BryanL

Magelan, Let me repeat what I said. I admire your courage for going back to school and appreciate for sharing your views. ARGUMENTS My comments are not intended to attack anyone. And certainly, ain't no personal attack on you. I have nothing against you; I don't know you. The way I see it is that we have engaged in a healthy discourse - exchanging of different world views, as we see the world through different eyes. You are expressing yours ideas, as I am expressing mine. This great country is built on different ideas with opposing views. BEING EQUAL Yes, we are equal. We both have the capacity to think. So next time, think before you write. And, don't use "English As A Second Language" excuse. I don't buy it. You have an advanced degree (a doctorate nonetheless) that many non-native speakers of English do not. ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE And by the way, English is also my second language; I wasn't born here either. I was born poor and raised poor in a third world country. Unlike you, however, I did not have the privilege to obtain an advanced degree because my parents did not have the means to send me to school. When I came into this great country, I had to learn English from scratch at various community colleges while working full-time. I had to enroll in ESL classes for a span of four years to gain proficiency of the English language, so I could express my ideas decently. I have a collection of grammar books. They are one of my precious possessions. I read them daily. I still memorize my punctuation usage. I continue to learn about independent and dependent clauses. I am still learning about nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. I am constantly trying to improve my understanding of idioms, prepositional phrases and two-word verbs. However, I don't use "English As A Second Language" excuse because I don't perceive my situation as a disadvantage. The way I see it, I speak and write two distinct languages. And, I am darn proud of it. **************************************** Let me say it again. I wish you success in your nursing career.

*********************************************************************************** here you go again magellan, using words like "stupid"... that's very descriptive and deeply encouraging; certainly, no one will take no offense to that. and certainly, someone with a doctorate degree in dentistry like you could come up with better words. you made assumptions about me and posted something negative about the school i believe in (like you believe in cmk, 5x endorsements). and yet, you're telling me i'm accusing you... seriously? "bryan, you sound like advisor from americare, i haven't heard much good things about americare either... even when i was there, i didn't have such a good impression... (magellan, oct 25)" tell me... which of my comments you so keenly described as stupid? can you be more specific? you can dish it out, but you can't take it. you could find the answer on all your questions if you read my posts (magellan, oct 27) i've read your post... you're a dentist from europe who thinks working as a c.n.a as a waist of time. (magellan, sept 20). is it really a waist of time, doc? is that truly what you believe because that's what you wrote. don't you know that most lpns work in nursing homes. yes, i've read your post... you're a dentist from europe who thinks taking pharmacology, medical terminology, and anatomy in less than 3 months is a good idea (magellan, sept 15). is it really, doc? has it ever occurred to you that most pre-nursing students haven't had background in science? that recommending to take all 3 courses in less than 3 months is equivalent to an academic kamikaze. "the new thing is that now they have another more prerequirement - pharmacology course...it costs $700, and the class will be in october for 5 saturdays. terminology is also $700, and anatomy $1000. they accept transcripts from other schools but for people who don't have time to waste in community colleges, it's better to finish these 3 subjects in cmk 'cause you can finish all that in less than 3 months. (magellan, sept 15)" so, let's go back to my original question, why did you choose cmk? i think the real reason is because you do not qualify for financial aid (pell grant and federal student loans, a.ka. title iv) as you stated in your post "for all these financial aids and loans i'm ineligible (magellan, oct 27). you know, the u.s department of education will not give any financial aid to those who already possess doctorate degrees especially in dentistry such as yourself. unfortunately, because of the state of the u.s economy, there are many americans who need pell grant and federal students loans. they need financial support. many of them don't have $2,000 to shell out for a deposit. and, many of them don't have $1,300 for a monthly payment. to recommend a school that offers no title iv is an ill-advised (my opinion, i am entitled to it just as you are...). i will not argue about cmk's customer service, nor will i question it. i feel sorry that you had a bad customer service experience with other schools. i applaud your bravery for going back to school. and, i thank you kindly for sharing your views... just next time, i request that you use verifiable facts when stating your views. btw, cmk is not accredited. check this site for accredited schools. this you can verify. http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/search cmk is approved to operate by isbe, and its lpn is approved by idfpr.

Magellan, Nice try... In this forum, so far, you've endorsed CMK a total of five times on Sept 15, 17, 20, 21. You've used the following sentences in describing them. From the sound of it, I thought you were related to the owner or the owner. " I would recommend this school", "[CMK] in Westmont is very nice, "Everything connected with Community Colleges is wasting of time". (Seriously?) Never have I used such strong endorsement like that when referring to Americare Institute. So tell me... How many private LPN schools have you visited before making your decision? Really, why did you choose CMK over these private schools listed below? The school has no NCLEX pass rate history. No PELL grant. No federal student loans. No accreditation. Has no graduates. Requires $2,000 deposit. And has a monthly payment of $1,300 payable in 10 months (I know I went there to inquire about their program.) Really, why choose them? Show your critical thinking skills when presenting your arguments. You need to think logically to pass NCLEX. Avoid subjective words like "nice" and "impression". Be concrete and show evidence. Convince me. Because I'm all ears. CMK PCCTI Northwestern Institute Americare Technical School J'Renne Omega Americare Technical School International Career Institute I'm waiting Magellan...

You've got to visit them to get some hard facts.

xiopao, A certified nursing assitant is an honorable profession. In my view, CNAs are the bedrock of patient care services in short and long- term facilities. No offense nurses. But CNAs don't often get the recognition they so highly deserve. Those who told you that taking a CNA program is a waste of money don't know what they're talking about... I'll get off my soapbox now.

xiopao, If I were you, I'd get certified as a nursing assistant first. There are many CNA programs in Illinois (you probably know this already). Work for at least 6 months. A CNA is someone who assists patients with healthcare needs under the supervision of an RN or an LPN. Working as a CNA will give you wealth of experience beyond lectures and books.

loveblossom, "Notorious for changing their schedules at the last minute..." Don't mean to offend you but I think this is a sweeping general statement about a school. How do you know this with certain clarity? I'm sure this may have happened at what point in time. But it's not going to be always true for many more years to come... If you're referring to the upcoming two pre-requisite courses like the Math and English, I agree with you. They changed their schedules two weeks ago. I asked them about that because I was upset. What I found out is that they lost instructors for those courses. How? I don't know (not my business). But instead of cancelling the two classes, they found ways to offer them. Not the schedule that I'd like. But I got an explanation. That's what I wanted. I'm sure losing faculty happens to every school big and small. And Americare Institute is no exception. I got to give them some slack. However, their LPN lecture classes and clinicals have set schedules both morning and evening. If you attend the information session, you can ask for a sample copy. The session is free. Have you attended one? Just check it out for yourself. Judging from my friends who completed their LPN program at Americare Institute while working, there schedules are pretty darn flexible. I saw their web registration. You could even choose the time and place for your lecture and clinical schedules. This is rare. I don't know of any LPN or RN schools that have a system like that? Regarding teachers being late... I heard that rumor as well, so I asked my friends who graduated there three in December 2009 and two July 2010. I was told they have a strong policy of being on time. You can get penalized for being tardy (imagine that). I've heard, just recently, they let go of nursing faculty who were not following this policy. It sounds like the policy is applied across the board. It's fair. I'm good with that.. The school has a strong grievance policy. It's in their student handbook. In fact, you would endanger loosing your FINANCIAL AID if you don't meet the clock hours requirement. One thing I like about it is if someone has a complaint there is a documented written policy and resolutions. "I also did a lil research online about this school and it did not look good" This may sound like a cliche but don't believe everything you read online. People have different agendas. We all have different views. That's the reason I am going to great lengths to make sure that I get all my facts straight, so when someone talks to me, I know when that person is exaggerating... And I am NOT easily persuaded.

just curios. has anyone looked into americare institute? here’s what i found after attending their information session. financial aid. they are the only private lpn school in illinois approved for pell grant and federal student loans. it’s the same financial aid available at community colleges and universities. they also offer a payment plan and sallie mae loan, and accept wia grant, g.i bill, tuition re-imbursement. their fafsa school code is 041247. look them up at the fafsa website àhttp://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotwwebapp/fslookupservlet deposit. there is no deposit requirement ($0), provided i am approved for fafsa. there’s an application fee though, but that’s in every school. it is a far cry from what cmk is asking ($2,000 down and $1,300/monthly payment payable in 10 months).

Taking the NCLEX-PN is a two-step process. Visit this site for an in-depth explanation. http://www.continentaltesting.net/ProfDetail.aspx?Entity=2&ProfID=11 You must fill out an application form either paper-based or on-line and must use a SCHOOL CODE from an approved nursing program in Illinois (here's a list of approved programs.) http://nursing.illinois.gov/education.asp#LPN A nursing school must certify you as one of their graduates to the NCLEX Provider (Pearson Vue). I highly doubt that any of these nursing programs will put you in their roster for NCLEX-PN. What are your options? Find an LPN school who will accept your foreign credits, so you don't have to start from scratch. However, every program has its own policy with respect to foreign credits. Again, here's the list. http://nursing.illinois.gov/education.asp#LPN Typically, a nursing program will require that you get your foreign credits evaluated first by one of the foreign evaluation agencies (see below) before submitting your transcript to them for review. World Education Services http://www.wes.org/fees/cpa.asp Educational Credential Evaluators http://www.ece.org/