GoodtimeRN

Out of 33 students, 11 graduated in my LPN class. Yes, the credits do transfer to a bridge program, but many of them require you you to have at least 2-3 years working experience first. I have to say, dollar for dollar it was the best nursing education I ever received. I recently finished my BSN and I'm starting a masters program in the fall. Best of luck to you.

I switched over from UT Arlington to Chamberlain and so far I LOVE IT!!! It's so much less work than Arlington. I'm currently in the algebra class and nurse 351, I have 98% in both classes. Did I mention I work full time and have a 4 month old baby? The classes are 8 weeks each. The harder course, economics, they recently changed and you don't have to take it! You only need to complete 30 credits at Chamberlain. I needed 31! Just made it. I have 9 classes and I'll be done Dec. 18. Best decision I ever made! More expensive but way easier than UTA and so far I like it a lot better. My sister only has 4 classes left and she said it's minimal papers (she claims she hasn't written any). In Nurs 351 you have to write a short paper (500-600 words! it's like a page and a half) and they GIVE YOU the article to use and a template that you literally type your paper onto. I'd highly suggest switching over. I LOVE IT!

I found the RN to be much easier than the LPN because most of it is material that is reinforced, not new. The last semester it really got more in depth as far as understanding and interpreting labs and cause and effect. Overall it is just time consuming, there are a lot of papers to write and busy work, but it's doable especially if the information is still fresh in your mind. Keep this in mind: do not underestimate LPN school. I always did well in school and I just tested out of my RN school with a very high grade, but LPN program was the most difficult year of hell I ever had to go through. There is so much information stuffed into a small time frame. You literally have 2-3 EXAMS a week. I studied every single night and I'd wake up at 430am to study the day of exams and quizzes. Oh, plus clinicals 4 days a week. My class started with 32 and only 11 graduated. For the RN clinicals are only 2 days a week. If you can survive the LPN the RN will be a breeze.

Although I have only been a LPN for 2 years and I just finished my RN, I'll give you my observations: I work in a subacute rehab center, we also have LTC and a vent unit. Two of the three unit managers are LPNs (vent unit manager has BSN). In addition, our weekend supervisor and 3-11 supervisors are LPNs. But keep in mind all of these nurses have 10+ years experience. It's not necessarily the letters behind their names, but their knowledge, insight and experience. Most hospitals require a BSN because the upper division courses focus more on management & leadership. If you want a management position I would suggest to continue on in your education. If you can get through a LPN program, the RN will be a piece of cake. Hope that helps to answer your questions.

I believe it is because once you are licensed, your scope of practice is greater than a CNA. Say you are an RN working as a CNA and you have an emergency (your patient codes, has an MI, etc). As CNA it is in your scope to alert the nurse, you can't administer any meds or take any matters into your own hands. As the nurse, you have to initiate CPR, give nitro or aspirin, etc. It becomes a conflict because you are licensed to act but your job title limits what you can do. So if the person dies, the family can say "well you are a NURSE why didn't you do anything??" ...because you are working as a CNA, NOT the nurse.

Central NJ at the beach, high cost of living, new grad hired at sub-acute facility for $28/hr.

I graduated in July, got licensed in September, and just got hired on a sub-acute unit!!! I start an 8-week orientation in about a month. I had applied to about 20 facilities before things finally fell into place. The best advice I could give any nursing student would be to get a job in a facility you want to work at after you graduate. Whether it's CNA, unit secretary, etc, it will boost your chances of getting hired and you will already be familiar with the unit and the people in charge. Best of luck to you!!!

Maybe ask her what her daily routine is like, how she manages her time, things like that.

I sent in my application on July 25, got the ATT (Authorization to test) August 10, tested August 19, fingerprinted September 1, got my license September 19. And now, about 5 weeks later, I got a job!

Becoming a LPN is an extremely overwhelming process. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time adjusting, but I promise that soon you'll get used to it. And just when you think you can't take anymore, you'll be off for Thanksgiving or Christmas break. It is extremely exhausting, but eventually everything just clicks and it all fits together. Don't get discouraged now, you've already sacrificed so much to do this! It must be really difficult not having your son there with you. Once you get into the groove of school maybe you could work out times/days to spend with him, and you could always skype on the off days. Trust me, at first it's all so overwhelming, but it DOES get better. And it FLIES BY! And then all of a sudden, you're graduating! Hang in there!

I would just stay a CNA. Once you are in school, you are not going to have the time to work too many hours anyway. I had my CNA certification but I never worked as one during LPN school and now I'm kicking myself for it. The people who are CNA's are almost guaranteed jobs after graduation, while the rest of us are searching and praying to get hired! Just stay doing what you're doing and you'll be fine!

In my program you were allowed to miss one clinical day per specialty (about 5 total) but at the end they definitely count every minute! They told us in the beginning that if you miss more, you have to pay to make them up after everyone else has graduated. So you could still go on, but your graduation would just be held up. Hopefully the missing days won't hold you back! Good luck!

In addition to the tuition, you have to pay for books (you can buy them as you go, you won't need them all at once, look on half.com), uniforms (about $50 each, you'll only need 1 for phase one, then about 3-4 total for phases two and three), all white nursing shoes, and that's about it until graduation, which you'll need $50 for pin & flower, about $40 for dress/hat, and $400 to board of nursing & nclex.

I graduated July 20, sent in my application to BON on July 25, got my ATT# on Aug.9, and I just made my appointment for the NCLEX for Aug. 19!!!

Our local community college refers nursing students who fail RN to go the LPN route before they can get readmitted as well. Contrary to popular belief, LPN is an extremely difficult program and much more hands on (clinical time is 2/3, classroom is 1/3); once they've successfully completed the LPN course, the school feels that the student will have gained the clinical experience and knowledge base they need to excel in their RN program. Two years is a very long time to complete that program, though. Once she does, she can do a LPN to RN bridge program which is about a year, then she will have her RN. Like another poster said, there are accelerated BSN programs where if you already have a bachelors you can get your BSN in about 15 months (with the pre-req's completed). I believe most of those are full-time programs. She actually has quite a few options. Nursing school is a frustrating and difficult time no matter what the circumstances are. Best of luck to your family!

D 5 1/2 NS = Dextrose 5% in HALF of normal saline, which is .45% NS. It's a hypertonic solution. Hope that helps a little.

Yes, I love it! It's the hardest work I've ever done but so worth it!!!

if i were you i'd review communication and test taking strategies. usually questions that are phrased with words like "always" or "never" aren't the right choices. also, when there are two choices that are almost exactly alike (like #1 with ask husband then ask daughter) you would rule them both out because they are saying the same thing. as for the communication aspect, constant eye contact in a face-to-face position can be taken as threatening or intimidating in some cultures. also, silence can be therapeutic; it's not always a bad thing. good luck to you! :)

Skim11, Monmouth County Vocational School in Long Branch, NJ. http://www.mcvsd.org They only have 15 people so far for the September class; they need double that! I think they are doing an entrance exam sometime this summer. You should go on their website!

Txhat, Your program sounds pretty standard. I'm in NJ and ours is pretty much the same, except we are in school Monday-Friday 7:30am-2:30pm, with clinicals 4 days a week (half days, 16hrs a week). We've been going to the hospitals since 6 weeks into the program. If you get under 75 for any subject, you fail. You can only miss one clinical per rotation, I think it's 7 days for the entire program. We are in the final semester doing med surg I and II, OB, and pedi. We've been doing drug cards (with side effects, dosage, etc), care plans, all that good stuff. If you want to succeed you have to READ everything on your own time before class, then look at the lecture as a review and a way to clarify any points that you may have missed. It's a lot of information and it's tough; we started with 32 and we'll be graduating with 11. Hang in there and good luck to you!:heartbeat

I don't know, I think our hunter green, elastic waist, pleated, tapered at the ankle scrub bottoms are pretty sexy!!!

1. Do not underestimate the intensity of the program. Take it very seriously and give yourself TIME to study. You will need 2-6 hours a night for the first phase. Seriously. The subjects of phase one include fundamentals of nursing, a&p, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, legal & ethical, personal & professional relationships, plus the skills lab and clinicals. 2. Make it a habit to always be in class (on time). You can only miss a small number of hours for the entire program, and at the end they add them all up. If you don't have enough hours, you don't graduate. The more you are there, the more you are participating, and the less you fall behind. A number of people dropped out because they missed only one or two days and couldn't catch up after that. The pace of phase one is incredibly fast, and they throw 3-4 TESTS at you per week, plus 2-3 quizzes a day. 3. Tie up loose ends and put your personal life on hold. Before you start the program, give your house a good cleaning (because it won't see one until next July), spend time with your family (they won't see you until next July, either), and kiss all the "extra" fun things you do goodbye. Apologize to all your friends and family in advance for missing out on birthdays, dinners, weekend getaways, etc. I can't tell you how many things I've missed out on, but in the end it's WORTH IT! Do you like books? Better finish that summer reading because you won't have time to read for leisure for months! 4. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Try not to get caught up in the classroom drama. If you work in the medical field, do not correct the teacher because "in MY facility we do it THIS way". It is disrespectful and I have seen many people fail out because of their failure to accept the schools way of doing things. The instructors teach you the way you need to know for state boards and to pass their lab. Go with it. You are going to be put through ten months of pure hell, but in the end you will be an incredibly prudent nurse. Let the journey begin...

I am a heavily tattooed female and this post just caught my eye. I'm almost graduated from a LPN program and just finished my first semester of my RN. Most of the hospital policies here say no visible tattoos (I have 2 full sleeves and a full chest piece up to my clavicle). I have encountered more stress about tattoos from my clinical instructors than anyone else. They let me wear longsleeves but I also have to wear a jacket in the hallways because otherwise they consider it to be "out of uniform" (even though we wear white scrub tops and I have white longsleeve shirts). I haven't started clinicals for my RN program yet, but in September I will and I'm sure it's going to be an issue. I personally prefer to keep my tattoos covered up in the hospital setting and at school. I want my patients to feel comfortable, my instructors to take me seriously, and hospital staff to know I am professional. Most people would be shocked to learn I had tattoos. Even though we want to believe that people should accept us for who we are and not what we look like, they don't. We are expected to show up and dress professionally, and be creative on our own time (we can't even have funky hair color), and I don't particularly disagree with that. Tattoos or no tattoos, I am a top student in my class and I must say, I'd rather have a "badass tattooed loner rebel" like me take care of a patient than most of the students without tattoos! Just sayin'. Good luck to you. I'd hold off on the neck tattoo, but since you already have tattoos on your arms, what's one more? You're going to have to cover all of them up regardless.

That is super irritating!!! Funny thing, I just finished my first semester of RN school and all those girls are SO CLUELESS and I am so far ahead of them. From what I've seen here, the RN instructors do not teach a damn thing!!! I'm so shocked. I'm PROUD that I have my LPN background to carry me through my RN because I am the student everyone else looks to for the answers. Take THAT, LPN haters!

Medical Surgical nursing is difficult because there is SO MUCH INFORMATION to know, and many of the diseases and disorders in the same category have similar signs and symptoms, so you have to know how to distinguish them from one another. Also, it involves an IMMENSE amount of memorization of drugs (generic and trade names, side effects, signs of toxicity, interactions w/other drugs/foods, which drugs are used for what, etc). There is just SO MUCH READING involved, and the teachers tend to move at a very fast pace. We did Med Surg at the beginning of phase 2 and lost a few people. It's a subject that you just can't get behind in, so don't take it lightly. Good luck!!