BenPA

Don't be too hard on yourself, I also recently failed a nursing course, it was an LPN Anatomy Course at a local Vo-Tech / Community College. I was very close to passing the final exam. Please don't begin to blame anyone (especially yourself) for failing. I have been asking myself: "Why did I fail? What different methods could I use to learn successfully? What were my learning surroundings like, did I feel comfortable in the learning environment?" Let's face the truth, I failed because I felt stressed out sitting in the classroom for so many hours, which made studying become laborsome and uninteresting. Because of the stress, I actually wanted to forget the material rather than learn it. Do I make sense? After only a few months I was running ragged because of the hours required and I am in pretty good health and I generally learn new things pretty quickly. Things to keep in mind: your health is top priority. If you are not healthy, ANY job or educational experience becomes exponentially more difficult. Don't make it harder on yourself. Take as many required non-nursing courses before getting in to the nursing core. Learn at your own pace, make it become fun without as much stress.

The “Licensed Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse” first question has been a tough one for me also. I have shadowed, volunteered and have done informational interviews with friends and people unknown to me who are nurses. I already have a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems / Decision Science. A Bachelor’s degree in nursing would require at least three more years after transferring coursework because of the differences between the two disciplines. The degree in MIS required a lot of coursework in Calculus, Accounting, Finance, and Economics, where nursing BSN coursework requires studies related to Biology. I chose the LPN program at the local technology center (I was accepted to the program and starting classes this August) because I don’t want to put a lot of time into a vocation that I may not feel comfortable with or feel that I am being hurried to learn too much too quickly. People and computers are not the same. Why nursing and not continue with computers and Information Systems with ten years of experience? I am hoping to find gratifying work where I know I won’t be a millionaire, but I can somehow make a great difference in someone’s life. Teaching and nursing are hand in hand, and maybe I will want to become a nursing instructor in the future.