jchatlpn

YES! There are always a need for bilingual nurses in AZ. I would get the LPN just as a safeguard. You never know what can happen to you during that 3 and 4 block. But with your LPN you'll at least be able to advance place into another program if something does go wrong for 3 and 4 block. You can even find an employer who will pay you to go to school and who can promote you to an RN position if you find an LPN position with those possibilities. Plus, you'll gain experience as a nurse when you use your LPN first. Look into school nursing at K-8 elementary schools, corrections, home health, hospice, LTC. Those areas hire LPNs a lot. Unfortunately hospitals do not hire LPNs as often but if you keep your eyes open on Banner and the other places then sometimes they have openings for new grads. I keep hearing that new grad nurses have a hard time finding jobs as nurses if they have NO previous medical experience first. So that would help you there. If you're getting your RN with no medical background then getting your LPN and getting that experience is a good way to go. That's my opinion at least.

It is absolutely NOT a hard format and UofP does a good job of giving you shortcuts so you don't have to worry about it. You actually have templates already created in that format that you can use. You'll have to do an APA paper in practically every class. It's just a specific font and page set up. If you can formulate a proper sentence, you're good to go. In your first few classes your instructors will be really lenient. As long as you show good communication with them, use the forums and check your forums daily then your instructors will be very open and understanding. The hardest thing for me was trying to get along with everyone in my team. There's always someone who acts like they can take the reigns and manage the assignment but then they do everything at the last minute and the quality is poor. Or you'll have a teammate that doesn't communicate and misses turning in their part. And then what do you do when someone clearly doesn't know what they are doing but they are on your team? I finally met another nurse and she was having a lot of the same doubts I was having. But I just kept my focus going forward and told myself that I'd be with my fellow nurses soon and it wouldn't be so damn unprofessional. So far I haven't done any "studying." Basically you go week by week completing your assignments and it's based on how fast you can do research and write a paper. If you can master the art of writing papers and finding references, you can cut down on time. Now I can write an APA paper in a day if I have to. But I had to stay up 36 hours to research patients and write care plans in previous nursing school. I haven't had many tests, yet. The tests I have had were simply quizzes and they were basic. If you're looking for night work then you should be able to find something. I guess it's really hard for nurses who have no previous medical experience in their work background to find work because everyone is looking for experience but a lot of people are looking for day positions. Finding LTC night jobs should be easy. You can also look into hospice and home health but I think there are some limitations to insurance benefits in those positions. I found FT work as a school nurse a month after I passed my NCLEX but that was one of those find work anywhere positions. I stuck around for a few years but now I'm looking for something else. Working in corrections is good too as far as schedules go because they tend to be short weeks but long hours. It's interesting work, though. Anyway, if you don't find a nighttime position at an LTC facility, then sign up with a few of them you like as PRN and as soon as a position opens up, they'll look towards their PRN nurses who are looking for FT work before they start hiring out of the facility.

Just because whether or not you have little dependents relying on you would have a major impact on how much a full time job would effect your school. I have two young boys. Let me just say that I feel like after surviving nursing school for my LPN, I feel like I can survive anything. And I say that because I definitely don't think that University of Phoenix is worse than nursing school in any way. But it is beneficial to have the day before and the day of your courses off from work if possible. My learning experience so far has been acceptable. I just started in August and I am about to start my actual nursing core classes. I just finished up my prereq courses. I wish someone would have told me not to expect much until I start my actual nursing courses. Expect to write an APA style paper and complete a power point presentation in each course. I did a lot of that in my LPN program so I was totally prepared for all that but I was very shocked at how unprepared all the other students around me were when writing those papers. Then I realized that no one in my prereqs were in the nursing program. So then I found myself working with a lot of people who couldn't write a simple research paper and that sucked. But I kept my cool because I realize that I am not going to be the same page as my fellow students until I hit my actual nurse courses and am surrounded by actual nurses. So far the classes have been fine but I don't feel like I have learned anything new in science classes like nutrition. But I do feel like I have been refreshed on some important concepts when doing research for papers and stuff. Expect to be in a learning team each course. That's basically a team of students who you complete team assignments with and are usually APA papers or presentations. Before I chime in on how I feel about the team learning, I'll let some other people state their opinions.

Do you have children?

I started looking around in the Careers forum. They have a Nursing Interview Help thread.

You know maybe that's a good question for the boards. What I can say about my experience as a CNA maybe really different than what you experience. One thing is I am in Phoenix, AZ and our retirement community keeps us working. When I was a CNA I applied for jobs in my scrubs and went to interviews in them, too. As an LPN, though, I won't. I did at first but I didn't get the first job I applied for at a school and at my next interview I wore interview clothes and got that job. I interviewed at CIGNA and was offered a position and at that point I was always wearing interview clothes. At this point all the nurses I speak to say not to wear scrubs. So maybe there's a difference. All I can say is when I was a CNA, my fat behind could've interviewed in a sheer leotard and I still would've gotten hired. I never didn't get the job, but I never applied to a hospital. So is there anyone who responded have any advice in that area? I just think wow, there are people out there that don't hire nurses because they are dressed in professional interview clothes?

That's what I'm doing. I got my LPN and continued for my RN while working. It's important to get experience as a nurse to help you find a job when you finally graduate. Search these boards about careers and you'll find so many new grad RNs are having a hard time finding jobs because they don't have actual hospital experience. If you find a job as an LPN, you have more info for your resume AND you may find a job at a facility that does tuition reimbursement. It also gives you an opportunity to just move up in a position. You get to work directly with other nurses and get great ideas about other places they've worked. I never even considered school nursing or correctional facilities. Then I learned about flu clinics. It just really helped me get my foot in the door.

Do not wear scrubs to your interview. I hate to even have to say that but I have seen it so much and have even made that mistake. Good luck! I was going to say transitioning from a nursing home or long term care facility to a hospital would be more likely so maybe try going that route. They are going to compare your working one-on-one with a low patient load to their high patient to nurse ratio and fast-paced environment. If you can ace that confidently then you've got a fair chance! You can also relate to how your 1-on-1 experiences allowed you to get a better understanding of how important it is for patients to feel comfortable and confident in their environments. Share a personal story about a specific experience where a client shared with you their emotional thoughts about their illness or condition and how it helped you understand the position patients are in when they feel weak and vulnerable or helpless. Definitely touch on working with alzheimer and dementia patients and how you can work calmly even when dealing with irrational and scared patients. If you have a specific experience where you had an out of control and confused client and you successfully calmed them and alleviated a stressful situation, use it. Of course, only if you have done these things ya know but relate everything you know how to do to what they actually would expect out of you from a hospital. Also bring up oral candida (thrush), dehydration, MRSA, UTIs, and C-diff and being able to recognize or protect yourself against them if you have that experience, too. When discussing your experiences, don't forgot not to violate any confidentiality laws. lol...I see people do this all the time. They get to talking and talking and they give away too much information.

Everyone already said plenty but I wanted to add that being a certified caregiver has great advantages too. As a CNA, you cannot pass medication. I became a CNA because I wanted to become familiar with nursing, it was a requirement for school and it definitely helped but I signed up with an agency and was assigned to a retirement and assisted living community. They had me covering for certified caregivers whose job was to pass medication, check GLU levels and administer insulin. I wasn't able to do anything but laundry and remove trash and help wheel people to breakfast cause I was a CNA. That really opened my eyes and so I was able to get certified as a caregiver by taking a simple 8 hour course. I eventually began working there and that's where I was when I started my nursing program. The first year of my program was the LPN portion. Everything I did that first year in nursing school as far as clinical experience was exactly what I had been doing as a CNA and certified caregiver combined. That first year was a breeze as far as learning about diabetes, intramuscular injections, medications and basic patient care was concerned. And the biggest pro here is that I worked with enough LPNs and RNs that just was so happy to work with someone who could handle it that they would recommend me for a position with their facility when I graduated.

If you're a new grad AND you have no previous healthcare experience, you cannot afford to be picky. Also be aware that morning weekday shifts are extremely hard to find. I was able to get my experience built up working night shifts and home health agencies. The better your availability, the better your opportunities. I signed up with home health agencies and flu clinics. Even when I work a full time job, I keep my agency and flu jobs because they build up on my resume and technically I only need to work a few shifts to stay employed with them. Plus, extra money! It's hard being a new grad, but don't let it discourage you. Just start creating an actual career path determining what field you want to get into. Once you start getting experience in a specific area, you really start to get the benefits of finding good paying jobs easily. Imagine being a new grad LPN, which is what I was. They don't really hire LPNs in hospitals in AZ so that was really difficult. Just be patient and take what you can. I was a school nurse for a few years until I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get my foot into a hospital with that experience above someone who has actual clinical and facility experiences. And being a school nurse isn't my goal. So now I am looking for something completely different to build my experiences. And NETWORK! Keep in touch with your classmates, get reference letters and contact information from your instructors. And from this point on get a reference letter from each place you work as soon as you get a little time in with them.

OFFER WATER! Do not forget that at some point during your visit with the invisible pt you MUST offer water. I'm a pretty smart person and I aced the exam but I failed the clinical part because they had the test room set up as one room. But I had to pretend there were two patient beds. Well I forgot that and just treated it like a one patient room and forgot to draw the curtain every time. I just made sure the door was closed. I also forgot to offer water. Needless to say I'm an LPN and an RN student now so eventually I passed it the second time. I'll never forget it now though. WATER AND CURTAINS!

Oh yeah, I know when I entered I needed to have work experience within 6 months of my enrollment date at U of P or something to that degree. I was able to do all my registration paperwork but my start date would not get set until I was working as an LPN.

I removed my objective a while back and I didn't get much luck with that so I put it back. I also had a resume with a job description that was specific to the job I was applying for so if it was home health, then I would plan my objective around workng one on one with clients and such. I also shortened my job descriptions and experience to short phrases, not sentences. So as a school nurse I would handle every injury that came in from recess and emergencies from ranging from sports related accidents to workman's comp employee accidents. I also had to maintain files. So I put Office Management, Health and Crisis Management, Triage, etc. This way, I was able to put them in a bullet format that was in a table, but with two columns. That helped shorten my resume so I could get it down to one page. I heard that these days that there are a few things you can do to catch a hiring manager's eye and a long resume with many pages may be a turn off. I also removed anything not relevant. You have so much experience, are you telling me you are having a hard time finding a job as an RN? Have you tried the VA? I was also thinking that if you are fluent in Mandarin then maybe try researching a website related to the cultural center. Maybe you can find an area that has a hospital where nurses with that language skill are specifically needed.

Definitely don't base your experience on this one person. Maybe he did point out a weakness, but it's definitely not something you can't change. Just get in there and get your hands dirty. Maybe you did make him feel uncomfortable because you were new. That's definitely not something you want to pass on to your patients so it's good he exposed this so you can work on it. When I was doing clinicals I had a young girl with me who had no medical experience. I went into a room she was in and the pt was giving her grief about moving his stuff around. I walked in and tried to alleviate the situation and the pt immediately stated that he could tell I had experience and that the young girl was too new and had a lot to learn. She didn't really feel bad because she knew it was true, she just didn't know what to do. So I took her under my wing and always went in with her for her first few patients and eventually she understood what her role was and how to execute it. But I've been insulted many times. As a nurse, you just work with sooooo many people, you're bound to have some bad interactions. Just being black, sometimes a pt doesn't want to work with me or is real rude to me. And sometimes men can be so inappropriate. But there are ALWAYS those pts who touch your heart and that's who you do it for, because they are always there. I hated school nursing so much because of the parents but those little kids were my angels and they made it worth it. There are people out there that really NEED you, they really NEED us nurses. Definitely remember that you can't let one pt take you away from so many others who really need you. Also, you can move around in so many areas with nursing that eventually you can end up in a position where you have real limited pt care or steady pt care where you work with the same people. Once you get to that stage, you get great bonds and it's all finally worth it.

University of PHX is good. I go to school once a week from 6-10 pm. Stay away from COLLEGE NETWORK and anything that charges you to find a school program for you. There are no ONLY ONLINE CLASSES FOR NURSING SCHOOL. You will always have to attend something because you have to get clinical experience and preceptorship. All these online nursing school things do is give you the information so you can pass the exam. But you can actually go and take CLEP exams on your own for credits that will transfer to a University. LITERALLY, you could do research on the subject and just CLEP test, get your credits and submit them to the University and you would get the same credit instead of paying these so called "online" programs. It's so stupid, I learned this the hard way. I don't know for sure if they have it in PA but check. So far it's the only thing that has been satisfactory. It will get me where I need to go and it is FULLY-ACCREDITED. You must research what accreditation means and how it relates to your nursing license before you sign up with a school or you can really get screwed. Some comm colleges have hybrid and online classes too.

Yeah, you have to attend classes. U of Phx nursing program is NOT online. You have to go to class once a week. The features of your class are all online in the sense that you submit your assignments online and you communicate through a student forum, but you have to physically attend class. Everything is done in learning teams, though. You will have a group of people in each course that you have to work with to complete assignments and presentations.

Some people just make bad decisions. If you want to go to nursing school because you need to find SOMETHING to do until you figure out your life, that's fine. But there are a lot of other things you can do that are also rewarding. I have friends that work as health inspectors and have their BS. I have a friends who's a dietician, nutritionist, physical therapist. But you can also go to school to be a flight attendant. There are a lot of rewarding jobs. Being a nurse is great and rewarding too. But a lot of people forget that it's also gross and sometimes you have to care for people who are mean to you. It's not always easy and some people just don't take into account the whole spectrum of nursing. You have a RESPONSIBILITY. Nursing school can be a put off to future nurses because school itself is more stressful than being a nurse. But NURSING SCHOOL IS NOT NURSING. Also, people who attend those non-accredited or partially-accredited trade schools for nursing end up paying tons and that's when it definitely isn't worth it to quit. Stick to community college and pay attention to accreditation! And nurses work many different shifts. If you work with an agency and do hospice or home health, you can get shifts as short as a few hours and work your own schedule.

I became a CNA through a certification program outside of the community college that I was attending for my prereqs. It only took 3-weeks but I did have to pay out of pocket. It was better than the community college option of the 8-10 week courses with the downside being money. I found the school I attended here in Glendale, AZ through the Dept. of Econ. Security website. I just followed links doing research for certification programs because sometimes you are able to get a small grant that covers the fee for the program. I also realized later that I enjoyed being a certified caregiver more because I could pass medication and give insulin injections. You can do that now, make decent money and find a job easily depending on your situation. Then you would be able to find work in both the CNA field and caregiving field because they are different. I did this while I was taking my prereqs for nursing school. I was in the associate RN program but at the time there was an LPN exit option. Basically the program was 2 years with 4 blocks (basically 1 semester=1 block.) But after Block 1 and Block 2 I was able to apply for my LPN and take the NCLEX and stuff. There was even an LPN Advanced Placement program at that time that allowed LPNs to enter and complete Blocks 3 and 4 for their Associate RN. Those were the good old days. So much has changed now that when I was exiting as an LPN, all the new students entering the nursing program no longer had the LPN exit option. They would have to take a side semester of courses for that. Anyway, I bring this up because nursing school gets real stressful. I was having a life crisis during the program and I exited at Block 3. But at least I was able to get my LPN, ya know. AT LEAST I had the OPTION. So that's something to think about. I was a single mother at the time with my two sons and it just got too hectic. So I stopped school for 3 years and just worked. It felt good to work and not have to stress out about school. But I got a lot of good experience to take with me and I don't feel so scared now walking into a situation as an RN. My experiences have made me feel way more competent than I did before. So now my latest option was going back to school for my RN. Associate or Bachelors? Well I would have to get back on a waiting list and that would definitely take a year. Then another year for the two blocks and that would get me my associates in two years. But it would only take me 3 years for my Bachelors. Well my ultimate goal is phD and eventually I have to stop taking so many shortcuts. So now I'm in a program for my bachelors and working as an LPN doing home health and I am very happy that things turned out this way. It's also worth mentioning that if you plan on going to nursing school, please get into the medical field as a cna or caregiver because your experiences will help you greatly through school as well as add to your experiences so you can find a job when you get out of school. It's so hard for people who get out of nursing school with NO experience. One thing about nursing school---Once you get out of it, you feel like you can survive ANYTHING.

Yeah, they've been saying that forever. I am in AZ and believe me, they can't get rid of us, especially here. As a matter of fact, I am a school nurse and they are probably changing their format to hire only LPNs with an RN as a supervisor due to the budget cuts and such. But LPNs can only care for "stable" patients, which is why they aren't so useful in the hospital settings. But school settings, hospice, home health---we can definitely be used. I am definitely getting my RN just because of what I want to do in the future. But don't get discouraged, they neeeeeeed us. They need ALL of us.

Thanks, I did just that and found a page for health services. I appreciate it!

I am posting this in both the regional and specialty sections. If you are a corrections nurse or a forensic nurse (I am an LPN) can you tell me where you went to find employment? Do you need another certificate? How did you get experience? Any info would be helpful! Thanks

Wow, you sound just like me. I am in Block 3 and I have to withdraw because of personal problems. I'm hoping to re-enter next block into a different program that fits my life better. This little break will give me the time to adjust to my new situation and stabilize. I need a fresh mind. My fall back is my LPN. Did you get your LPN? As an LPN, you would be able to advance placement into different programs. In my college district, they are phasing that out for a lot of the comm colleges, but there are other programs. I would have to take the HESI-PN test and pass, then I can enroll into an LPN-ADN or LPN-BSN program. There may be waiting lists and such, but you can always take that extra time to learn a different language or learn some other skills. I'm in Arizona, I want to learn more medical terminology in spanish and stuff. Also, I am applying for school nurse positions and learning sign language is something I am going to try to do too. Another thing, look into hospitals that have their own programs.

I think the most important question here is: Why did you want to get into nursing? Is it because it's the new trend, because your friends are doing it, because of money? I'm gonna tell you now, if you don't love it, you'll HATE it. If your heart isn't into it, if you don't have a goal or an idea of what profession you are interested in and if you are not interested in the science it revolves around, then it's not for you. If you can't stand the smell....you need to go another direction. And if you don't know, start low. I started out as a CNA. There are non-college related courses that are about 3-4 weeks that you go to to get your CNA. You don't have to take the 6 month programs, shop around. It took me 3 weeks: 2 weeks of skills and practice and 1 week of clinicals at a long-term care facility. I did that for two years. It was hard at first, I had shin-splints the first week after repeatedly going up and down the halls. But the grunt work prepares you and it also helps you from being a pain in the a$$ to the CNAs when you are a nurse. I worked long-term care and home health. Home health is awesome, you get to work one-on-one and make your own schedule. Most of the elderly I cared for just needed companionship. OR you can become a certified caregiver. Certified caregivers are able to be hired at places like assisted living facilities. We are trained to pass medications, do simple wound changes, check blood sugars and give insulin injections. With both my CNA and cert caregiver experience, nothing in nursing school was new to me. I was like a pro for the first six months and when we went for our clinicals, I had about 5 students who just hung around me because they were so nervous with the elderly and I made them get in there. Pick up a spoon and feed that man! Go introduce yourself. Talk to them. And I had met so many nurses who gave me ideas of what I could do in the future. IV Swat, Psych, Corrections, School nurse, Cardiology offices, Methadone clinics, Hospice, Baylor shifts....etc. The opportunities are endless. You don't have to work in those hospitals with short staffing. You can work as a homehealth nurse, visiting pts in their homes. My point is, there's so many ways to get your experience so you can be comfortable. But first: You have to like people, sick people, smelly people, young people, old people....people. You have to like caring for them and caring about them. If you don't, don't be a nurse. It's that simple.

At Glendale Community College, that is the new stipulation. In the middle of the nursing program, they changed the curriculum. I have completed Blocks 1 and 2, I started July 2007. I started Block 3 in July 2008. I have only one chance to fail a block and be reentered into that block because the previous nursing program before me was the last block that was able to do this curriculum I am in. This curriculum being: Block 1 completion gives you certification for completion for your CNA. Completion of Block 2 gives you completion for the LPN program. Blocks 3 and 4 gives you the Associate RN completion. We are told that we have one chance to fail a block and be reentered. If we fail again, we must begin at Block 1 again because there will no longer be an LPN Advanced Placement Program. They are no longer going to have an LPN program at the school or many, if not all, of the other MCCs, so we are told. So, I'm in Block 3. The students who are before me in Block 2 were the last students to be offered this curriculum. When those Block 2 students become Block 3 students, and if I fail my Block 3, I can be put back into their Block 3, granted there is space which means someone in their program has to fail or transfer. If I fail Block 3 AGAIN, I have to go all the way back to Block 1. Of course, I would not. I would find an LPN to BSN program like they have at UOP. But I would have to go all the way back to Block 1 because the curriculum expired with those new Block 3 students who will continue onto Block 4. They will be the last of the students at GCC in that curriculum and everyone before them is part of a new curriculum that no longer offers the LPN cut-off. This has something to do with the possibility of LPNs being phased out or lack of interest or something. Now, I know this because of the problems my class is having. Many of us, including my study partner, has had appointments with the DON to discuss our options. If we don't make it through this block, and we don't get re-placed, because getting re-placed is not a guarantee.....our future at GCC is done because who's going to go through Block 1 again? Also, this is Glendale Community College that I KNOW about, the other schools I am not for sure. Right now they are still offering the LPN Advanced Placement program.....if you are an LPN, you can pass the HESI test and place into Spring 2009 as advanced placement. That's when I would be retaking Block 3. But that's the last time you can do it just like it's the last time I can do it. That is how things stand now. BUT, to be honest with you, we've learned that they don't even seem to know what is happening. It is hard for them to stay staffed. The programs keep changing. This is what I am facing at GCC right now and believe me, if it were any different, I'd tell you and I'd be happy. Also, how is it that people are taking 2 years worth of prereqs, and then going to a program for 2 more years to end with an Associates? That is another reason they are revamping the program, I think. That's a lot of schooling for an associate degree at a community college, that amount of time equals a BSN. I have an appt with the DON wednesday. I will find out a little more info and give it to you straight out of her mouth. I will tell you exactly what she tells me and I will ask directly about the LPN advanced placement or any LPN programs.

I have not heard or seen any problems with the traditional program. I believe they have the structure and support they are supposed to have. Seems like it may just be the part time program. I will tell you that they just had a change in the head of the department of nursing and for a minute we didn't even have one. And she is temporary because she is actually a Block 4 instructor. I only mention it because if you are having problems contacting her, it's because she's bogged down with so much to do but there are other staff members to speak to. There are other coordinators, you wouldn't necessarily talk to her anyway. And she isn't the problem either, there were other problems before and having the change of DON's in the middle of it all delayed them getting to the problem. GCC's part time program is suffering because there was a change in the personnel that occurred during our program and the solution turned out to be worse, but it was unforeseeable so there's really no one to blame and the answer we are getting is: Sorry, don't know what to tell you... I can say that it is a fresh problem and they are doing what they can, but in some areas they cannot do anything or they cannot do what they want to fast enough and a lot of students have suffered. Right now, until they fix it, it's not a good program to be in. But sometimes you can choose a program just to get in somewhere and you get priority when transferring after the first Block, so don't give up. You may not like a program or the commute to school but if the opportunity is there, take it, then switch in the middle.