Violinist85

Damn. =\ That just made me another year older. Sigh. I'm a bit confused about this. Are you saying that if I go to BC, get a PN certificate, then go to University or College to take like a year's worth of courses to transfer, then I could get the equivalent of a diploma from Athabasca? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with PNs with certificates rather than diplomas. Rather I'm just worried about being restricted to only BC. I was really hoping to start this possibly 2 year long adventure this January. Having to wait another year really bites.

Hi again, I've been able to find anything on the forums regarding my current question so I'm going to post it here. So I'm considering moving to BC to study practical nursing. However, afterwards I'd like to be able to move back to Ontario and be able to work as a LPN here in Ontario while pursuing more education (a university degree). I realise that as of 2005 the College of Nurses of Ontario made owning a 2 year diploma the requirement for Practical Nurses. However, in the west (ie BC and Alberta) there are many 1 year certification programs for Practical Nurses (ie Camosun). I guess what I'm asking first is if I want to come back from BC to ON that I should do the extra year of studies and find a college in BC that offers the 2 year diploma right? Even though I could become a LPN in a year over there... I'm thinking I should get the diploma? My second question is about the Athabasca bridging program and others similar to it. I believe these bridging programs in the west will allow you enrol as long as you're a LPN of that province which could mean you just possess the 1 year certificate instead of the diploma. But what I'm wondering is after you graduate and get your BN or BScN from western Canadian provinces then does Ontario consider you eligible to write the RN exam? As a resident of Ontario my whole life, does OSAP cover me at all going to BC? And I'm just throwing this out there, but does anyone perhaps in BC know of any Practical Nursing diploma programs that have multiple intakes in the year besides just Sept? I've found very few. I think I still had some questions but they elude me at the moment. Bleh. Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it.

It's easy to say that it's alright to screw up. But now i'm finding it difficult now trying to figure out how to get back into university. Falling through cracks will do that to you. If it was just my high school marks then I'd be fine. But most universities if not all will ask for all your transcripts so messing up in university before will ultimately crush whatever aspirations i had for school.

Ugh... yeah, that is kind of ugly. To train to be a LPN and get 1700 hrs under your belt would already require a minimum of 3 years if everything worked out perfectly. Maybe it's best to try my luck as a mature student.. =\

Oh, so how does Norquest distance Practical Nursing program work exactly? Does the clinicals mean I have to fly over 2 provinces to Alberta every year for up to a month just to do their practicals? I understand that practical nursing is very hands-on... but is there no way to push all the practicals together, back to back? Just how rigid is the program structure usually? It just seems difficult for someone in my position if I'm living on my own, to take time off from work, and then rent a place in Alberta for a few weeks. Kind of takes away from the purpose of distance learning to some degree for me anyways... Btw, the LPN-RN bridge program at Athabasca requires you to be a registered LPN with Alberta's college of practical nurses? Does this mean you have to get re-tested and also do the 1700 hours of work have to be as a LPN in Alberta? Oh, if I'm reading this right, being an LPN only reduces the BN degree by 1 year? Thanks

Hey everyone, Thanks for all the replies. They do mean a lot to me right now after my colossal screw up. If I did have a choice, I think I would go for the BScN even though it would mean for 2 more years of time commitment. From the financial aspect the pay, job security, job advancement, and job demand of being an RN is much better than LPN. But since most BScN programs are offered only through university it would be harder for me to get in after my screw up in university. Unless... of course if I happen to omit that blemish. Whereas colleges seem to be a little more relaxed with admissions. If this was 4 years ago, not to sound arrogant, but I would've had a much higher chance to get admitted. I graduated high school with honours every year and took all the required grade 12 university courses and had all 80's and 90's. And so I'm thinking that getting into a PN program in college would be alot easier. Although I've been reading that there are some college-university joint BScN programs and I'm now wondering how likely would I be able to get my sorry ass into one of those. Also it seems it'd be in my best interest to get a PN diploma as opposed to the 1 year certificates. About taking A&P online courses through Athabasca... first off, what's A&P stand for? Arts and something? And what courses would I need exactly? Thanks. Sorry for taking so long to get back to this thread. All help is really appreciated.

First off, thank you both for your quick replies! Thanks but I already knew of the bridging program at Athabasca. I was just inquiring why their BN program was closed/suspended last last March. Because they actually did have a direct program for those new to nursing with no nursing background what so ever. But yeah, janfrn answered that. I also already understood that becoming a PN isn't a joke. I wasn't trying to make it sound like PN was. But I was just trying to figure out the practicality of becoming a practical nurse for my situation. I do afterall have 3 years till I can return to UofT. If I'm able to successfully complete the PN program and get licensed then hopefully I'd have a nice stable income of around $20/hr to support myself and furthering my own education by either completing my current bachelor's at UofT or starting a new one. For me, right now time seems like something I don't have very much of. And because of that, the 1 year certification of the PN did appeal to me immensely. But it does worry me when I read other threads about how PNs in some places have faced in some sense descrimination for whether it be in pay or job security when they perform in some cases the same amount of work as some RNs. The bridging option is also another 4 years isn't it? I know it'll be alot of work. But at least the option of completing a course at your own pace is there. To me, that means there is a chance for me to just push and go all out. But alas, it seems Athabasca's BN program is no more. Damn. So my question now is this then: Are there any other nursing schools like Athabasca's? I ask this because Athabasca pretty much accepted everyone and they even state that they don't care about past academic performances. It's not my focus that's too broad... I just suck. I can't use my UofT undergrad gpa since it's much too low to compete. So my most likely route into any future in education is through high school marks or as a mature student which is still tragically hard. I've been calling colleges and schools but it seems most are waitlisted for up to 3 years and those that are not are for-profit private schools. At some places, their registrars don't even know how many seats they have available and they suggest that I apply first. But then again, it's not their time or their $60 to $75 per application. Honestly, right now I really just hate my life. I lost my reason for living a long time ago and only recently have been trying so hard to find it again. But I feel as though I'm too late. I'm the kid that fell through the cracks in the system, albeit very late in life, and now even if I try my hardest to reach out for help it's not there anymore. I've tried my best to be a good kid all my life. I didn't smoke, drink, or do any drugs. I got A's all throughout elementary and high school. I never stayed out too late. I played with the safe kids. I didn't explore having a girlfriend until only recently. I listened to my parents. I was a good kid. But now I feel like I'm so alone. Whatever potential I had, I feel as though I'll never get to see it now. If some provinces really did experiment functioning without LPNs then that's already a bit of a job threat. Standardizing the education requirement upgrade to a 4 year bachelors seems to be another red flag of the direction that the government is going. I have nothing against LPNs and I'm still considering becoming one and I most likely will given that admission as an LPN is easier. I'm not saying that becoming an LPN will be easy. But at least, I'd have a shot at something I suppose. I'm very cautious of these private schools too. I was actually offered admissions to med schools in the Caribbean based on my high school marks. However, as you might know, these private schools have very high attrition rates and tuition and living expenses which doesn't mean at all a better education. It's also much harder to gain employment after. But if it coems down to it and I have no choice... this might be the only route for me. I've moved out and away from my parents. They're asian. My screw up in school does not sit well with them. So I'm on my own now. Which just makes school all that much harder. I'm wondering though, does OSAP (I'm from Ontario) cover these private schools? How is it handled if say I've recently moved to BC after living my entire life in ON? Is there a BC version of OSAP? Do I qualify for that or am I still under OSAP? I definitely don't have $22,500 just lying around. But if I'm able to get work as an LPN after, work at about $20/hr for 40 hrs/wk, I should be able to pay it off within a year or two at most... I hope. And then I can continue with my plan to further my own education. Get a new bachelors. Try out for med school in a few years. Is there any difference between the BScN and the BN in terms of applying to grad schools or med schools? Are both treated as an undergrad degree? It's rather confusing to say the least to have two things that are the same but different. BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology), which is a college I believe, offers a 3 year program. It's one of very few that I know of that does off the 3 year program. It's relatively new and was started in response to a growing demand for nurses. I was hoping there'd be more schools like this... and preferrably if they had next to no admission cutoffs but rather weeded out the applicants once the schoolwork began. That'd suit me quite well. But sadly, I don't think many schools like this exist. I can't say I believe in god... but sometimes I admit I wouldn't mind a miracle.

Hello there, This will be my first post here. I'll try to keep this as short as possible. In short, when I started university some 4 years ago I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. My grades reflected that. Even the way I was brought up right up till high school didn't help. I was use to getting 80's and 90's with very little studying. After first year, my grades began to slip and from this I began to suffer a long bout of depression. The stress of having to succeed for my parents, the feeling of being lost and alone, and the despair of having already failed. Since then, I have been doing a lot of soul searching and seeking the help both professionally and from friends. What I'd like very much now is a chance to try again. I've been suspended from UofT for 3 years because of my grades slipping. But it was never because the work was too hard. I would very much like to see what I'm capable of achieving when I finally give it my all. I admit that one day I'd like to go to med school if I've got that ability in me. I just want to see what I'm capable of even though sometimes I wonder if my aspirations are just delusional at this point in my life. I've worked with nurses in the hospital volunteering sense, I've worked in retirement homes, and I'm an active member of the community. I understand that nursing is no joke or stepping ladder. I am genuinely interested in nursing. So now, finally to the reason for starting this thread. I want to know what your thoughts are. I know that nursing schools are very competitive. So that already limits my options. At first I was considering doing practical nursing because the time it takes to complete a practical nursing certificate (1 year) is much shorter than that of a bachelor's (3-4 years). I was thinking that being an LPN would give me a chance to really see what nursing was about and provide a very decent income for when I would go back for perhaps the BSN or just another bachelors altogether. Another thing that appealed to me about practical nursing was that PN is offered in colleges too and colleges tend to be alot easier on admissions. However, it seems most places in Canada (Ontario and BC is generally where I'm looking) the practical nursing programs offered in colleges are waitlisted for up to 3 years! The private colleges (ie Sprot-Shaww, Sternberg) have many openings but they tend to charge twice as much as any other place (around $22,500 for Sprot-Shaww). Another drawback about LPN that got to me was that some hospitals apparently outright don't hire LPNs (ie Sicks kids, Mount Sinai) so I take it that there are limitations. I think I also read on here that some places in Canada are starting to phase out LPNs from the health care system? And so I've been considering going all out for the 3 year registered nursing BSN. Just to clarify though, is there really a difference between a Bachelor of Science of Nursing and a Bachelor of Nursing? I understand that since most bachelor degrees are only offered in universities, my past mistakes will prevent me from going to most schools. However, I read somewhere here that Athabasca has a Bachelor of Nursing program? I've read a little about Athabasca University before and I think (from what I've read) that they don't care much about your past academic history. Which is great news for a loser like me. Also, from what I understand, Athabasca gives 6 months for a student to complete a 3 credit course but you complete that in 2 months if you wanted to. This is just absolutely great news to me. It sounds like a very possible option to catch up on the time I've wasted. Sounds like that here's a school that would give me a chance to get past admissions to prove my worth. However... I think the Athabasca nursing program has been suspended? http://www.athabascau.ca/calendar/page03_15_03.html Thoughts?