AtACrossRoads

Hi everyone. I'm considering becoming an LVN but I'm just starting my research so there's a lot that I need to look into. If you guys can answer even one or two of my questions it'd really help me out. Here in CA, which schools tend to be most recommended? Do most accredited LVN schools have prerequisites? How long does schooling for LVN tend to take? If I wanna keep moving up, are there a good number of LVN-to-RN bridge programs? How are the job prospects for LVN's? Generally speaking, how much does an LVN's starting pay tend to be? If I wanna continue schooling, can I work as an LVN only 2-4 days a week or is that unheard of? I'm basically looking at LVN as a way to get my foot in the door for a nursing career. Thanks for all the help and insight.

So WGU is online only? I'm a little nervous about having heavy coursework all online. Clinicals at Sidar Sinai however sound pretty exciting.

Did you transfer directly from WCU to Mount St. Mary's or did you have to start over? Does Mount St. Mary's meet the points I listed above?

Here are my concerns about this school: Is it accredited by a reputable organization? Does it offer its students clinicals at decent and desirable hospitals that future grads would want to work at? (Whenever the job market improves...) Is it recognized and taken seriously by employers or is it looked at as just another "degree mill"? Is it recognized and taken seriously by other schools? Can I transfer to other schools/pursue further education at other schools after earning a degree from WCU? Or would I need to start all the way from the beginning? The school has a reputation for being very expensive, so I just want to make sure it has all the points listed covered and taken care of. Thanks in advance for any help/info. :) EDIT: One more question. For those that attended/are attending/will attend WCU, what would make you choose this over Mount St. Mary's?

Hmm thanks for the suggestion. I had not considered Western Governors University before. I wouldn't necessarily rule out West Coast University just cause of the tuition. My concern is the following: Accredited by a reputable organization Recognized by other schools/Able to transfer to other schools/Pursue further education at other schools Recognized by employers If it meets the following criteria, then the shortened time required to graduate and bypassing the waiting list to get into the school might be worth the high price tag. I've also heard about how they take care of every aspect of your schooling (books/tutoring/all around support/etc.) which is all very, very nice, but again doesn't mean squat if the points raised in the list are not met.

Whoops, I meant to ask if it's accredited. Just wondering if I can transfer to another school, or pursue higher education at another school after I finish with them should I decide to do so.

Is the high price tag the only disadvantage? Because if that's the case, I almost feel like it's worth dodging the 2-3 year waiting list/lottery. Is the school fully credited and transferrable?

So I keep hearing about how the admissions for most nursing programs are insanely competitive and they have 2-3 year waiting lists/lottery to get in. Except for West Coast University. Apparently as long as you can pay the super expensive tuition, you're in. Anyone attend or have graduated from this school? I'm just a little weary of the school's credibility cause it kinda seems like you're just buying your degree.

You bring up some valid concerns here. However, something just had to be done. If it comes down to a bunch of trial and error changes until a fix works, then I'm all for it. Like you, I don't know how effective Obama's health-care reform will be, but I do know that staying with the status-quo was absolutely not an option I would have considered as a voter. Also, I wasn't aware CA has nurse-patient ratio laws. I guess I should feel fortunate as someone from Los Angeles. Anyway, when the nursing demand was at its peak, anyone know what it was like before it kicked in? Were nursing job opportunities dried up like they are now? I'm just curious as to what the demand/supply cycle has been like in the past.

That sounds great. Congrats on securing this set up. :) Outta curiosity, what state are you in, what nursing field are you going into, and how many years are you contractually obligated to work for this hospital?

That sounds like an amazing set up (given the times). However, I have to wonder how if the pay/benefits/hours are all comparable to the job and position if you were to get hired the typical way after you graduate.

I would think something's gotta give. Not sure how feasible this is, but I'm thinking if things are still in the crapper by the time I graduate, I may turn to being a traveling-nurse. (Assuming that well isn't dried up either...)

Yes, I'm very curious about this as well. As a student, I guess I have to build whatever rapport and connection I can with hospitals before I graduate. Also, I know that a lot of older nurses are back from retirement and what not, but the way I see it, (whether they intend to or not) at some point they are gonna HAVE to stop working. I think once the economy improves a bit, whoever was originally retired, for the most part, will go back to retirement. My main concern would only be the huge backlog of new grad nurses that have been waiting for jobs for a while now... 2 Off Topic Rants :spbox: 1It seems like health-care-reform for the ridiculously broken system here in America is getting a lot of flack on these forums. I figure if more people have access to health-care, that means more patients which would mean more work, need, and demand for nurses. If this technically puts us under a "socialized-medicine" label, then so be it. I'd rather have socialized-medicine than be stuck in a corrupt, system that is literally either bankrupting everyday citizens, or killing them with financially unattainable care, while insurance companies rake in obscene profits for not holding their end of the deal. 2 The Job I work for made me read Who Moved My Cheese. I can see and appreciate the book's "don't let change make you give up/adapt to survive" message, but it also seemed like the book was implying to always, blindly take change lying down and never question why changes occur and just accept them without any challenge.

All you have to do is look a little bit at the main, general discussion lounge of this website to see post after post from new-grads complaining about the lack of work available. From everyone' statements, it seems like the demand has completely faded. Also, when I checked my local hospital (I live in Los Angeles) for RN openings out of curiosity, they had a huge disclaimer saying they are not gonna look at RN applications because of the huge influx of applicants trying to get whatever, little jobs there are at the moment.

Lack of nursing jobs is pretty much on top of everyone's mind right now. I feel like it's the biggest issue out there for aspiring nurses. As a pre-nursing student it's made me question my career choice a couple of times, however, I keep hearing about how demands for nurses is cyclical and it will eventually go back to the way it used to be with an abundance of work opportunities everywhere. So for now, I'm holding still and not making any major changes. What about you? Do you think things will be better by the time you graduate and you're ready to work? Or do you think it'll be like this for a long time? If you don't see the situation improving within the near future, what's still making you pursue this field?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do NASA nurses ever go to outer space with the astronauts in order to be available 24/7 should the need for care arise while in space? If so, I'd imagine that on top of nursing you'd need some specialized astronaut training so I'd imagine the job would be a really neat combination of two fascinating fields. Or am I being ridiculous because their nurses just tend to them only before and after flights?

So, what's the one thing about your job that you despise the most? We all encounter something at our work we're not really fond of. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, what is the one thing about your job that makes you feel really, really fortunate about doing the work that you do and having the position that you currently hold? I would kick this off with my own contribution but I'm not a nurse yet. (Just fishing for some insight). Anyway, vent, gloat and get going!

So this isn't a career that you can start working in overnight. With the commitment and time required, what's making you decide to go into this field? Also, have you already decided on a specialty? If so, what and why? Like countless others, I want to do this because the pay is decent and from what I've heard, it's suppose to provide a flexible variety of choices in terms of different job options and further education. The 3-4 workday per week is a pretty enticing attribute as well. I guess enjoying science doesn't hurt either. Also, the field seems like a secure career choice compared to other jobs. Sure openings are scarce at the moment but what worthwhile career-field isn't going through a slow rut right now anyway? So what attracted you to nursing? Any similar reasons? Things I haven't listed? Discuss!

Wow so I guess Kaisers are the place to work then huh? Also, pardon my newbie question, but why would anyone want to steer clear from some unionized hospitals?

I feel like this could induce some insightful answers. So have it. What do you wish you knew about your job/field/specialty before you became a full-fledged employed nurse?

Hi, new here. I had this posted in the general area then was alerted that it would probably be a better fit in here. At 24 years old I'm considering completely changing majors in college and going into the nursing field. After doing some research I'm most interested in ultimately becoming a CRNA (even though it seems like a super uphill path). However, There are a few things I'm wondering about before fully immersing myself in this field, as it's a huge commitment and undertaking. If you have information/answers to just ONE of the questions listed, then I'd be truly grateful for your input. What's the typical work schedule like for CRNA's? As a nurse-anesthetist, is it common/possible to work three days out of a week for 12 hour shifts as nurses do? If not, is it possible to only work weekdays with weekends and holidays off? If so, what would the weekday work hours typically be like? With the economy the way it is, what's the job market like for nurse-anesthetists? I've heard that current new-grad nurses are having a really tough time finding a job (not sure how true that is) but currently are new grad CRNAs also struggeling to find a stable job? Is it true that as someone starting from ground zero in the nursing field, I am looking at minimum 10 years till the end point of schooling where I'd be a full-fledged CRNA? For any nurse-anesthetists out there reading this, what do you find the most challenging and stressful aspect of your job? What do you enjoy the most and the least of your line of work? Thanks again for all the help and 2-cents folks. :)

Thanks for the heads up. I'll go over the recommended section. In the meantime, mods, if you feel it'd be best to move the thread over there, that'd be great too. :)

Hi, new here. At 24 years old I'm considering completely changing majors in college and going into the nursing field. After doing some research I'm most interested in ultimately becoming a CRNA (even though it seems like a super uphill path). However, There are a few things I'm wondering about before fully immersing myself in this field, as it's a huge commitment and undertaking. If you have information/answers to just ONE of the questions listed, then I'd be truly grateful for your input. What's the typical work schedule like for CRNA's? As a nurse-anesthetist, is it common/possible to work three days out of a week for 12 hour shifts as nurses do? If not, is it possible to only work weekdays with weekends and holidays off? If so, what would the weekday work hours typically be like? With the economy the way it is, what's the job market like for nurse-anesthetists? I've heard that current new-grad nurses are having a really tough time findign a job (not sure how true that is) but currently are new grad CRNAs also struggeling to find a stable job? Is it true that as someone starting from ground zero in the nursing field, I am looking at minimum 10 years till the end point of schooling where I'd be a full-fledged CRNA? For any nurse-anesthetists out there reading this, what do you find the most challenging and stressful aspect of your job? What do you enjoy the most and the least of your line of work? Thanks again for all the help and 2-cents folks. :)