SPNbabe08

i agree with the other posters. you want a mate who will support you and encourage you to achieve your dreams. my husband is a nurse and he works with all women, and its just something i accept.

i think its really important you get your household finances in order. DH and I are both working full time+ and were fine and in a year or two we'll take 2 classes a semester for our prereq's then take the bridge program online. personally, i think its extremely unfair to burden our spouses with having to pay all the household bills. i worked 20hrs a week while in school and hubby worked 50,. now we both work 40, but that was our agreement. it took my mom 10years, one class at a time to finish her degree, so she inspires me to keep plugging along. it might take longer than you planned, but you will reach your goals!

hi, i think i can help you. have 3 ring binder for each class. 3' for A and P, 4" for fundamentals, and 1" for each of your smaller classes. have s sturdy bag. luggage quality is good. you need to focus on understanding concepts rather than memorization. when you get home from class, review the material you covered in class that day. then preview the next day;s material. stay organized and put the time in. youll probably need a 4 to 5 hour block everynight to do this. especially since classes are 5 days a week until you get to clinicals. if your books, esp a&p comes with a workbook, use it, every day with that chapters your studying. pm me when you get to clinical i can show you how to organize yourself there. if you put the time in, you'll do fine. just keep pluggin away at it, and it will click, i promise.

i worked 20 hrs a week to pay for our health ins while i was in school. and that was very difficult. you have to figure youll have 3 hrs of studying a night. i was in a 10 month full time program. if money is an issue, borrow more on your loan to help with living expenses.

i would report it when you go thru the licensing process. which means you;ll be delayed getting your license while they review your situation. but you wont be denied. i am in this exact situation. i have a driving on a sus lic conviction. when i graduated, i ntfd my state BON that i had a record. i am in the review period right now. or will be whenever my CORI comes back. it will only delay your licensure, not prevent it. relax. go to school, and when you graduate, your teachers will let you know exactly what you need to do.

you'll never have the money and it will never be convenient

oh hun, i know exactly how you feel. DH and I have been married 3 years in november. we've been trying to have kids since we got married. i just graduated in june from LPN school.(most LPN programs are thru vocational schools.) to date i am still not pregnant, and am facing either giving up or infertility treatments(which i dont want to do.) you dont have to choose, one has to be delayed. and the logical decision is to go to school. the emotional decision is to keep trying for baby. i went to school. i didnt go back on the pill, we used rhythm method and charting(if you need to learn this i can help.) just be careful about sex during school. you need to keep busy or your going to go nuts over the infertility if you dont distract yourself. and getting your education and a great career is the way to do it. think of how little you;ll have to work and you ll be able to be there to raise your kids. it will be tough, especially during maternity. keep your head up, cry if you have to, and get thru. youll be sooo happy you did it. pm me anytime if you want to talk. ive been thru this and would love to help you.

be grateful that you only have to pay a fine. in mass if you fail to disclose a conviction, you get a 5 year lock-out. so pay the fine and be on your way. im being held up by a driving on a sus lic. but better a 2 month delay than a 5 year delay

you can buy study guides for the LPN entrance exam. ATI has their own and its great, otherwise buy the book and put an hour or two into it every night and take it again.

I too have a criminal history,. traffic offenses only(driving on a sus lic). i graduated in june and i have yet to test. Im in massachusetts, and they are 1 month behind on their CORI's, so that wont be processed until 8/6 then i go into a 2 to 8 week window, while mass decides if im of good moral character. in the mean time, ive lost my job as a nurse at my facility, they wont hold the position, so after 10k dollars and 10 mos of my life im back to CNA work. believe me, i fully understand your frustration. I am living it, i cant even talk to people who i know have passed from my class, it's killing me. Im pretty sure ill be allowed to test and get my license. but the waiting is sooooo frustrating. all that work for right now anyway, nothing. can i just sleep until sept when i can take the test?

what a bunch of ignorant *******.:angryfire. ive run into alot of these types in my clinical areas. and i expect it, especially in hospitals. i also work with a nurse like this. she will sit there at lunch, butting into my lunch group, ask about school and then go into the whole schpeel about how useles LPN's are. here are a couple of points to think about... my DH is an LPN in LTC, and they do not let these fabulous BSN's work on the sub acute floor, they float him, a lowly LPN, who runs circles around all of them RN and BSN *******. excpet for the RN's who have been there for 20 years. hes paid 4 dollars less and hour and they trust him not them. he's also the preceptor for the building, he trains all incoming nurses. LPN, RN, and BSN. and i couldnt even tell you all the horrible RN/BSN's hes seen come and go. whether or not your a good nurse is not determined by the initials after your name. its the same way your job doenst measure your worth as a person. the judgement of wheter a nurse is a good nurse or a bad nurse is based on thouroughness of documentation. adherence to policy, follow thru, time management, effeciency, safety. patient and family and staff rapport. what are the patients saying about this nurse. isnt that what nursing is about , the patients? LPN's are trained on a very different level than RN's. LPN focus is on what is the problem and how do we fix it. "practical" remember. its also heavy on the critical thinking aspect of nursing, looking ahead and thinking a problem out and anticipating complications and taking measures to prevent them. yes a RN will know alot more about the disease process and the physiology. but they lack, and i have worked in LTC for a long time and have seen it time and time again. critical thinking and prioritizing skills. ive wathced experieced LPN's run circles around new RN's who think there poop doesnt stink. the LPN has fixed it and documented by the time the RN figures it out. its estimated that within 10 years 80% of nurses will be retiring. thats not a scenerio in which facilities can be picky. if i had to spend 50,000 just to push pills, i wouldn't bother. and who would. and why is that LTC is the bastard child of the nursing world. i think it is the most rewarding field. you are giving these people the highest quality of life you can at the end of their lives. these are the people who have fought in wars to preserve our freedom, they have lost their husbands who have died for this country. talk about throwing people out when theyre no longer useful. what a horrible attitude for a nurse to have. and if you think LTC is easy, you should talk to LTC nurses. these nurses sound really snobby. if these girls were really your friends they would support any nursing career you go into and be happy that you are striving to better yourself. I fully support your decision to go LPN first. you will be a 10 times better RN. pm me anytime if you need encouragement and support. dont let anyone stand in the way of your dreams. and if they do, get rid of them!!!!!

heres how id deal with it and this is how i deal with coworkers who decide their my boss. "how about ill worry about my work, you worry about your work and if their's a problem im sure the unit manager will discuss it with me".

personally, if it were me, and i am a raging ***** lately. i would document every incidence of prejudice or mistreatment by your instructor and go talk to the director of the program. weight discrimination should not be tolerated. and why should you have to work harder to change a teachers prejudice. if the director of the program doesnt change the situation you could either go to the press. (every lpn program director has nightmares about bad press.) or you could sue.

i would keep trying at the nursing homes. long term care is great for experience. keep calling them. and be willing to take overnights.

eeek! thats aweful. and they rate med errors according to their effect or adverse effect on the patient. this is why everyday my teacher tells us that you can never ever be to careful during a med pass

when your in clinical read other nurses documentation, and then ask your instructor to critique it. youll learn the terminilology and then it will click. or start writing your head to toe in nurses note form, its really good practice

take a vacation when you are on break from school and finish. there will never be a convenient time or energy or money. youve made it this far.....you can do it.

heres a question for all you nurses. i will be graduating in june, and hopefully licensed by july. i work in a LTC facility for a year and a half now, i work in laundry on the weekends and used to be a bedmaker during the week. the weekend supervisor was asking me where i plan on working as a nurse, and i said that i wanted to stay where im at. (great residents and health ins, although alot of the nurses are ********) even though alot of the nurses are rude, ive established boundries with them and they know i wont toleralte much. she said that i shouldnt work there becuase the nurses and the aides will never respect me and will alway see me as a laundry girl and not a nurse. ugh excuse me for bettering myself. any advice, stories, tactics on this subject would be greatly appreciated

I work in LTC in the laundry to get the health ins while im in school. DH is a LPN so his income pays the bills. anyway, i have been at this facility for a year and a half now. i started of as a bedmaker. just a little backround for my topic the weekend supervisor, who is a friend of mine said something to me that is bothering me. she was asking me where i plan on working after i get licensed. and i said that i wanted to stay at this facility. even though alot of the nurses are ********. they definelty eat their young. and she said that i shouldnt becuase no one in nursing, nurses and cna's will respect me and will always think of me as just a laundry girl. the cna's hate me cause im in school and am trying to better myself. you would think(and i say this alot) that nurses would want to see people better themselves. i am working my freakin ass off to get thru school and this is what i face. and i know that this is just how the world works. any stories, advice

my local hospital wants only RN's. in fact it wants all its floor nurses to be at least a BSN. which i personally think is insane. that ignorant mentality will only add to the nursing shortage. when im done with LPN school, DH is going back to get his RN. then will go back and get mine. i will start on my prereqs right away.

hi, im in my second med surg clinical rotation, and here's whats been really helpful for me. get to the clinical site 15 min early.get your papers and supplies together, so you can hit the floor on time and prepared. i keep a memo sized 3 ring binder that has my drug cards and lab values cheat sheets. and in the front pocket i always have a journal entry page, my head to toe assessment form and a care plan. i keep 2 pens on my id badge, stethescope( invest in a littman, there is so much backround noise. youll need it.) i always keep my left pocket full of gloves. you can never have too many gloves in your pocket. youll need them. now for the advice. be proactive, really read your patients chart. diagnosis, medications and recent labs. get the big picture. in LTC the nurses know these patients. so there not going to tell youmuch during report, just the pertinent issue. its up to you to find out the rest. there will be alot of students who will stand around jaw jacking, you are not in clinical to socialize or play BS popularity games, its about you getting your education and becoming the best nurse you can be.

This is how life is. i no sooner utter the word save and my car breaks down. when it rains it pours, you really just have to buckle down and minimize your life and expenses, i mean drastically, rent a room and buy a crap car. do what you have to do. ive been in school since august and in that time DH has had a heart attack and his job doesnt have much overtime, but weve managed, even with a mortgage and carpayment. it can be done.

no, LPN's are not a joke, they are being phased out of hospitals becuase of their limitations. however, LTC is a huge opportunity for LPN's. you will learn sooo much while you are going back to get your RN. besides, with the economy the way it is, and the shortage of nurses will only worsen, i think that LPN's will be more cost effective for facilities.

sometimes its really hard to get the instructors to quiet someone, that usually gets handled amongst the students. i would pull the teacher in the office and have a private conversation. just to let them know that you need to move your seat and why, most schools have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to cheating and if he asked you a question during an exam when the teacher left the room, you have witnesses. get away from him, those kinds of people are toxic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok these are the supplies i found most helpful 1" binders for your minor classes, vocational trends, nutrition, and growth and development. 3" binder for A & P 3" binder for fundamentals lots of 5 subject notebooks, you will be taking alot of notes. and comfortable writing pens. i use gel pens. each day i would put the handouts from class in the binder and behind that i would put my notes and workbook pages. that way when you go to study its all right there. you have to be organized, there is way to much information to be studying from 3 different sources. this is what has worked really well for me. youll need a good strong sturdy backpack or a rolling bag. lots of comfortable pens and pencils. a computer with powerpoint for presentations. and lots of coffee remember its a marathon, not a sprint