kzens

I currently go to Kaplan San Diego for the LVN program and I would recommend it. It's a great program. and the tuition is around $34,000 for the 15 month program.

yes flash cards are amazing to study with! the best thing is just to read the chapter before the lecture. It helps out a ton! I haven't had pharmacology yet, but for anatomy I printed out blank pictures of the skeletal system and the muscular system and filled them in with each name. Doing it over and over again really helped! Same with the abdominal organs (appendix, liver etc..) now I know exactly where everything is!

I would go ahead and start them now. Once you start school it will be difficult trying to do all the shots and physical and everything along with school. I did mine before school started so I wouldn't have to worry about them. It's much easier

sounds like a good plan! I did a CNA program last summer and just got accepted to a LVN program so then I can do a bridge program! :) CNA is a lot of work, but its worth it! It really helps you get a good foundation for nursing and definately helps you get your feet wet! Some advice: 1) for clincals, my school just threw us in on the first day of clinicals and it was so scary! I wanted to quit and cry! I had zero experience with a real patient and they were like "get in there and do this" and I was "uhh wait what??" But just hold your head up high and have no fear!2) interact with your patients! They are some really cool people and just wanna talk to somebody once in a while! I felt so bad for some of them when we had to leave at the end of the day and they didn't want us to!Opinion: I think its great your getting your feet wet with CNA! A lot of people don't want to do the "dirty work" and wanna go straight to RN but its good that you are! It'll definately make you appreciate your CNAs when you are a RN!Good luck! :)

yup exactly! its a team effort! just have good communication and let the morning shift nurses know when something wasnt done! its so much nicer hearing it when you're starting your shift, so you can go and get it done and over with, rather than finding out when you're in the middle of something! then it gets crazy!

if you are in a hurry, then go for the associates in nursing! but for teaching nursing classes a BSN will be better. im not quite sure if you "need" a BSN to teach but either way, a BSN is better for nursing and teaching :)

i would call and ask! doesnt hurt! its been longer than 4 weeks, so go for it!

i think its a good idea to do a CNA program and work a little before! as mentioned before, its good to find out before wasting time and money if a career is right for you! plus it'll better prepare you for nursing school, helping you learn the basics :)

good way to look at it! u can always go to school before u turn 18, and time it so that u are 18 when you graduate

navy scrubs and white shoes. oh and our school patch on the tops. but for clinicals its white from head to toe. good thing my school isnt so picky about all white shoes.. mine have a teeny bit of pink on them :)

yeah in Cali u have to be 18.. i graduated from my CNA program in june 2011, had no prior work experience, recently graduated high school, and just turned 18 and i had no trouble finding a job. so just volunteer until you turn 18, and then you can do a CNA program!

Start out as a CNA. Its a short, quick program and it'll give you experience and help you learn the basics. It'll help you decide if nursing is right for you.My CNA program was 2 months long and wasn't all day so you will still have time with your daughter. Then if you decide it isn't for you, then hey, it was just 2 months. But if you decide it is for you, then its great experience. Most RN programs want you to have CNA experience. Good luck!

I start march 12 at Kaplan College in San Diego, CA! So excited! :)

Yes I am the same way! I don't like people sitting there watching me try and work! But good, go for that RN! Good luck!

Hi Casey! my name is also Kacie (obviously spelt differently :) lol) and i am also in the san diego area. I graduated from a CNA program in June 2011 and i worked for about 2 months after. I am now enrolled in a LVN program (gonna start in march :)). I would recommend just going into LVN. the CNA pay is not good (definitely not what it says on the internet), and it was kinda difficult finding a job as a new grad CNA. so to cut back on work hours for 3 months, i wouldnt recommend it. But if you need CNA to go into the LVN program, then go for it! but based on what i have gone through, i would say to just get right in to a LVN program. good luck with what ever you plan to do! :yelclap: