Shimmergirl

Thanks for the well wishes. ISU told me that I have to provide them with a name and contact number for a person to do clinicals with, and then they negotiate a contract for me, then I arrange the specific times/dates. I was just hoping someone else had already done the program and had a clinical site already set up near me that I could use as a spring board. I guess I will work it out when the time comes.

I am a current LPN looking to get my RN. I was doing Excelsior's program but due to changes by the BON I am switching to ISU and getting my BSN. As part of the ISU program you have to set up local clinicals with a preceptor. I was wondering if anyone else has done/is doing this program and if so how and where did you set up clinicals? It will probably be a year or two before I am ready for that part, but I want to be ready ahead of time. Thanks in advance! Oh and I am in the Hampton Roads region of VA for reference. *MODS please don't move this thread as it applies to specifically to VA residents even though it is about a distant learning program*

I work at a teen residential psych center night shift 7p-7a. Well last night we had a night from hades. I had been off for 7 days, and come back to find out one of the kids on my unit has MRSA (which I had been saying he needed cultures for about three weeks, as a healthy teen does not get multiple abscess type infections that reoccur even with abx tx) I was the one that documented all this and FINALLY got the NP to do cultures and sure enough...MRSA!! Did I get a "thank you", or credit at all? NO. Not that I was expecting it, but it would have been nice. So that aggravated me...but then we have a code red one of the girls units. A girl had gotten a lighter from somewhere and set a book on fire in a bathroom. Chaos ensued...fire alarms going off, evacuations having to happen, fire dept, etc. So the CEO of the place comes up and is dealing with stuff. Now this is not my unit, but I am helping the nurse whose unit it is deal with paperwork and organizing everything. My handwriting is on a lot of stuff, and I did the nurses chart checks and a bunch of other stuff to free her up to deal with the crisis. The CEO saw me, introduced himself and asked what unit I worked. I told him and he asked if all my staff was there, and I said yes, and told him I had checked the unit and all was fine, not to worry. Later I made copies of paper work for this same CEO. Well fastforward to tonight at 6pm. I slept all day, and wake up to a voice mail on my phone from my DON asking me to call her. So I do, and she says she got "blasted at 8:15 this am for me being on the other nurses unit visiting for two hours. And that I had told the CEO not to worry about my unit" ******* I instantly politely corrected her and told her I was helping with the crisis, I had done paperwork, and even made copies for the man himself. And I also corrected her on what I did say. He asked me who my staff was on my unit, and I told him and said I had checked on my unit and everything was fine and not to worry about it. She kinda laughed and said okay, I will clear it with him. ******* I go to help with a crisis and I am VISITING?? See if I help out anymore... Well I will, cause the nurse I was helping is a friend, and we all work together to make work easier for all. But still....GRRRR

hehehehehe! My poor hubby knows this all too well! Though he is an EMT so he's "sorta" used to it! Little does he know its only gonna get worse when I get my RN in a year and get my dream ER job!:devil:

hi! i graduated from the lpn program at mci in newport news in 2006. i lived off flashcards and studying with my two best friends in the program. i graduated with a 3.81 gpa and was my class valedictorian. mci is expensive, and is one of the hardest programs around, but in the end you get a darn good education, i came out of my program feeling at least 3/4 competent to start working on a med-surg floor. my best advice to you is to take really good notes (i made up my own short hand, everyone wanted my notes lol), ask questions on anything you don't understand, and really keep on top of studying, every night no matter what. you can do it if you put your mind to it!

Hello, I am Heather, I'm 23 and an LPN of two years. I just started the Excelsior program to get my RN (ADN). I am working on prereqs at the moment, just took my Life Span exam and passed with a B. Now I am working on A&P. I am loving Excelsior cause I have no weekly clinicals, no papers, no quizzes etc. And I get to work at my own pace. So...hi!