Tidi

@ Supersage.. I did my research while I was in school. And like you, I thought I had it all figured out. Then I LIVED through it, which was entirely different. Not only me, but my entire graduating class has had an extremely hard time finding jobs as an entry level LPN. We all called the schools "career placement", but to no avail. They provided me with a list of craigs list ads(very helpful..NOT) looking for LPN's. I did kand a few interviews, I think that I interview really well. I was well dressed, prepared with all my documents, spoke well, even had great answers to difficult interview questions...but ultimately they all wanted someone with work experience. I am not trying to discourage you, I just want you to be aware that your goal of working by a certain time as an LPN may not be met. Best of luck. And to all of you...no matter what, you are furthering your knowledge and degree. So even if you too have a really hard time finding a job you are that much closer to being an RN so school will be a breeze.

I loved reading through this. You all deserve a big pat on the back :)

OK- is it just me or are Lisa Arrends notes for Micro all over the place? Im finding it really hard to follow!

@LadyNikki I promise that you can find nursing schools that cost around the same amount that don't have a waiting list. I will help you myself if your interested! Please don't waste your time. I'm doing what you plan on doing (going straight to online school) but it ends up costing almost DOUBLE when its all said and done. PM me if you want me to help you out. I can't stress to you enough how they are phasing out new LPN's completely in New york and New Jersey. This is not a myth. Don't get me wrong, of course you will run into some LPNs but they are the veterens. All the new grads are working in other fields because we've gave up trying after all this time.

"Only 2 people were sent to take the NCLEX, they are hand picking ones to take the board...2 LPNs in 1 1/2 years out of hundred of students!!!" That is not true. There are plenty(at least 10 that i know of) of licensed nurses from my class(which was only 20 total), however NONE of us have jobs.

Please listen to me. Do NOT go to LPN school. It is a waste of your time. There is no jobs available for new LPNs. If you really, truly want to be a nurse then save yourself time and money and go to traditional RN school. I know that many of you are busy-but There are part time and evening RN schools in NY/NJ that cost the same amount ! TRUST ME. You won't find a job. And then you will either change your field of work or continue on to RN school. So please take my advice and just go to RN school!!! I could not be any more honest and frank. I passed all my exams 1st try, was an honor student, passed NCLEX first try..got my license in two states, and havent found a job in SIX MONTHS. The only jobs my classmates have found are medical assistant positions that pay ridiculously low. I am not alone in this opinion, others please speak up and let the new and prospective students know..There is NO job market for new LPN's in the New york/New Jersey area.

Do not go to LPN school, go to RN school!

Thanks for all the replies! I'm looking forward to getting to know my fellow EC classmates! Kanas- u can take the micro without the eval.Go ahead and register! I'm going to register for it too! I need to take nc3-nc7 as well as micro and maybe a&p depending on my eval. I hope to complete all my exams by january. Good luck to you all and please feel free to message me!

Hello all, I am a new excelsior student. I just took my NC1 (Health Safety) today and passed with an A. I am wondering if anyone in the New york area has recently began the program and is interested in forming a study group. I think we could really benefit by getting together every now and then to study and discuss the exams and excelsior process. Even if you arent in New york, we can correspond through phone or email. I just want a buddy to go through this with! It seems scary doing this alone. Thanks & best wishes :)

You can go on the NJ board of nursing site- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Then download & print the forms for the lic by endorsement. You have to fill them out, get it notarized and send in a check..a few weeks later, the Board of nursing will contact you with details about getting your fingerprints done. It took about 6 weeks for the initial contact and then 4 weeks after the fingerprints to get the actual license. It's definitely a bit of a process..but its doable. Good luck!

Hey just wanted to let you know that I applied for my lic by endorsement 10 weeks ago and I just received my license number yesterday. I have been checking the site daily. Still havent received the hard copy yet, hopefully that comes soon.

Yea, and I guess we can cross that bridge when we come to it. I have all my textbooks for Micro and I'm starting the studying tonight. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated :) I plan to test by mid august. Also..have you taken any other EC exams? I was just researching the texts that are required and I have a lot of them, but in many cases one edition before they are asking. IE: I have the 5th edition of fundamentals of nursing, while they are requiring the 6th edition. Do you think it matters much? I may just have to peek in Barnes and Noble and see if theres much of a difference in the texts... Good luck to you & Congrats!!! on passing that Micro.

OCC looks great, but wow-its super pricey!! I'm in New York and it would cost me over $1000 just for that class. I think I'll stick with EC's micro, although it does seem a bit intimidating.

I must admit that I never though it would be like this. I live in the NY area, and the jobs are non-existant. I have contacted every facility in the NY metro area and havent heard a peep. Like many of you, I faxed over my resume and gave a follow up call only to hear that they havent been able to review my resume because no jobs are available "but maybe theyll pop up." I'm soooo frustrated. I studied my butt off to get to this point and now I feel like I'm staring at a brick wall. It's the crasiest thing- I work for a doctor (as a nanny) and my mom is an RN...with all their connects I STILL can't land a position. What to do? I've been asking myself over and over again. Now I've only been a truely LICENSED practical nurse for around 12 days now- but I've reallllyy been putting myself out there- spending like 4 hours a day with the phone calls, faxes, and online job sites..and nothing. So tomorrow, my idea is to just knock on some doors with a big smile and my resume, license, references, ect. Maybe theyll see me as a human being rather than just a name in a pile? Or maybe I'll waste my time..who knows? What do you guys think? Should I go tomorrow (friday) or do you think its better to show up earlier in the week (say a tuesday) Thanks to all you lovely nurses out there and best of luck to you all. "Que sera sera...."

Thanks so much for posting this link, it's great ! Best of luck to all my fellow students!!