austeph

I wanted to thank everyone for providing me with their experiences! You have given me some great information. Have a great afternoon!

Thanks so much for your reply! Congratulations on your graduation! If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few more questions. Overall, how did you like the program? What were your clinicals like? And how long did you have to be on the waitlist before you were accepted into the program? Thanks again for your time and response! Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Hello again, I had a good time in school and made some awesome friends. We became very close during school and we helped each other when times got tough. It's not easy-expect to work hard. You will eat,breathe, and sleep school the entire time you're going, but like the other poster said, it is definitely worth it in the long run. I have three kids of my own (four if you include the hubby) and managed to survive! Of course, everyone has their own opinions about teachers. Some you will love, and some you may not like, but at times you make it what you will. I fortunately had a very good experience with school-I just wished I had done it a long time ago. I was able to find a job very quickly-by the end of school I had three offers on the table-from offices and hospitals. I love my job! I am in an office setting now and we don't do any of the front office work. We are doing patient care. If you have any other questions, let me know! You can also PM if you'd like. Have a great night!

Hello, I did the evening LPN program and graduated about 1 1/2 years ago. I would be happy to try and answer any questions you may have if you'd like... Have a good night!

Hello everyone! I hope someone may be able to shed some light for me. I am still looking into LPN-RN programs as I am ready to get going in school again. Has anyone here attended Thomas Nelson's program? I've done a lot of research on a few programs, but it's always nice to know from or hear from someone that has attended the program personally. If anyone has some information, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for you time!

Wow, I had a good experience with the LPN program at MCI-NN campus-although there were a few bumps in the road here and there. When I was there, they were just implementing the RN program so I'm sure there are plenty of kinks to still be worked out. I'm sorry to those who are having trouble. I'm sure it's pretty frustrating for them-we had a few in our class that were upset with a few things from time to time. From what I hear MCI needs to get it's stuff together. People are paying a lot of money for their education and it's frustrating when things aren't well presented. Good luck to everyone! Cherokeesummer- thanks for the information! I'm still looking into Riverside. I need to get those all important pre-reqs out of the way!

Cherylyn, With Chancellor's program, what school does that go through? I'm looking to go back to school so any help/info would be greatly appreciated! (By the way, my name is Cherylyn, too and I've never seen any one spell it the same way as I do!! )

Thank you for the reply! That was great information!

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I have looked into Sentara's program as well. It looks like a great program, too. I am working full time for CHKD right now so the one reason I was looking into Riverside's program is the evening/weekend option. I still have some time to decide though, as I have some pre-reqs to get out of the way. By the way, I noticed your name of rnstudent006, are you still in school? If so, what school do you attend??? Thanks again and have a good night!

Hello everyone, I posted a little while ago about MCI RN program graduates, as I am trying to decide which RN program to proceed with. I am leaning towards Riverside's LPN-RN program at this point and I am wondering if anyone would be willing to share their experiences with this program. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks and have a great afternoon!

In my personal experience my review class/materials helped me prepare for the exam for the most part, but there were things on the test that I didn't know much about/or I just didn't recall right then. I just tried to make a best "guess" on those questions and hope that I answered them correctly...Some of the review books that I used on my own had the format as the test did so those helped me become familiar with the format of the test. I hope this helped...

I, too, know what you mean about agonizing all weekend to see if you passed or not. I took mine this past Thursday with one of my classmates. They found out their results on Friday morning and there was no information on mine. Of course I figured I had failed since everything seemed like a blur on the test itself. When the computer shut off at 85 I was completely speechless to the point where I don't think I could speak for at least two hours! I checked the board of nursing again yesterday morning (for the 100th time) and still nothing. Thanks to my hubby and another classmate, I found out yesterday afternoon that I had passed! For some reason, my license number doesn't come up the way everyone else's did. I was so relieved and now the sickness and nausea has gone away. Waiting for five days was no picnic!! Congratulations to you and all of your hard work!!

Thank you so much for your concern. It is funny how we worry about people when we just communicate through the computers! Anyway, he is okay, thank goodness. A young girl side swiped him and pinned his leg in between her car and the motorcycle. His ankle is pretty messed up and his job requires him to be on his feet all day long. We're going to the doctors this afternoon to follow up from the emergency room visit. His ankle is now starting to turn all sorts of pretty colors. He doesn't like to be down so he is starting to get stir crazy and starting to drive me crazy as well! Again, thank you for your concern! :nuke:

I am supposed to be working on 4West which is the hospitalist unit. I just graduated from LPN school a few weeks back. My orientation is scheduled for next week, however, my husband got into an accident on a motorcycle just a fews days ago, so I may have to reschedule if he needs further treatment next week. Yes, maybe we will see each other. I really think they come across as trying to be very personable with their pts and staff. Good luck to you as well. If you have any other questions, please feel free to let me know. Thanks and have a good afternoon!

Hello! I, too was recently offered a position with Riverside on another floor. The staff there seems very friendly as well. If I am not mistaken, I believe the ICU has just been re-done. It is set up much nicer than it was before. I visited there with another nurse while in school and did a tour with the old set up and then with the new set up. One of our instructors in school works for the hospital and we were able to meet some of the other staff (nurse managers, etc) from other floors and I seemed to get a very good feeling from those people. They all seemed pretty content and happy for the most part. I don't know if this helped as I personally have not worked there, but I hope it may shed some light... Have a great afternoon!

I have just finished my LPN schooling as of this past Monday. I was offered a position with a local hospital and they can hire you. However, I am not able to sign up or complete orientation until I have my letter that states I am eligible to sit for the boards. After that time, I can do orientation, etc and work as an "LPN applicant" for xx number of days (I'm not sure of the exact number) while I am waiting to take my exam. I haven't gotten all of the details yet, but I will have more this afternoon. I hope this information helps answer your question. I can try and answer anything else you may have....

Hi Brynn-I'm not really familiar with the RN program at MCI. I am doing their LPN program in Newport News. All I truly know is that it is a super accelerated program, hence the 15 months. I'm sorry I don't have much info for you on that front though.... Have a good one!!! ~austeph

Thanks for your input! I have always heard good things about the school, I was just needing some help in making my decision so that I know what pre-req classes that I needed to fulfill. Each program I've looked into requires the same amount of classes, however, not all of them are identical with each program. Congrats on applying to school! I am currently enrolled at Medical Careers Institute. I am doing the evening session for PN. We will be finished at the end of July-and I cannot wait. This particular program worked well for my schedule with 3 kiddos and a hubby. I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel....To answer your other question, my particular entrance exam was not difficult. I don't know what version Riverside uses. My test was scored immediately so I knew the results once I finished the exam. When are you scheduled to take yours??? Again, thanks for the info. I think I will give them a call and find out some additional details!! Have a great afternoon!!

Hello all! Just curious if anyone had some info on Riverside's RN program?? If not Riverside's, any other suggestions would be great! I am currently in LPN school to graduate in July of this year, and I am looking at some different programs to further my career. I've looked into several programs, but I am having a hard time deciding. Any info would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks for your time! ~austeph

Dara757, I'm glad to hear that things are going well for you..I didn't realize that you had decided to go ahead and take the classes from MCI. I thought you were looking into other programs. Our final exam for this mod is on Monday as well. I guess I know what we will be doing this weekend-studying!! I have to agree with you, sometimes our classes drag on at night. It makes for a long evening. We only get 10-15 min breaks each hour so that's not even enough time to really heat up dinner and eat it! Good luck on Monday night-I hope you do well!!! austeph

Everything is going well with classes right now. Thanks so much for asking!We're getting ready to finish up another term so it's nice to know we're another step closer to finishing, but at the same time, that's when it gets hectic!!! I have not heard anything else about the RN program lately. They're actually on a different floor than we are. The first evening program I think graduates in June. If I hear anything new, I will be sure to let anyone who is interested know. Are you taking classes from medical Careers???? I couldn't remember right off the top of my head if you were.... Hope you had a nice holiday!!!

You're most definitely welcome! If I'm not mistaken, I think you do get your scrubs at orientation. I know they fit you for them. If not at orientation, then you will get them on your first night. Let me know how it goes!!!

You should be fine without the papers. As long as you're getting them filled out by your doctor, just turn them in when they are due. They should tell you all that info at your orientation. For me, orientation was very informative. Alot of your questions should be answered then, but if you still have questions afterwards, I'd be happy to try and help. Enjoy it! It's the beginning of a very exciting adventure!!!

Yes, you are right. The LPN program has their accreditation. They've had it for many years...The RN program is new and they just had their first class begin in Feb of this year..however, the LPN program has excellent pass rates for the NCLEX..:)

Nooo,you're not driving me crazy!! I know what it's like to be in your shoes. I understand your reasoning for the LPN choice. That's pretty much the same reason I chose this route too, besides it worked best for my family, too. I figured I could start working and then go into the LPN/RN bridge program somewhere when I was ready. I personally didn't have to take a math pre req, but they should have told you if that's what you have to do. The health stuff: If I'm not mistaken, you just had to have that done by your first clinical session. I think it was term 3, but I wouldn't wait if you don't have to. I'd be more likely to forget about it then. At least you could get your physical and then your shots if you needed them. As far as a refund, I'm not sure. It sounds right, but don't quote me on that. I know you're excited! My best advice, if you want it, is just do it for yourself. Don't worry about others opinions. You can only make the best decision for yourself. The reason I say this is, in my class, we had ALOT of complaining and it really started to bring everyone down, but I did what I felt was right and I think the ones who are left did the same thing. Only nine months left!! I would be happy to help you throughout if you'd like, just let me know!!!