IEDave

My take: depends a LOT on which CRNA program you're aiming for. Yeah, your overall GPA's going to be a bit low, but you also have solid professional chops to offset that. My experience is that commitees will usually work with you on GPA issues - you may have to retake biochem for example. IMO the big issue is going to be your competition. In a top-tier school, it's going to be a tough sell. Lower tier, not so much. And...timing. If you're applying with a bunch of overachievers, you'll get aced out. Middle of the road applicants - you're in. End of the day - apply to several schools & see who bites. You just may be pleasantly surprised!

Pretty accurate for me - just about the last person you'd expect to be a nurse.?

Looking forward to the responses on this one. I am but a newb LVN, but in a former life was an IT guy. Bachelor's in CS, 23 years experience, yadda yadda, yadda. The minute I go into an interview situation, it's the same thing - "You oughta go into Informatics..." and the whole spiel; usually ends with "don't call us, we'll call you". Couldn't we just cut to the chase and tell me "No"? Anyway - you gave me one solid piece of info, namely that an Informatics degree by itself might not be enough. One of my biggest challenges in IT was that while I had a solid CS background, I had almost no business background. One of my first CS professors pointed out that it'd be a real good idea to have a dual degree in CS and something else. Wish I'd have listened. Might look into Nursing Administration should I opt to go that route.

One of the perks of a) NOC shift, and b) looking old is that I can hit the store during "seniors only" time, which is right after I get off work. Get there right after the shelves are stocked, pick your brand. TP, meat, frozen fruits (heck, I can even score durian fruit if you're among the brave), beans, mac & cheese...it's all in the timing. ?

Depending on where you are, call ahead first. I'm an LVN in Southern California, and every LTC/SNF is on lockdown. Nobody but essential staff in or out of the facility, period. As far as whether you wanna dive into this right now, frankly it's your call. Got 2 CNA's that were moonlighting at a facility that got nailed hard with COVID-19 and are on mandatory leave of absence from my current facility (asymptomatic, but have been exposed) and a couple of nurses in my circle (not current co-workers, BTW) sound like they're infected. We're short on PPE & cranking pretty hard to keep up, so you'll be diving in the deep end right now. Really, a public health clinic would be your best bet, or a doc in the box; something outpatient.

Ookay...PrettyNerd, your story could've been written by me. Got my LVN license in May, 2017. Was fired TWICE, am currently on my 4th nursing job. Yep, it happens. Intellectually one of the top students, NCLEX-PN in 85 questions, yadda yadda yadda. Then...reality. I won't bother with the gory details, suffice to say that a co-worker described nursing as being in a parallel universe. They're absolutely right - check your preconceived notions at the door. In my case, after 5 months of feeling sorry for myself & wondering if I'd ever get this figured out - started applying and had a job in just under a month working in a group home with developmentally disabled kids/young adults. Then, got a call from a former co-worker from the second place I got fired from - they needed a nurse, bad. $6/hour salary increase with full bennies, much more forgiving management, and a goodly portion of the staff are from that other place (sounds like there was a real bloodbath over there). So...it happens. I worked in IT for just under 25 years, so I've earned my chops in the employment world. In nursing, the rules are just different. Don't assume you're unhireable - you've got, what, 10 months on your resume? That'll work - just get out there and apply. A family owned SNF may be what you need, or hospice, or home health, or...mostly, just get out there and apply. Guaranteed, two months after you start the new job, the headhunters will be after you. You got this. ----- Dave

Just to muddy the waters further... Once upon a time I had a BS in CS (Bachelor's in Computer Science) with a 2.76 cumulative GPA. By hook & by crook, got accepted into a CC VN program (here in California, you get an LVN license instead of an LPN license) and...failed out. Redid it, and was a Dean's List student for the entirety of the 2nd go around VN program. The take home on this is, of the 3 degrees I hold (AA in CS, BS in CS, ASN in Vocational Nursing) the one I sweated bullets to pull off... was my ASN. Don't assume that going to a "mere" community college will make it easier. It won't be. Nursing school is difficult by design, because the profession is difficult. In your case, I'd look seriously into getting a CNA certificate and picking up some part-time hours on the floor first. You'll get the opportunity to see first hand what nursing's all about, before you decide.

True dat. Being "one of the girls" was, and still is, a real eye opener. In some ways I find it utterly fascinating to sit down and just listen to the conversations, because prior to being a nurse a lot of the topics were "hush-hush". As a nurse...um, yeah. Doesn't particularly bother me, 'cause at the end of the day I don't have to go home to any of it, being single. Staying out of it at work, still very much a work in progress. - Dave

As far as nursing being beneficial to a male; in my case, eh, sorta. As noted above, because my profession demands that I be able to communicate with people without losing my cool, that helps. What helped far more was losing 115+ lbs. of accumulated triacylglycerides from my adipose tissue (in English, I'm a whole bunch thinner). The change in how I'm treated is nothing short of astonishing. I still don't date, primarily because I'm planning on doing the LVN to RN bridge in another year-ish. Really don't want to put someone thru being ignored for 2-3 semesters. As far as girls/women being shallow - frankly, I'd say it's about equally true on both sides of the sex divide. I was pretty much an equal opportunity punching bag at 295 lbs. and as a nurse, well doggone it I still am. ? - Dave

Congrats, Calliope - my experience is if they're gunning for you, if you're paying any attention at all you've got a good 1-2 months warning. Look for behavioral changes in supervisors (suddenly getting nicer is a bad sign). End of the day, "trust your gut". They hammered that concept in throughout nursing school; I was terminated with cause 4 months ago because I didn't heed that (short version, DON and I did not get along, I was terminated for an apparent bogus charge). Gave myself some time off to regroup & plan on changing venues shortly (as soon as I quit having fun not being deluged with text messages?)

Don't have to tell me twice - did it for three years before moving up to LVN. Got one of my classmates a CNA gig at an LTC facility I was working in. Came close to passing out a couple of times, 'til I gave her some tips on how to pace herself. Vastly underrated in their importance, and I don't begrudge them a bit of what they get. Wish I could give 'em more. ❤

I admit to not having researched the issue, but part of the reason that collecting roadkill for human consumption in California was illegal had to do with the possibility of abuse by poachers. This has been an issue off & on for decades. In principle, I'm all for it (and I'm waiting for the day when someone turns in a set of antlers off of a skunk) since as mentioned previously so long as it's freshly killed & processed promptly and correctly it's a valuable source of animal protein.

Nice! Congratulations - a 3.66 means you're in the running. Out here in the San Bernardino/Riverside area some CC's are random selection & some are points, I don't know of any that still have wait lists. Big thing is what kinds of scores your competition is racking up. Get a bunch of people like me (prior B.S., LVN with 1+ years experience & good grades) and you may be out of luck. Hang in there, I'm not one of your competitors. ?

Not really possible to say, because it varies so much from CSU to CSU. Best bet is to speak to a nursing counselor at the campus(es) you're applying to. My "seat of the pants" assessment is that it wouldn't be considered a repeat, and so long as it didn't have a negative impact on your GPA you're good.

As for me, I was terminated just under a month and a half ago (long story, but it boils down to a toxic relationship with a DON, and an accusation of not charting something that didn't happen) and reading this post really made my day. Really wished I could've gone back to the facility and gotten a video of the following: (1) Put a fall mat outside the night entrance; (2) Find an empty bed; (3) Spread out a Hoyer sling on the bed; (4) I lay down on the sling with my personal belongings; (5) Get 4 of the staff to pick me up with the sling; (6) Open the night entrance door; (7) Have the staff run down the hall, carrying me in the sling, and throw me out the door onto the fall mat; (8) Have them all shout in unison "AND STAY OUT!!!"; (9) Slam the night entrance door shut. That would have been a proper termination! The terminated would've bought pizza for that one. In any case, I opted to use all the lovely overtime money I made because the DON refused to hire replacement staff until after the state survey occurred to keep me financially solvent while I finished up a prereq class for admission into an LVN to RN bridge program. Got contacts to back me up (2 of the 3 RN supervisors) and looking at moving into hospice, which is my dream job. So...not hurtin', and was warned about nursing's rather vicious reputation. Lessons learned, and movin' on.

We started with 24 in the cohort (VN program, BTW) and ended up with 18 that completed the program. Had 1 who came in from an earlier cohort (missed a semester D/T pregnancy), lost a bunch during second semester. About half of those that flunked out petitioned for readmission and passed on the second go-around. Ain't easy. Dave

From what you've described, it sounds more like bad timing as much as anything; combination of the holidays, staff turnover, & just being in the wrong position in the hiring queue. In my case, dean's list throughout nursing school & passing NCLEX-PN in 85 questions didn't make all that much difference; working the floor as a CNA did, though. Took me about a month to get my first gig, currently on my 2nd nursing position, working in an LTC/SNF as a charge nurse; if you opt for that route, check to see what kind of rating the facility has (Medicare has a 'nursing home compare' function on their website) & stay away from anything less than a 4 star rating. Been there, done that. Best of luck, and welcome to the wild & wacky world of healthcare. IEDave.

I'd give it another day or 2, then contact BVNPT. In my case I ended up paying to retake the test because I received the congratulatory letter but didn't get my BreEZe account updated. So...paid twice for my license...grr. Did get a refund from the State for the double payment, though.

Past experience has taught me the following: (1) People you though were your staunchest supporters will turn on you when you resign; (2) People who barely acknowledged your presence will back you up when #1 occurs; (3) Management's going to pull a fast one on you somewhere. My solution has been to kill 'em with kindness - a good departure is something you'll always cherish, and #1 & #3 will always get theirs somewhere along the line. JMHO. ----- Dave

It's also a common misconception that LPN/LVN training is "easier" than RN. It's somewhat faster (3 semesters vs. 4) and the emphasis is more narrowly focused (bedside vs. "whadda ya got") but it's no less rigorous. Having your bio down cold is important in nursing; hence, I have to side with the rest that you re-think this. As mentioned, there are other routes to take; I'd be thinking social work or medical billing/coding, but talking face to face with a career counselor would be your best bet. ----- Dave

FWIW, I wouldn't say you failed anyone - as you've probably figured out by now, nursing school is a whole 'nother animal by anybody's standards. In my case, I failed out of VN school once - never even made it through basic skills. This with an Associate's and Bachelor's in Computer Science under my belt. What I did - got it out of my system (took about a year in my case), assessed what hampered me & did everything I could to stack the deck in my favor, and went back in loaded for T. Rex. 2nd time - Dean's list honors for all 3 semesters. Passed NCLEX-PN in 85 questions. Moving on to RN in a couple of years or so (prereqs, then advanced placement into an ADN program - time wise it's about the same as the direct route, plus I don't have a buttload of student loans to pay off) then do an RN to BSN to keep everyone happy. My point - it can be done, but you're going to have to look at all the factors that hampered you in your quest. ADHD is one; most likely there are others. Transferring to another program may be an option for you; personally I'd recommend sticking with what you've already got if for no other reason than it's a known quantity. Take the time to do what you need to succeed, and then implement your plan. Good fortune to you. ----- Dave

Let's see...I'm currently 55 years old, entered a VN program (for the second time - failed out once) at 52, completed same at age 54. When I finished I was the oldest one in my cohort, and the average age of the students works out to about 34. So, yeah, I'd say you're good. :-) ----- Dave

Well, can't speak for the RN side of the shop (new LVN here), and I don't live near LA proper (east of there by about 60 miles) , but I can comment on the Inland Empire end of things. First, endorsing your license in California's likely to take awhile - think several months. Took me about 5 months to get my VN license, and about 5 weeks to get my first job. Employer - well, psych facility in an 'underserved healthcare population' would be a politically correct way of putting it, and I had to network to get that. Class president is STILL looking for work, and she got her license about the same time I did. Salary-wise, a new grad LVN can expect anywhere from $15 to $25 an hour (I'm in the middle of the range). Area apartment rents - I'm renting a bedroom for $500/mo. Apartments are about $1100-$1600/mo for anyplace you'd feel safe. Climate-wise, most of the homeless head for the beach or out of town about November or so, then head back this way in the spring and fall. Summer? Think mid-100's during the day, high 60's to upper 70's at night. Winter - when the Santa Anas are blowing it can be pretty balmy (80's - 90's during the day, 50's - 60's at night) but more typical is mid-50's to mid-60's for the high, mid-30's to mid-40's at night. Had a longtime friend from Colorado ask for advice about relocating back here & told him point-blank he's probably better off where he is. TL;DR - might be worth your while to rent a hotel room for a week in an area you fancy, rent a car and look at what you're getting yourself into. ----- Dave

Only place I can think of where it might be an issue would be if you're looking at a gig with a VA facility. BON's aren't likely to care too much, so long as you disclose it on your licensure application, and whether it would matter even then depends a lot on the state you're applying in. If your school's fine with it I wouldn't sweat it. ----- Dave

To be honest, nope. Of course, getting a nursing license in my mid-50's had something to do with it, I'm sure... :-) If anything, I was surprised at the supportiveness of people in general - got fist bumps and high-fives from total strangers when I got my license. Having patients calling you 'Doc' doesn't hurt, either... ----- Dave