Melly.Ann

You're so welcome! Two of us went to work for the nursing home where we did our first clinical. It was actually my first choice. The other four went to work at various hospitals. On my first day at work at the nursing home, the hospital called me in for an interview, but I declined having just started at my first choice. I have gained some very valuable experience as an LPN, so it's hard for me to say that I hands down wish I'd gone straight to RN. I have, though, advised several people interested in nursing to skip the LPN and go straight to RN if they know they want to be an RN eventually anyway. If they're unsure, LPN may be a good way to start out, but that really depends on where they want to work after school. When I returned to school, the only credit that transferred was my CIS class, so I had to start back at square one. That's something to keep in mind, too. If I had it to do again...lol...that's a tough one for me and please don't let me sway you or your son, but if I had a crystal ball, I wouldn't have gone into nursing at all, honestly. I'm in the first semester of an ADN program now but I'm switching majors next semester as I've realized that I need to make a change in order to preserve some of my sanity. (I have an anxiety disorder and the high stress is exacerbating the issue.)

I'm not sure if the format of the program has changed any since I graduated, but I know some of the same instructors are there. I can honestly say it was genuine instruction. They are committed to producing quality nurses who are ready to work. They were very approachable and truly interested in their students' success. As far as weeding out, I think there is a certain degree of that in any nursing program, whether it be LPN or RN. It's part of the standardized test culture (IMO). The schools need a high NCLEX pass rate in order to maintain their accreditation so students who have a low chance of passing the NCLEX will be encouraged to either study/work harder or consider other options. I will honestly say, though, that the instructors didn't have an attitude of wanting to "get rid of" or weed out as many as possible. Many students realized during the fundamentals course, nursing home clinical days, and early in the first hospital clinical days that nursing just really isn't right for them and they left on their own accord. My particular class started with something like 24 students and 6 of us graduated. The material is reasonably challenging and students need to be prepared to take the course work seriously. They get out of it what they put in. The instructors were definitely in charge. They were serious about teaching, but not in a militaristic way. There was a bit of group discussion in my class and I think every class has at least one or two know it all's who have a personal story to tell about EVERY thing and feel that they know more than the instructors, even (ours didn't make it past 3rd quarter). My instructors always kept the class on topic and on course. This was 8 years ago, mind you, but we all passed NCLEX-LPN on the first try and had absolutely no trouble getting hired. In fact, during clinicals, many of us were being recruited because they knew we would be work-ready upon licensure. I hope this helps and please feel free to ask anything else that comes up.

I graduated from Middle GA Tech in 2003. I'll answer whatever questions you have as well as I can :)

I worked in Public Health as an LPN and I loved it. The pay is lower than LTC, but the benefits, lower stress and set schedule (weekends and holidays off!) made up for the pay cut.

OK, so I called the administration office this morning because I couldn't understand how a 92 on the hesi was too low for acceptance. As it turns out, there is someone who shares my last name who got an acceptance letter by mistake and I got her denial letter . The lady I spoke with apologized and said I would be receiving my acceptance letter shortly. I feel so sorry for the student who will be let down but I am super relieved that I will have a seat this fall!

I'm absolutely sick and shocked right now. I just got a denial letter from Darton for the reason of test scores. I don't understand. My GPA is 4.0, I made a 92 on Hesi (88 on A&P), and I'm done with core. I'm in tears and not sure what to do now .

Woot! Congratulations, Kirstie!! :w00t: :clpty:

Yeah, Micro is all I have left. I just took A&P II last semester. Hopefully they'll let you take both. I'll cross my fingers for you :)

http://www.darton.edu/programs/nursing/pdfs/201102-Nursing.pdf That's a list of the core. They say there are 3-5 classes that they look at when you're applying: English 1101, A&P I, and Medical Terminology. I'm guessing the other two are English 1102 and A&P II. The more you have done, the better. If I'm not mistaken A&P II is a prereq to Microbiology.

I have no idea what all they go by. From what I've read and heard it varies each semester and which program you've applied to which changes your competition. Ugh, July feels so far away! Good luck! :)

Welcome to GA! You did great, too! I'm sure you'll have a seat for fall. I understand about the financial aid. With all the new cuts to Hope and Pell I'm a little nervous. I may end up having to get a loan. I'm taking Microbiology and a health class this summer. Good luck to you, too!

Congrats! I scored a 92% composite with an 88% on the A&P. July is a long way away. Are you taking any classes this summer?

I applied for this fall. I'm taking my HESI May 7 . I'm taking Micro Hybrid this Summer, but I've finished all the other prereqs. I have a 4.0 right now. Good luck Kirstie & Doodle!

Hi, this is my first post after a long time of lurking. You sound a bit like me. I'm a doer and don't enjoy following people around without actually doing something for too long. My first LPN job was at a LTC and I was given 2 weeks of orientation. The first week I oriented with the lady I would be replacing and I spent that entire week following her and getting to know the residents. I took lots of notes b/c they had a routine and I wanted to make their transition as easy as possible. The second week I oriented with random people and I asked each night if they would let me loose and be available to me in case I needed help. That worked well for me and by the end of the second week I was confident enough to handle my hall (28 residents) and the day to day routine. There's so much more to the job than just med pass. You'll also have to get used to the charting, the doctors, the family members, your other co workers. You're very lucky to be getting a decent amount of orientation time, use it to your advantage. Good luck!