new grad RN jobs posted on their bulletin board, also offering many nurse internship opportunities in many different areas. I won't be able to attend RN school until next year d/t family commitments but I'm hoping there will still be as many opportunities around for RNs as there are now. BTW I live in the Olympia/Tacoma area in WA State.

I will be graduating from LPN school this August :yeah:if everything works as planned. I'm interested in agency work because of the flexibility (I have young children and also would like to go on with an RN program) and the chance to "check out" different facilities without being "stuck" there if I don't like it. The pay is usually better as well. However, some of our instructors are warning us not to work for agencies as new grad nurses because of our lack of experience. Since you are called when a facility is understaffed, they are not ready and willing to train you but rather expect you to know it all. One instructor in particular warned us that the reason agency nurses are paid more than non-agency nurses is because there is a greater risk of losing one's license d/t making errors in unfamiliar facilities/protocols/paperwork, etc. Is that true? Should I just work for some facility for a while and get on-the-job training before moving on to agency? I'd appreciate your input. Thanks!

Bates has recently changed their admission requs. You now have to have a CNA License before applying to their program. Also, students must have a $1 million liability insurance during clinicals. Makes me wonder if something happened during their clinicals I'm enrolled at Clover Park and start clincals April 7. The first six months were intense - LOTS (!!) of studying, some people quit or failed out on the way, but if you are determined and really, really want to succeed, you can.

I'm currently enrolled in Clover Park's LPN program, start clinicals in April. The program is very fast-paced, we had a few people drop out just weeks into the first quarter. Seems to be true of most nursing programs. It's a lot of work, but doable. Any questions let me know.

indymom, thanks for your response. I don't think they schedule clinicals in the first quarter. I will have all seven classes at the same time, meaning I'll have two classes on Monday, three others on Tuesday, etc. So they knock them out over the whole quarter. I guess I'll have to get used to studying until my head falls off.

OK, so I'm finally going to start LPN school at the end of September. I registered for classes and I nearly fainted when I looked at my schedule. There are 27 credits in the first quarter! The most I have ever taken per quarter was 10 credits, and that kept me pretty busy. How can one possibly manage to cram in that much information in 11 weeks? I'm starting to panic a little here. I'm a good student, had As in all my pre-reqs, but like I said, I never took on too much at once. How many credits do you have/did you have per quarter in your LPN program? How did you handle it? I need a little encouragement.