mollybrown

my lpn program uses acute hospitals, a pediatric hospital, as well as ltc facilities, and we're assigned in pretty small groups to our clinical sites so there's no crowding. 1st quarter clinicals are all in ltc, but we rotate after that. you should just ask the program coordinator what sites your school use.

lincoln tech - paramus. i've heard mostly crap about this school, but so far (and yes, it's only been a week) the lpn program here has been quite good. the instructors seem knowledgeable and they can actually teach....who'd have guessed? my criteria was simple: are they teaching the appropriate material in a structured format that promotes learning? and, are they organized? in my opinion that answer is yes. we're doing a&p 1, nursing fundamentals 1, and professional awareness (incl. the history of nursing), and again, although this is only our first week, the instruction has been more than acceptable. i have had 2 years of conventional education at a state university to compare, and this seems pretty much the same - except for lt's really (really) small cafeteria and teeny-tiny library....lol. hopefully things won't go downhill from here.

is it up there in price? yes. probably one of the highest. but there are other things to consider... listen, everything is relative. are there long waits for admittance into other lpn programs in your area? 1 year, 2 years, more? how much money do you make now as compared to how much you'd make once you become an lpn? is there a significant difference? if you would have to wait 2 or more years to start a cheaper program, and there is a significant difference in your pay scale once you graduate, then it may be worth the cost to pay the $30,000+ in tuition. it may be more convenient for you to make more money as quickly as possible and afford a better livelihood (especially if you have a family) while making small payments on your student loan, than for you to continue to struggle for another few more years. however, if you are already comfortable with your salary and your wait to get into another program is less than one academic year, or you're living at home with your parents (or someone else who pays most of the bills) then maybe it would be better for you to wait it out and pay less money. really every situation is unique. you have to make the choice that's right for you. just my 2cents.

First of all.... total best wishes to those of us who start next week! But also, how about we hear from those of you who started earlier this month. How was it? Are you still excited to be there? Come on..... where are the details people?

mandatory white scrubs w/ school logo. we were also given white lab coats (i guess) for doing our labs... then there are the white rubber soled shoes or sneakers or tennis shoes to go with the whole "mental institution" look we got going on. :chuckle

lol... wow, that says a lot.

SA Girl..... thanks for asking this question. I am also not entering nursing with previous health care experience so much of this will be new to me. I did do a lot of research first though, and spoke to (and even shadowed) a couple of nurses who worked in ICU while my father-in-law was hospitalized for 3 months, so I think I have a good idea that nursing is a good fit for me. I just sometimes wonder if I shouldn't be doing more to prepare....you know?

Hi cbgirl.... Wow. 90 is a B in the nursing world? What the heck is an A? 95+? Anyway thank you all for giving me a good wake-up shake with this thread. We get our books and such at orientation in two weeks and I'm definitely going to start reading Day 1.

Well, I start my program on Sep. 29 (my orientation is on Sep. 19) and it runs for 12 months. Other than that all I know for sure is that our first clinical begins week 6.....scary.

Thanks for posting folks... for those of us about to start this month it really helps to give us much needed insight on what to expect from day 1. :)

I start Sept. 29.... excited and already can't wait to finish...lol

Hi mume.... How were your clinicals? Where were they? Hospitals, nursing homes?

Hey fashionista, are you going day or eveing?