Adriennefu

64,000 as an LPN???? where do you work and how much over time did you have to do?

i am glad that the info helped you.

i have never worked at grady, but i know that it is the main trauma center in atlanta. i hear it is a great learning experience, but the pay isn't great. Also, in atlanta, it is quite common for hospitals to offer positions to new grads, sign on bonuses or scholarships. There is a lot of competition for recruitment of new nurses in the area. i agree, with the person who said that you might wanna find work closer to akworth. atlanta traffic is awful. Kennestone, i believe also offers a sign on bonus for a year commitment. look into it before you sign up with anyone. good luck.

A couple of years ago, I heard that there was a threat of GPC losing their accredation because the board pass rate was so low. Well, they have been inspected and recently re-approved for 7(i think) years accredation. Now, it seems, they'd rather admit 150 students and have 130 students fail or drop out. If they make it really tough to get out of the program only the best are gonna get the chance to take the boards, therefore, it increases their chances of having good pass rates. Of course, the state doesn't look at program admission and graduation rates. They only look at how many take the boards vs how many pass the boards. For example, if 20 excellant students take and pass the boards that would give them a pass rate of 100%. If they graduate 100 mediocre students and only 60 pass the state board that would be a pass rate of 60%. Think what that would do for business. It might even leave them open to being scrutinized by the state and public. Many students commented that they felt like they were being weeded out. In my opinion, if the drop rate is that high, the program isn't very good. I feel that the program fails to allow enough people that are new to the medical field to feel comfortable enough to stay in and give it a try. The faculty, all too often point the finger at students, who couldn't make it, instead of pointing it at themselves and trying to find different and more effective ways of teaching the subject matter. If you have to take Anatomy & Physiology before you start the program, i suggest that you take it as close to the start time of the program as possible. They do very little A&P review when they present the medical stuff. In all fairness, there is so much learning material to cover, they really don't have the time. i found it helpful to review the a/p on my own before we covered the subject. So, don't sell your a/p book!!!! Also, get all your prerequsites out of the way before you start the program. majority of the people who failed out were people who tried to take more than 1 course in the semester concurrently with the nursing stuff. Some might ask why i am showing so much negativism, toward the program after graduating. Those who criticized the program before graduating, seemed to be ostracized by some faculty to the point of them failing out or dropping out. I couldn't speak up then and didn't want to, after investing so much time and money into the program. Now that i have my license in my hand, i will say what i feel needs to be said. GPC's program can use some improvements. ;-) As, i said in my message before, the program despite it's flaws, can be completed sucessfully. Many of the other schools also have high fail rates, just do a little research to find out which is the best program for you. You just need to make up your mind to NOT make failure an option. My advice, Do your best, no matter where you decide to go and eventually, you'll succeed!!! Good luck. I hope the extra information and pointers help you to feel as if you are making a more informed decision. If you do decide to give GPC a try then at least you know what to expect.

I just graduated from GPC. I felt extremely well prepared for the boards. However, the school's program still needs a lot of work. The pharmacology module is self taught. i did hear that they were looking into ingrating it more into the program. Board Pass rate HIGH, but Graduation rate LOW. Although gpc pass rate for state boards is high, very few make it that far. My class started with about 115 students, about 60% didn't make it to the second year of the nursing program. And only 20-35 students will/ have graduated according to schedule. Some have to retake classes 2 or even 3 times before passing (that's an additional course fee to pay for every retake). By the end of the program, most have dropped out or failed, due to personal or academic reasons. Obviously, the course can be completed with success. i found positive thinking, making friends with other students in the program, (good emotional support) and good study habits helpful. Disorganization, lack of faculty support/concern about student welfare, unprofessionalism of some faculty and unnecessary stress prevent me from recommending the program to others, until it is better structured.

hi karen!!!!