dwern31

I didn't see the article. One of my clinical nursing instructors told us that many hospitals are moving that way. However, she stressed that the trend is not necessarily a BSN. It's that some may only hire new RN's if they also have a bachelor's degree (not necessarily in nursing). So many of the second career nurses (like myself) who already have a bachelor's degree in another field are fine with just getting an ADN.

OCC has 2 LPN to RN bridge programs. One is if you received your LPN thru OCC and one is if you got it somewhere else but have worked as an LPN for a while. I just got my LPN certificate at OCC this past spring and plan to apply for their 2012 program which is only offered every 2 years in the even years. It goes from Jan-Dec of the same year and I believe the application deadline is October of the previous year so in my case Oct 2011. One of my LPN instructors informed us that everyone is accepted into the program as long as you have taken all the pre-requisites and passed. I don't know anything about the other program (TPN). Hope that helps. It is best to talk to a counselor or go to one of their information sessions. I don't think the website gives you too much info.

Most CNA jobs pay $10-$14/hour with $11-12 being the average. I work at a place that pays $12.50 for day shift and $13 for afternoon & midnight shifts and thats higher than most places. They pay their LPNs $23.50 for day shift and $26.50 for afternoon & midnights. It's long term care and Rehab but nothing like a nursing home atmosphere. Most hospitals don't hire LPNs so they are limited to nursing homes, ECF, and home health care but can make anywhere from $18-$30 to start which is better than what a hospital pays. RNs make much more in the long run but the starting pay isn't much more than an LPN.

I am just curious if you or your friend had submitted your resume to any of those job sites where you post your resume and potential employers contact you if they are interested? I have never done that because you never know who might see your resume and pull a scam like that. Instead I only submit my resume to specific well known companies for a specific posted job opening. There are also a lot of scams on Craigslist so watch out. Thanks for the info. With this economy there are more and more scam artists out there taking advantage of people.

What have you got against community college, especially if you want to go cheaper? I am currently in the LPN program at Oakland Community College and will be graduating this May. They take approximately 30 students each year and it goes strictly by highest GPA for 6 pre-req classes. There is no waiting list unless of course you don't make the GPA cut then you just have to wait to reapply the next year. I applied in July of 07, started the program January of '08 and will be done in 4 months from now (that included a 2 month summer break and a 3 week Christmas break). Being an Oakland county resident the tuition is only $55 per credit hour so my whole tuition ends up being under $3,000. I think their non-resident tuition is maybe $100 or so. Still very cheap compared to other schools. Check out their website if you are really interested in becoming an LPN. www.oaklandcc.edu.

Where do you live? I work at an assisted living home in Brighton and they hired me in with no experience as a Resident Assistant. I do not have my CNA either but I am in a nursing program. We just lost a girl on day shift so they are probably hiring again. You can probably choose which days you want but they expect every other weekend. The pay is only $8.50/hour but it's great experience, flexible, and the residents are very nice. If you are interested I can get you more info on how to apply. Denise

I agree with a damsel. Try it out and see how it goes. I am currently in Foundations and I work, have 3 kids and I currently have an A in the class. I can say I have no social life, don't see my family much, and don't get a lot of sleep but I am managing and still doing well in school. Unfortunately, I have to work to help pay the bills. I also have a very supportive husband who makes the kids school lunches, helps them with their homework, and even does the laundry. That definitely helps. I do limit my work schedule to 1-2 days during the week (8 hour shifts) and every other weekend. I work in an assisted living facility so besides needing the income I don't want to give up the valuable experience I am getting as well. I am also the type of person who manages my time better when I have a lot going on and I excel under pressure. So it also depends on the type of person you are as well as your other obligations and support system. I wish you luck! Even with the stress I love the nursing program at OCC so far.

I am in the Foundations of Nursing class right now. I'm in the LPN program but the class is exactly the same as for the ADN. We had Pharm the first 7 weeks separate and now Foundations by itself. I can tell you I cannot even imagine taking them together. As the others have said, Foundations is a lot of work. Not difficult, but lots of reading, quizzes for Lab and lecture, plus the skills checkoffs, papers due, care plans, Clinicals, etc. Definitely try to do Pharm in the summer. The 7 weeks goes by fast but it does require a lot of studying if you aren't familiar with drugs. Don't stress about the NET either. Google it online and you can get some free sample tests. I looked at a few the day before the NET and did fine. It's basic math like you did on the math entry test to get into the program, basic reading comprehension, and some general science questions. Maybe just brush up on some anatomy and Biology terms for that. Nothing real difficult. Your grade does not count for anything on the NET at OCC. It just gives you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses. For LPN we had the NET test the same day as our orinetation but you will get a packet of info explaining all that. They will also tell you where to go for Drug testing and everything else you need to do. I know you're excited and want answers to everything. I was the same way. Be patient and soon enough they will send you all the info answering your questions. At orientation they will give you an idea of your schedule including your assignments and dates due but it's very confusing until you are actually in the class. I must get to my studying. As an example, I have a skills checkoff tomorrow on vital signs and a quiz plus another quiz on Friday. And that is just for one class. Good Luck!

Congrats to all of you:yeah: I am so happy for you. I am currently in the 2009 LPN program and plan to do the bridge to RN in 2012 which is the earliest I could do it. I have some advice about sending your acceptance reply back. I faxed mine and also mailed it certified mail with delivery confirmation required. Well, the certified mail never got there. I kept checking online to track it and it never left my local post office in South Lyon. So don't just expect certified mail to be fool proof. Luckily I called OCC and verified that they received my fax and they said that was good enough. Always confirm everything with OCC because they lose stuff. Never just assume they got it. Good luck to everyone and congrats!

Good luck to all of you! I remember waiting for the letter. I am in OCC's LPN program. We just started our first week of lab and theory for Foundations of Nursing and it's already very overwhelming. I hope you all get in.

Relax...With a 3.88 you should get in. Yes, don't rule out the LPN program if you don't get in. You can always go back for the RN later. I love my Pharm class and teacher. You're not supposed to mention instructors names on this forum but PM me and I will respond. Good luck! I hope you get in.

Hang in there and don't stress out about it. You're older and more mature now so if you do get into the program you will do fine. I am currently in OCC's LPN program and just started in January. Last Fall I was like you anxiously awaiting. We actually received our letters a week before they said we would but you never know. I have 3 kids and am currently working 2 part-time jobs while going to class and so far I have an A- average in my Pharmacology class. It requires a lot of studying and a very supportive family. I hope you get in but stressing about it is not going to help. Relax and enjoy time with your family now because once you're in the program you won't have much family time. Good luck!

You should have no problem finding a job. Healthcare is one of the few fields in Michigan in demand. There are a ton of nursing homes and assisted living facilities always looking for CNA's. What part of Michigan are you moving to?

Personally I would not waste the money. I looked into taking a CNA class last summer while waiting for my Nursing program to start in January. I was also searching for jobs while trying to make a decision to become a CNA or not. I got a job in an Independent Living Home as a Caregiver making only $8.50 an hour but being a CNA and no previous experience was required. A friend of mine is a CNA making $10 an hour. So, would the $600-$900 class plus the cost to take the test make $1.50 an hour more be worth it? I am getting great experience as a caregiver without being a CNA and my employer is also flexible with my hours knowing I am a nursing student. The decision is yours but I think it's a waste of money if you are going to nursing school and will learn all the same skills there. Lots of home health aid companies will also hire caregivers with no experience, you just have to look. I have found Craigslist to be a good place to search as well. Try the Homehelpers franchises. They are always looking for people.

Kambra, Where are you working? Are you in assisted living or something similar? How long ago did you become an LPN? Just curious as I just began the LPN program at OCC. Most posts here are for RN's so it's always nice to hear from an LPN.