LPN2BSNRN

I looked at the link to this program and the e-line program seems like it is only for military persons only. I couldn't see any reference otherwise.

Hi everyone, I saw an ad on indeed.com for AMTINSTITUTE which asked for people who wanted to be nurses, medical assistants, etc. It confused me because indeed.com is a job posting website. I called AMTINSTITUTE and talked to the "director". He said that they were a satelite location for their school out of Florida. I asked about acreditation and he said they were but couldn't give me the accrediting body. I asked about Finanacial Aid, he said, no FA, but the program was 10 months. Six months theory and 4 months clinicals. No waiting list. Only "requirement" was that you were LPN. I googled the school and there is barely any information on them. He said that once you finish the program, you can sit for NCLEX in Florida and then file for reciprocity in GA. He said they started the school in GA because it was so difficult for LPNs to get into nursing school and that LPNs were tired of doing the same work and not getting paid for it. He did say that they had clinicals at nearby hospital in Fayetteville, GA. I tried to ask more questions, but he just told me to come to an open house this Saturday. I was just wondering if anyone else had heard of this "school". Sounds like a rip off scam..

I noted that it was my school work experience.. not that it was an employer.. I clearly noted that it was my clinicals. I did not indicate that I was employed by the hospital that I was doing my clinicals in. Work Experience does not have to be paid.

When I was a new LPN.. I put my clinical experience under work experience just as if I had worked there.. It worked.. I got a job at an Assisted Living and PRN on Medical Surgical Unit. Try that.. Sometimes they forget that you have experience which you gain in your clinical settings.

Have you tried case management with Insurance Company? The pay is good and you don't have to worry about your clinical skills being up to par. Also, you can do a refersher course regardless of the reason why you have not been in a clinical setting, as long as your License is not expired. There is a company out of Floriday that does them for both LPN and RNS. It is called Kane Education, look them up on line. They hold two to three classes in different states. It is worth a try.

It all depends on your experience and how long you have been an LPN. I have been an LPN for 16 yrs but recently worked 8 years for Managed Care (Health Insurance Company) at which I was doing Utilization Reveiw and then I applied for position at a hospital doing UR and they took all my years of experience as an LPN into consideration and offered me $12,000 per year more. So I don't know if there is a "fair" salary.. I thought my previous pay of $26.26/hr was great and now I am on cloud nine. So just go for what you want and don't leave your current job if it isn't, but sometimes, you have to consider more than just pay. In my case, I came out on top both ways, because I wanted to get out of working for insurance company, I was totally ready. Good luck with your job hunt.

I work for United Healthcare currently and work from home, I am LPN however, and I was chosen for WAH (work at home in 2010) after 6 years.. I work in utilization review. Most companies do not allow WAH immediately, it is based on productivity in most cases, because there are costs associated with setting someone up to work from home. Also, they require you to sign an agreement that includes, that you have a separate area (room) that can be locked to protect PHI and that you are free from distractions, etc. As most of the jobs are based on metrics, and insurance companies work on state required turn around times, you have to be prepared for as stressful of an environment as the hospital. Everyone always thinks just because you work from home, you have time to talk on the phone or visit if they drop by.. you cannot do this, you are monitored by supervisor by system that knows when you are away from your desk, etc. Just find out all the particulars of the position before agreeing, and if you are okay with it, then it can be beneficial, especially regarding clothing and gas. In most cases, you do have to go into the office occasionally (one or two times/month) for meeting and training. Good Luck with it.

Exactly, after you have clepped all your general ed courses.

LunahRN Yes, I am aware that Excelsior warns against this, however, I am an adult and can make informed decisions. I know they are a Test Prep company. The Study Guides are "test prep" too. It is just another form of prepping for the tests, as is a guide from Clep or EC. The format seems like it may be more helpful than just trying to study for the tests from a study guide. Their format is somewhat different in that they provide Virtual classrooms, which may provide an additional dimension to the information that is being studied. Of course Excelsior warns against test prep companies, it is more money in their pocket if they have you enroll into their program; however, you don't have to enroll to clep the general education courses, so using assisting with prepping for a test and getting the credit for it without taking the course, appeals to some people. It is my understanding that the classes they provide are geared towards passing the Exam or clep test, which is the ultimate goal. Additionally, if one does thorough research and asks a lot of questions (make a list before hand); compare what they "advertise" to what they say and do not sign any binding long term contracts, there should be no reason why using them would not help someone achieve their goals. I am pursing a BSN program and need to take Spanish and they provide a 8 week class for Spanish 1 and 2 which prepares you to take the clep for the and get 6 or more credits. If I can do this and get into the program a year earlier, you bet I am going to give it a try.

Hi, I am looking into Achieve at this time. How is it going for you guys? What States are you in? I am in GA. I am concerned about the need for additional clinical hours that GA requires after you complete Excelsior. Did you sign up for the entire program or just one class at a time? I need A&P1, A&P2, Micro and the 8 nursing courses and then the FCCA, their "mock CPNE" and then the real "CPNE" through Exclesior. I am very anxious about this because I got mixed up with TCN and found out that the LPN to BSN through Indiana State requires that you find your own preceptor and that once you clep out of the modules, that you have to apply to ISUs online classes which is another $30k or more. I don't work in a clinical setting currently and trying to set up a preceptorship while doing ISU BSN program would be an issue. Also, can't get any financial aid for online classes at ISU if you are out of state. So I currently am taking pre-reqs at Brenau University hoping to get into their PT BSN program which is 2 nights/week and every other weekend, but that seems millions of years away.. I am hoping against hope that I can do Excelsior through Achieve and get my RN.

I am so glad this thread was started. Knowing that there are others out there who going through the same thing, really keeps me encouraged that I am doing the right thing (as far as pursing this dream at 57). I want everyone to know, that I am pulling for each and every one of you.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 Did you take Kaplan, Teas or Hesi? What about foreign language? I have to take 2 Semesters of Foreign Language and we are required to take Kaplan entrance exam. Haven't taken it yet. I have these courses left: Chemistry, Anthropology, Statistics, Pathophysiology, Art Appreciation, Abnormal Psych, Literature and Spanish 1 and 2 (going to try to clep it); so if can clep it, will push my entrance date up to 2015. When someone asks me my age, I ask them to guess and they always guess younger, anywhere from 5-10 years younger, so age doesn't matter, it is you have the will and tenacity to take on a challenge and give it your all is what matters. It is this type of person that is the most successful in the long run. I know there are those people who seem to breeze through situations, such as nursing school while others who want it as badly have to keep fighting for it. Both end up in the same place. The most important thing is not to let someone else determine your path in life, because they aren't the ones that have to live with your decisons, you do.

Heck yeah, I am going to get my RN license plate when I become an RN.. It is an acknowledgement to myself and the world that "I did it"!!.. I don't care what other people think. I am an LPN and I wouldn't feel right putting a tag that would make others think I was a Registered Nurse on my car but when I do earn that title.. it will be displayed with pride and dignity. Maybe the LPN displaying the tag in question doesn't own that car. Maybe it is her mother's car who is an RN.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 Loved your post.. appreciate that you are an older student in BSN program too. When will you graduate?

I too am an older student at 57 and will be 62 when I graduate from Nursing School (BSN program). I went to LPN school first and have been an LPN for 15 years. I wanted to go back for RN for many years but since I have to work full time, I wasn't able to because the programs were full time, day time. This year, thanks to allnurses.com, I found out about Brenau University in GA which has a PT BSN program and I started back. I have several pre-reqs to take, the Kaplan nursing entrance exam. I have applied already to the nursing program and they keep your application on file and when you plan to take the pre-reqs and you update it if you have to make a change in your plan. When you have completed your pre-reqs and Kaplan, then they look at your overall GPA and A&P, Chemistry, Eng 102 and Micro GPA along with Kaplan score and consider you for the program which starts in January of every year. They decide in December after Fall grades have been submitted. So if you do more classes than you planned to, you can update your application and be considered sooner. So far I have taken Human Growth and Develpment and am scheduled for Abnormal Psychology and Art Appreciation in Fall. Even though I am an LPN, it is not a bridge program so it will take me 3 years to do the complete the program once I start. I don't know if being an LPN first in an BSN program would help you get in. I guess it depends on the school. My school doesn't take any of that into consideration, it is all based on numbers (GPA/Kaplan Score). It could help as far as having the clinical experience but there are a lot of people who go to nursing school right out of high school with no medical background whatsover and graduate. Nursing classes do not transfer. If you do go for LPN then doing an LPN to RN bridge program would be the quickest way to get your RN and you are not repeating that first year of nursing classes and if you want to go on to BSN then you can do an online RN to BSN program. As far as age, I am so glad you started this thread because there are times, I ask myself am I too old to do this but I say why not. As far as bedside nursing, there are positoins in doctor's offices and health insurance companies where it is less stressful than hospital nursing. I currently work for commericial insurance company doing prior auth reviews and I want my RN so I will be able to move to other positions that require an RN. I suggest not taking more classes than you can handle and take all your pre-reqs and then apply to the nursing program. Your GPA is important in getting into the program, and taking too many classes at one time jeopardizes your obtaining the highest GPA you can to get in. Once you get in to the program, your classes will follow the program and if you only have nursing classes to focus on, you will won't be as stressed (didn't say not stressed, because nursing school is stressful) but you have to do whatever you can to lessen this stress and only taking our nursing courses while in the program can help. Sometimes I get excited about moving forward and start thinking about doing more classes, but I have to slap myself and say, no what are you thinking.. you work 40 hrs/week and only have afterwork and weekends to do class work and the classes I am taking are 7 week classes which are faster paced. Hope some of this helps you in your endeavor to pursue your goal of becoming a nurse.