Divest

What about talking to the students who were successful and asking them about their strategies? It sucks that you've got a bumbling instructor, I'm dealing with one of those myself and it's a pain to deal with.

Hey, thanks for the reply! How many hours did you work per week? Did you work full-time? Just wondering.

TONS of flashcards. I don't care what type of learner you are, where you come from, what you're studying, what you look like, what kind of music you listen to, or what color your face turns when you hold your breath; flash cards will help you every step of the way in nursing school. They're invaluable to me. Oh, and make it fun. Quiz yourself in a way that makes it reasonably enjoyable. Boring studying = remembering nothing.

75% isn't that bad. Study, study, study. You didn't really mention how much you studied before so I'm going to assume it wasn't as much as you should have. Going to class is only 20% of the battle. The other 80% is studying.

Just giving a quick bump.

Before I entered this program there was little to no information on this site for the Citrus College (Glendora, CA) LVN program so I will take it upon myself to give as much information as possible now that I'm enrolled. Hopefully someone in my shoes about six months ago will be able to use this thread as a reference. First off, this program is highly competitive. The first step to get accepted into the LVN program at Citrus College is to take NRS 100, also known as Intro to Health Occupations for one semester. This is a two-part class which runs two days a week (for example, I go on Thursdays and Fridays), and is usually about 3 hours long per class. The first day usually consists of Pharmacology and the second is Anatomy and Physiology (so on Thursday I get lectured on Pharmacology and Friday I get lectured on A&P). You get quizzed twice a week, every week, at the beginning of each class. At the end of the semester you take your finals which you must pass with an 85% or better. Out of the 250 students that take this class each semester only the top 40 are accepted into the actual LVN program. For the past couple of years the cut off for the top 40 has been a 95% overall score, meaning you need to maintain an A throughout the entire semester in this particular class to get into the LVN program. If you don't make it in your first try, you get one more try before you are barred from the program. As I said, it's highly competitive. This is an extremely difficult class as well just because of the sheer amount of information you need to retain weekly. Remember, you're not taking one class, but two classes - Pharmacology and A&P. Unfortunately they don't tell you where you stand as the class is going on, only your grade, so that leads to quite a bit of mental torment during this three to four month period. As it stands, I'm currently enrolled in NRS 100 and have been maintaining a decent grade (92%). We're only in the first couple weeks so lower scores are expected as the students adjust to the class. An 80% is roughly average for this adjustment period. Unfortunately this is where my knowledge on the program pretty much ends but I will be updating this thread as my journey through this program continues. If anyone wants, feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer your questions and update the first post as much as possible. My goal is to provide information since I couldn't find any information on this particular program and that alone is intimidating. I'm studying roughly 3 hours a day, sometimes more just to feel "comfortable" with the concepts, hopefully this leads to me getting accepted into the program. Only time will tell. I am confident, however, that even if I don't make it this semester, I will be armed with the knowledge and have an advantage next semester. Wish me luck.

Nope. He's in exactly the same area as I. He's just uninformed, that's all.

The Inland Empire is in Southern California, more specifically Riverside and San Bernardino County. Typically, Inland Empire means Riverside, Temecula, Moreno Valley, Perris, Murrieta, etc. etc. I live very close to the Inland Empire (I live in Los Angeles) and used to live in Perris, which is in the Inland Empire. Unfortunately he just knows a whole bunch of lucky people because I know plenty of new grads who can't find a job who live in the Inland Empire. I understand that everyone is having a difficult time finding a job, but that isn't what this thread is about. I would appreciate it if we could keep this thread on topic, please. :)

Easy for RN's to get a job? What alternate universe are you living in? Maybe you just haven't spent enough time reading the threads on this site, but what you said just simply isn't true. Times are difficult for everyone right now, including experienced RN's. Your friend may have gotten lucky, but there are way too many new grads that aren't getting as lucky.

Has anyone done this? Is it possible? I'm currently not working but I fear that my finances may run out sometime in the middle of my nursing program and I'm wondering how difficult it is to at least hold a part time job during LPN school? I'm reasonably intelligent and I can prioritize decently, if that helps any.

I know it's nearly impossible to give an accurate answer, but I would like to know everyone's opinions on how long they think this is going to go on for, or if this hiring freeze is permanent and that nursing is going to forever be a difficult field to get a job in from now on. Do you think that the nursing field has stablized itself to the point where nurses are never going to have the freedom, siging bonuses, or ease of finding jobs again? Do you think that it will ever return to what it was just a couple of years ago? I'm just curious as to what everyone thinks because I'm personally worried that nursing is going to be forever changed to the point where nurses are never going to have that freedom that used to come with getting a nursing license and working as a nurse. I'm going to be done with nursing school in about a year from now and I'm wondering if everything will clear up and there will be openings, or if I'm just wasting my time in school for a field that I'm going to have an extremely difficult time finding a job in.

Most credits earned through online schools are non-transferable to any other school. So if you're looking to transfer those UOP credits to any other school to get in... good luck.

Yeah I've read through your posts and I'm still not entirely convinced. Going for my LVN first gives me a few options: 1) Working through nursing school -- I can't afford not to work. Being an LVN offers a very good paying part time wage, all the while I'm gaining very valuable nursing experience. LVN and RN duties may differ, but there's a lot of overlap, and not to mention just being in the right environment is experience enough. People say it's better to become a CNA first and they're not even nurses! 2) No wait list on the programs -- It is quicker and I do have to take prerequisites, but there's definitely less "fluff" schooling. 3) Someone said that it's hard enough to get a job with a ADN as it is, so getting a certificate would make me even less likely. What they're not considering is that I'll HAVE a job while I'm waiting to get hired as an RN, not to mention I'll already have a foot in the door with my LVN experience (which also looks nice on a resume, mind you). I also don't believe that this hiring freeze is going to continue on for years and years to come, which is how long it will take me to finish all of my education anyways. 4) I can't afford to not work through school. Can't stress that enough. 5) That entire chunk of text about LVN to RN being a waste of time just seems like a load of crap to me. All of it is very subjective things like "Not trained to be leaders" Come on dude, really? 80% of that post depends on where you went to school to become an LVN and another 10% is based on where you get a job when you graduate. It lists out the worst possible scenarios. 6) I'm not worried about relocating to another state. This goes hand-in-hand with the hiring freeze, which I anticipate will be over by the time I complete my education and if it's not, I'll just continue going to school while working as an LVN until it IS. Going for LVN first gives me that option.

Just wondering. At least here in California, there's lengthy waitlists or lotteries which don't guarantee admission into a direct RN program. Plus, let's assume that someone doesn't have their general education finished. LVN to RN bridge programs allow nurses to bypass that particular requirement and obtain a certificate instead of a degree and you're still eligible for the boards and would receive the same education that a ADN nurse would have received, minus the general education that isn't applicable to nursing whatsoever. So what's the deal? I've seen people say it's better to go straight for RN, but why?

Here what I turned up from a google search, but I'm not entirely sure if this is what she's talking about.

What you said pretty much undermines the whole point of that particular part of the post. I agree that that specific word may or may not be true about him, but the point is that it's specifically used as a derogatory term when they apply to him. They use it in the sense that he's an addict, a crackhead, or a slammer. That was my only point, but I figure I should clarify myself for those who like to get particularly like to get hung up on linguistics. Great job bringing all the facts together when you have absolutely NONE. I love how you're jumping to the defense of this poor old mother when you have absolutely NO CLUE what her daughter is like (or what she is like for that matter), yet in your post you use plenty of derogatory terms about the daughter, say she should be slapped, and that she is worthless and ungrateful. You must have a pretty intimate relationship with both of these people for you to be able to make statements like that... right? I mean you do, right? Oh, you don't? Then maybe you should stop jumping to conclusions and making swift judgements about something you are clueless about.

You can't blame people just trying to make ends meet. You don't know their financial situation and they probably need the money. Everyone is just trying to survive and those people who are holding down more than one job are no exception.

Maybe she didn't mean it literally, but was trying to bug you. In this particular instance, I don't know who to trust. You seem to discredit her by saying that she's a drug user and an alcoholic and not a professional, but that could just mean her parents are wound up so tight and are so displaced from her generation that they look down on her for the differences. What I mean to say is this: My buddy is often described as this RAGING ALCOHOLIC and a DRUGGIE by his parents. Often I hear them talk about him to their friends. They'll say things like they're going to turn him in, or send him to rehab if he doesn't recover. They pretty much disown him and put him down at every chance they get. They say things to him like "Well maybe you should stop doing D-R-U-G-S." Insisting that it's affecting his work performance whenever he has a bad day. He doesn't use while at work, mind you. The reality of the situation is that he's 24, drinks quite a bit (Friday, Saturday, and the occassional weekday whenever there's a special occassion) and smokes pot. He's 24 for christ's sake. He's going to be drinking, partying, and having fun because he's of that age. He keeps a job, he has finished most of his education, and he's very responsible. By no means is he a druggie, alcoholic, or anything else simply because he likes to go out and have fun. Sure, he may get carried away sometimes and have a little bit TOO much fun, but that's not withstanding. I don't drink or smoke pot, but I can tell you that by no means do I look down at him for doing so. If I enjoyed those things, I wouldn't hesitate to do them simply because my parents were so far detached from my generation that they criticized my every choice. If I had parents criticizing my every choice, acting like the world still revolves around films like reefer madness, and putting me down for the way I like to have fun, you're damn straight I would be obnoxious and try to get under their skin whenever I had the opportunity. Now, I'm not saying that this is your situation, but I don't feel comfortable sitting back and assuming that you're not as equally as guilty as your daughter is. You did, after all, spend the first half of your post putting her down.

mrsshifflette09, a couple of things: 1) She clearly explained her situation and the way she used the term "My CNA's." You know for a fact that it's a much shorter version of saying "So the CNA's whom I work with on my team and I supervise over." So stop getting huffy and puffy just because you used to be a CNA. She never implied that she owned them, just the same as the person who was talking about their mother didn't imply that they owned her when they said "My Mother". It's just a figure of speech. Get over it. 2) You are ALSO in your first year of nursing, so how can you possibly pull that out as if that means anything? Did you walk into this thread with the sole purpose of finding something to complain about? 3) She didn't use that term in front of the CNA's so as to even imply that she owned them. This goes back to the many uses of "my" such as "my manager", "my HR administrator", "my mother". As you can clearly see, none of these statements implies ownership. I think you're reading too much into things and looking for a reason to criticize and complain.

God I can't wait to become a nurse.

I, too, have a problem with over-eating. It doesn't have so much to do with being self-depreciative, but rather from lack of self-control. I have an addictive personality. When I say that, it's really an excuse for "I over eat because food tastes good." A lot of my habits and my comforts are engraved with food. If I come back from a long weekend out and I'm exhaused, feeling like I've accomplished something, I'll get it in my head that nothing sounds better than a delicious meal topped off with a lot of R&R time. Unfortunately I have a lot of these weekends that actually carry into the weekdays. The same goes for if the weekend sucks and I just want to relax -- I'll tell myself that I deserve this delicious huge meal and that it'll comfort me. I don't have the willpower to tell myself no. Another problem I have is the this is the last time, I swear. I always tell myself that after this last binge I'm going to calm down and start working out and eating healthier. Of course tomorrow never comes and I get lazy. I don't have the willpower to make myself do these things. The biggest problem is myself and lack of self-discipline. I am working on this. Currently, I'm about 90-100 pounds overweight, but I don't look like it. I look maybe 50-60 pounds but I know the true reality of the situation. I tell people how much I weigh (300 lbs.) and the look of awe on their face is hilarious. They say that I look closer to 230 or 240. This may be because I did a lot of weight lifting not too long ago and instead of losing weight, I was gaining weight because as I was working out, I would overeat even more, telling myself that I could afford it because I was working out. Bad news. Another issue I've noticed is that I'll binge for a week before I'm going to start a diet, telling myself that I'm going to earn it later anyways. What I've done lately to combat this goes as follows: I planned a two week diet, two weeks in advance. EXTREME CALORY REDUCTION. For the two weeks leading up to the diet, I would not let myself binge at all. I was moderating my portions and eating less than usual, preparing myself for the diet. To me, this is helping to strengthen my willpower and make me stronger for when I'm off the diet, so that I may develop healthier eating habits both before and after the diet. I was successful and now I've made it to the diet portion. Now that I'm on the diet, I've planned to start working out, but I've been easy on myself with that, telling myself that there's no need to rush into working out and that sticking to the diet is my priority. So far, it's been DIFFICULT, but I've done it. The trouble is, while I'm on this diet, my family has been eating regular food, buying all kinds of junk food and the smell, sight, and presence just make me want to DIE. It's almost intolerable at times, but again, I let myself know that it's all about willpower. How will breaking my diet benefit me in the long run? It won't. I keep telling myself that food is always going to be there and I've already enjoyed it for long enough, it's time to break the habit and beat my weight. That's where I am right now and I know that was a ten page rant... sorry folks, but I will say that I feel 200% better now just typing all this out. Thanks for listening.

If this is the sort of test I'm thinking of, then the hiring manager won't actually see any specific answers, but rather cumulated results based on the answers given. It's equivalent to a Facebook personality test, as someone else stated. That is, of course, if we're talking about the same type of test that I'm thinking of, which would be the ones that Albertson's and Target give to prescreen their applicants.

I agree with you, Candygyrl. I did make the mistake of pointing out specific flaws, which is probably would triggered these people. Anyways, I am done with this thread. If anyone wishes, feel free to post your comments, thoughts, concerns, or just close it, but I'm done posting in it. I don't feel the particular need to tip toe around my words, so perhaps the best course of action is just to avoid this particular conversation.

^ Is a perfect example of the people I was talking about with the first post.

unfortunately, not everyone was created equal, that's a fact of life. not everyone is "balanced". maybe you've never seem these people, or when you did you either ignored it or just made excuses for these people, but at the very least, the first few posters in this thread knew the type that i was talking about. you clearly don't, so stop making the same assumptions that you're accusing me of, okay? it's clearly what has you upset. another indictation that you're clearly missing the point of my post is that you keep falling back on this whole grammar thing with your husband and kids. that has nothing to do with this discussion. you've stated that these people are intelligent in other aspects of life (a point which i clearly addressed in my second post) so that automatically disqualifies them from being one of the people we're talking about here, but you don't seem to understand that. so yes, it was to do with you not understanding as i stated. just because you think you're being noble doesn't mean that you're flawless and aren't understanding what i'm trying to get at.