John--RN

Congrats. I showed up on BON website while pearsonvue still said results unavailable LOL

Thank you now we can wait for our official results with a little less anxiety.

I worked between 24 - 32 hrs a week for most of it. By the time practicu came I think I was working about 12-20 hrs a week. It will tKe the full time they told you to get admission status. 6 or 8 weeks I think it was

They do not calculate your LPN grades in the gpa calculations. The he experience was intense. The program is very fast paced and does not let up until graduation. This is very much a full time program and we lost several good nurses along the way. The program is manageable if you are disciplined as all of the reading is on you to do. No lectures. In the end I had a huge feeling of accomplishment for completing the program because we earned it nothing was handed to us.

Yep Tuesday afternoon. And did the PVT as soon as I got home. Got the good popup :)

Awesome Congrats!! I know the feeling I just did this myself yesterday

I worked as an LPN while I completed my pre reqs and transition program. Not working was not an option for me. I was not able to maintain full time but I was at least able to do 2 12 hour shifts per week until practicum. The RN program was as hard if not harder than the LPN program. I personally would not try to move out on my own and fully support myself while attempting the bridge.

I graduated this program in December will agree with nekozuki's comments except that if you do not get in the first time around you are awarded 3 extra points for being "waitlisted" I know several people that were not selected the first time but just missed, they were told they had a guaranteed spot the following semester.

I just started my last semester, Advanced adult health and Practicum. We have to complete Advanced adult health in the first half of the semester so we can do our practium. So I would say covering very advanced material in a short period of time along with time managment is going to be the hardest part.

Sorry for the lat reply, betweek this program and work I do not spend much time reading the boards. 1 day a week during the first semester plus exams. That is after your 3 day orientation. Second semester you have to go to clinical the day before to pick up your patient assignment and info to do your pre clinical paperwork. Also you have mental health clinical two days second semester so on the weeks you have that you will spend 3 days at a clinical site. Still have to be on campus for exam days which is about every 3 or 4 weeks.

Congrats !! It is very fast paced. You have to go in for lab time, orientations and exams. Then you have your clinical days and the night before to get your patient info. Lab only lasts the first 7 weeks.

It depends on your grades especially your science grades. I got on on the first try but I know people that were waitlisted. Clinical is 1 day a week and the program is very fast paced. Be prepaired to spend a great deal of time reading the books.

Finish your degree, you have a world of options in nursing you do not have to remain in bedside at a hospital. I am also a second career nurse, I have seen burnt out, miserable people in just about every profession I have had contact with. You are at the tail end of a long and stressful program and probably a little burnt out yourself.

Congrats, I am a little bit jealous as I just started and don't graduate until December.

Some people bring extra shoes and change them in the parking lot before getting in their car. I go home in what I went to work in unless something went very very wrong. If you are dealing with anything really bad they are probably on contact precautions and you should have a gown on. I wash my hands before I leave, go in through my garage and leave my sneakers at the door there. Scrubs go in a seperate basket in the laundry room and I head to the shower. So take a deep breath, (not while changing a brief) and relax Clinicals are not that bad.

Well I am once again a Nursing Student. I just completed my three day orientation for my RN Bridge program and it looks like it is going to be a busy year.

Did you only use the practice exam and sudyguide101 for this? I am planning on taking this exam before enrolling with Excelsior to see if I like the format. I have my fundamentals book from my LPN program will this be enough to get me through the exam or do I need to by the book from Excelsior? Thanks for any input John

Thanks for the info. I am still going to finish my AA with my local school so there is no transfer problems later. It also automatically gets me into my local university. Still undecided on the Excelsior route, I am sure it is a quality education but I am still having an issue the the stigma and baggage that comes along with it.

Hi all, I have a question I have not been able to find the answer to. I have been in my local college plugging away at my pre reqs for their LPN - RN bridge. I know someone that just got in and the the schedule is very demanding time wise and this was supposed to be an online bridge. Long story short, I am looking into Excelsior and want to have my transcripts reviewed. I still have classes I will be taking at the local college to finish my AA degree. Can I have another transcript sent to Excelsior after the initals to pick up the rest of the credits needed? All sciences are done, have a couple of humanities and math left. Thanks for the input John

Congrats my friend made it in too, It will be a fast paced wild ride, but put in the time to study and you will be fine, it is not something you can just get by on with minimal effort. Pay attention to what they tell you to remember from the powerpoints as that will be on the exams for sure. If what they tell you conflicts with what the book says.....go with what they tell you as that will be the correct answer on the exam. Congrats again !!!!

Hey Chanzes MiMi good to see even more teco alumni here :) Magda81, CNA is HARD work, it may give you a leg up on a candidate with similar experiance as you (none) that did not do it. At least they know you have done some patient care. Also you would be supprised how much personality plays into getting hired also. I do fully believe that being male is an advantage for me in getting hired. As you do your clinicals use it as a chance to network and make contacts where you might want to work. Any advantage you can get is a good one in the hiring process. Also keep in mind we have two new hospitals opening here in Orlando in 2012, this is going to create a need for nurses even if it is not at those new facilities. As nurses leave other facilities to go to the new ones it is going to leave a vacuum behind that someone is going to have to fill.

Home health is great especially if you are still in school doing your RN, flexible hours and can do homework while at work sometimes if your working nights. I have a couple classmates doing home health and they can eaisly put in 40- 60 hrs a week if they want to. I have classmates working in home health, long term care, dialysis clinics, doctors office, school nurse, clinical trials at a hospital and one that went right into labor and delivery but she had a connection...lol The point is you have to be creative as an LPN, this is not directed at you Val just a statement in general that we all want to graduate and land that ER job, and that is not even realistic for a new grad RN. Just keep working so that you are not seen as someone who's skills may be rusty or out of date. Expand your circle and apply outside of the area that TECO is chruning out LPN's and don't underestimate the power of a personal recommendation from one of your former classmates that did land a job can be. I am working LTC and just started a Per Diem home health job and honestly I am thinking about leaving the nursing home and working one on one in home health until I finish my RN. Good luck I hope you find what you are looking for soon. John

I can't speak directly to Illinois, but where I am student nurses are held to the same standard as a licensed nurse.

I applied and interviewed for a place a week before I sat for my boards. I landed the job and they told me to call them as soon as I passed. I did and went to orientation a few days later. Also I just picked up second PRN position with another company. So out of the two jobs I applied for I got both....so lets say not hard. at least 50% of my class that I know of got jobs within weeks of passing their boards. Thanks, two semesters left before I can apply to the bridge program.

Wow Val sorry i never noticed this reply to the thread, yes I was in the night class, LPN 37E we started with 34 and graduated with 17. I think we had 3 or 4 that had to re take med pass test.