Spartan05

Hey all, I am a fellow LCC star. I graduated from the accelerated program in May '09. PM me if you have any questions about LCC's nursing program. Just an FYI, I would put LCC's program against any in Michigan, I think we cover everything that the other community colleges and universities do and in some cases even more. Some of my fellow new grads didn't get to start IVs in nursing school or get to do as many dressing changes, IV meds, etc. as we did so, I guess what I am trying to say is, its hard to get in, there are a lot hoops to jump through to graduate, but in the end you should feel confident that you have learned a ton and are read to start learning how to take care of patients on your unit. Good luck! Spartan05

I have an interview at a long term acute care facility next week and am looking to get some information about this area of nursing. As a new graduate, I know that I may have to take whatever I can get in this economy and I am very fortunate to already have a job offer in a nursing home as well. What I am looking to get some advice or information about is whether or not a long term acute care facility would give me better experience than a nursing home. When I say better I basically mean that I would like to work in an ICU or ER one day and also keep my options open to become a CRNA. Would long term acute care provide me with the chance to develop skills and become comfortable with procedures that would make myself more attractive to hiring managers in ICU/ER? If anyone has any experience in this area or advice please speak up, I am excited about this opportunity but also a little stressed about making this decision. Thanks! Spartan05

My advice is to apply for more of the assisted living, long term-care and nursing home positions available to RNs. I graduated from LCC's accelerated nursing program in May (about 30 of us in our class) and I would say over half of us have jobs already. Only a few of us got jobs in a hospital but, I can count at least 10 people who are working on other areas of nursing (and making good money doing it too). Hopefully, things turn around but, getting experience in the basics for six months or a year may be the best available option right now.

Yes, you need to have a Bachelor's degree to get into the Accelerated Program. I believe the Fast Track program is for those who are paramedics already and want to become RNs. I don't know as much about that program since I am in the Accelerated Program. I know that LCC's website has all the information you could possible want to know about nursing. www.lcc.edu - click on "current students" near the top of the page - click on "academics" - click on "programs of study" and an alphabetical list of all the degrees will come up - nursing is under N (duh) and at the bottom of the nursing page are various PDFs that are program guides for each option. That should be a good start for any information you need to know, if you have any other questions about LCC in general or about the nursing program please let me know...I am in my second semester of the Accelerated Program. Hope that helps, Spartan

Which program are you looking at applying for at LCC (Full-time, Part-Time, Fast Track or Accelerated?)

I'm glad you got back to me about this point. Do you think all nurses should spend a year in stepdown or Med/Surg before moving onto their interests or would you just reccommend that for those of us who want ICU experience? The reason I ask is that this is only of those hotly debated topics on here. I'll play devil's advocate for a second and parrot what many people say about Med/Surg being a waste of time and since every unit or area is different you can't really learn about one by working in another - the best way to learn about it is through doing it. What is your opinion about this? Firehawk, sorry for hijacking your thread. I'll shut up and listen now.

Kati: Maybe its just me but this post seems really negative. I have heard of ICUs that hire new grads and also of CRNA schools that have admitted applicants with only one year of experience, nothing is really as set in stone as you make it appear. Also, not only is the money in CRNA great but the work you are doing in sustaining someone's life and health during a surgery is important. With that being said I doubt anyone would expect training for such an important, well-paid position to be a walk in the park....I think more importantly than saying whether something is tough or not is saying whether the effort you put forth is worth it. I hope you don't think I am coming down too hard on you and I think maybe your post was just to give people a dose of reality in that it takes a lot of effort, work, and drive to make it to something as tough as a CRNA (and not everyone can handle it) but, at the same time, from the experiences of people I have talked to, every bit of effort and energy you put into making it is rewarded by the benefits of the position (both monetary and nonmaterialistic).

Dave, Is there any way you could live on less for even a few years? The reason I ask is that if you are seriously considering nursing anesthesia, you'll be making quite a bit more than 57,000/yr. I just spoke with a nurse anesthestist here in Lansing and they are paying new CRNAs 150,000/yr plus a sign-on bonus of $20,000 for a two year commitment. I have a similiar path in that I graduated with an Engineering degree in 2005 and worked for a year before deciding to go back to school and into nursing. I know that short term it may be less money but, long term you'll come out ahead financially and more importantly, from your post it sounds like your new career will be a lot more fufilling than engineering. Anyways, PM me if you have any more questions.

Anna: Am I reading this correctly....you have one day of class (are you in class a full day) and two full days of clinical each week? So, we have four free days where all we have to do is prepare for class or clinical and do our online material? If I am not reading that the wrong way, I can see how you were able to work 20 hrs during this program. I don't want to get overconfident because I am not sure how much work this program is and everyone at LCC says that it is tough but, I think that sort of schedule would allow you to work at least 10 hours a week if you can find a job that will fit with the constantly changing schedule from month to month.

\Thanks, Could I ask some scheduling questions I have about the program? I am trying to figure out if I get accepted whether or not I have to quit my job or whether I can continue to work but cut back to 10-15 hours a week if my job is willing to do that. We take the courses one at a time right? Does your class, lab and clinical schedule vary from month to month or does the LCC program actually give me the ability to tell my job that for the next year I could work, for example, M-F 8-10? Are there any semester breaks, my cousin is getting married in India in the summer and I will have to be over there for a week or so in July. Not sure if this means I will have to pass up a chance to start in the March 2008 class or not.

Anyone know when acceptance letters for the accelerated program in March 2008 are supposed to be sent out?

Just hoping for a variety of answers here from everyone to see what the norm is? How hard is it to get a job in the ICU out of an associate's degree program? I am hoping to get directly into an ICU and work on my BSN while I get the needed one year minimum of ICU in....how realistic of a goal is this? Thanks, Spartan05

Has anyone else gone into a panic a few weeks before they were supposed to hear about their admittance into nursing school? Normally I am a pretty relaxed level headed guy and I swear I'm seriously working myself up over nothing. I guess it is probably that I applied to an accelerated program and I know if I get in I will have to quit my job for this year of school. Combined with the feeling that I will get into nursing school and maybe discover its not for me, has anyone else felt this way? Any advice?

Just turned in my application to Lansing Community College's Accelerated RN program yesterday before class. The deadline isn't until December and we probably won't know until after New Year's. Oh well, let the waiting begin. Good luck to everyone and don't give up if you don't get in right away!

Post in this thread if this is your last semester of prereqs before (hopefully) getting into nursing school. I cannot wait for this semester to be over and to finally get accepted into a program! Only 50 more days!