lpnserria

Same here. I have to do ATI but we don't get any study aids but Saunders.

MsAmbitious2336, Good luck to you too! If don't get to respond to you. I want you to know: At somepoint you are going to get really discouraged... Just remember what motivated you to become a Nurse. Then wait and see the people who line up and take the exit exam and pass. All those people been through much of what you are doing now. If they can get it, so can you. :)

I paid $18,000. I think they raised the price to $20,000.

msambitious2336, sorry for the misunderstanding. my program's classes end in june. i have to submit my videos, packet and pass the exit exam. you can't graduate until you pass the exit exam. then you take the boards. the 'formal' graduation where you get to have family and friends watch you wear a cap and gown is in november for me. so that means that if passed my exit exam in july, then i "graduated the program". but i would have to wait till november to get the cap gown and walk down an isle. it take about a month to two months to take the lpn boards with the state. since the state will assign you a date to take the boards.

My interview went well. I knew right away. It took less than two weeks for an acceptance letter. I formallygraduate in November. I started in the summer, so my dates don't follow a typical cycle. My classes end in June. Then I have a month to prep for PNcats/ Nclex review/Videos/ packet/Exit exam. Aghh! I should be able to take the boards by Sept (pending test date assigned). Graduation is at Fairleigh Dickinson's auditorium (no affiliation to the school).

the interview is a simple one. if you have done other jobs interviews you should be fine. typical questions: why are you here? what made you pick our program? etc. it's a simple getting to know you interview. they just want to make sure that you are dedicated. dress nicely and age appropriate. i was business formal. i've seen other students come in business casual to street clothes for interviews. i think you would have to put your best foot forward. first impressions... :) uniforms cost about $35ish each. i hate being dirty so i have 3. the uniforms are all white, so it’s easy to see the dirt. we can take the boards in whatever state we want. i'll be taking the ny boards. you can always file for retroprocity if you take the nj boards. while you do your interview you can talk to the students. that's what i did. i asked five students about their experiences. some positive some negative, but perspectives are always individualized.

msambitious2336, i am currently enrolled in the center for allied health in hackensack. i'm in my last trimester (it goes by fast). the program that i am in is different than the students who are now entering. i am here 5 days a week from 7:30 till 3:20pm. the new students have longer days (till 4pm?) and are here 4 days a week. the curriculum has changed slightly. i had more classes hence more exams. the new students have a condensed version combining two classes in one (example: nutrition with a&p) with less exams. the content of material learned is the same. we all have the same gpa standard “80 is an 80”. anything below means that you would have to retake the class over again. yes, a 79.4 is not an 80. with that said, all students have the same academic stress factors. now that i may have scared you, here are the other facts. the instructors in this school are the most caring individuals i have ever encountered in academia. they are knowledgeable in their fields and genuinely care for their students. they teach content (textbook and nclex) with examples from their real word situations, humor and try to relate it to the individual. i have not yet met an instructor who is not willing to sit down and help a student who asked for help. nor have i seen one who has not offered to help those who need it. clinical are just “ok”. we have different sites, each one a bit different from the other. what i like about this program is that by the 2nd week you start clinical and you get to practice what you learned. downside to clinicals? bed baths in each rotation and that you may need to carpool since all sites are not walking distance (be prepared to buy an extra uniform since they only supply you with one.) we have to watch nclex videos (your own time), pass an exit exam (with an 80, yes they provide a review) to graduate. procrastinators are warned: start early on packets if you want to graduate in a timely manner. the school offers nclex reviews and other stuff to prepare us for the boards. it is a very intense program but if you are dedicated you can make it. heck, if i'm here you can make it (lol). in a nutshell: 1 trimester difficult (adjusting stage, reality check), 2nd trimester (gray hairs appear, bags under eyes, your family may refer to you as the visitor to the household), 3rd trimester (bags under eyes may disappear, classes start to make sense(due to the knowledge acquired from 2nd trimester), sense of impending doom due to knowing that all that stands between you and graduating is an exit exam, a packet and an 80). is it worth the debt? that’s a personal question that you have to answer. i will tell you a bit of why i am here: i always wanted to be a nurse. programs are difficult to get into in nyc. so i commute each day by car to get here. i quit my full time job. placed my family and social life on the backburner. my logic: it’s not a debt but an investment in me (myself). if i do well & succeed i can payoff my debt and have a career that i always wanted. are there cheaper programs out there without paying the exorbitant amount? yes. do i regret coming here? not at all. :) good luck to you!

I will be attending the day classes in July. I spoke to a student who told me that most people car pool or take the train to the bus. I'm hoping to find some classmates that want to carpool after the first week of class. I also checked out several lpn programs in NJ but decided on this one. She said that she loved the program, but be prepared to give up your social life.

I took the test yesterday and got in! The test was not that bad, just study the math and time yourself. It's a bit difficult to read and answer on a computer when you also have to figure the math problems on a piece of scrap paper. I have to find some people to car pool with me pending if my interview goes well.

I tried but most Nursing (RN) schools stated that they would average the F with the new grade. Other schools stated that I might as well give up. It seems so difficult to attain my goal that I looked at LPN/LVN..so that I can bridge over...and have more options. As for retaking Chem. I need to wait for a 'seat' in that school too!

Thank you all for your replies! I went to Hohokus school in hackensACK and to Center for allied health nursing education. And was accepted to the latter. Its a foot in the door! Once again thank you all!

Thanks! But my past comes back to haunt me, every time I apply to a school. I carry an F in Chemistry that is 9 years old. So when I apply to a program, they see the F and tell me that I have no chance.

Yes, I am willing to go the extra mile. I'm actually looking at the school and thinking about applying. I am setting up an appointment to receive more info.

the place that said that i can get my pn (certificate) but it would be from the caribbeans and that i would have you get my transcript evaluated (ichp) to take the state exam.

hello everyone! i was accepted as a pre-nursing student at a community college. i have a ba and i am 3/4 away from finishing my ma. i've always wanted to become a nurse and i find it difficult to get accepted into a lpn or rn program. i have a low gpa (below a 2.7) from my ba. and even though i am a 3.6 in my ma program, it is not taken into consideration. i feel that i jump through hoops but never get to that final goal. i was lucky that i am at least a pre-nursing student at a local community college. (gives me a bit of hope) i hate rejection, too many colleges have said no to me due to my gpa. i just want a chance. are there any lpn or rn schools in ny or nj that i can go to and be offered a seat without a waitlist? or a college that lets you start the nursing program when you get in (not the do the pre reqs then apply to the program and then be waitlisted type)? i am so desperate that i even went to a place that said that i can get my pn (certificate) but it would be from the caribbeans and that i would have you get my transcript evaluated to take the state exam. if you know what i talking about please reply... any help offered would be appreciated.