Lilac

I recommend ATI, also.

Thank you for the information, Dave. I'm not sure if that is the route I'm going to take or not yet. I've also been looking into St Elizabeth School of Nursing.

Hi there, Actually, I ended up not taking the TEAS, as the RN program was full with a waiting list, so I applied to the LPN program and got in. If I were you, I would buy the study guide for the TEAS. It's pretty comprehensive. If you are currently a student, you could check with your college to see if there is free tutoring available. Most colleges have it for students. If don't score well on the TEAS, try taking some math and science refresher courses, then take it again. Good Luck! You CAN do it with enough drive. I was bad at math all the way from sixth grade until my senior year, but I persisted in taking math classes, and finally it stared making sense. My sixth grade teacher told me I would NEVER learn algebra. Well, she was wrong. I not only learned it, I passed it with A's.

Hi NewRN09, The letter I received was from Ivy Tech Lafayette. They were going to partner with ISU. My understanding is that you apply certain classes taken at Ivy Tech toward your degree, and you could also take classes online through ISU. I guess I'll have to go into the campus to find out if this was just a program that never took off, or if they implemented it on the Lafayette campus. Thanks anyway

Hi All, I received letter from Ivy Tech this fall introducing their new LPN-BSN program. I was wondering if anyone who is in this program could elaborate. The intro letter was really brief. Also, what do you think of the program? Thanks

Hi Amybeth56, I never did retake the PSB, and I got into nursing school my first try on those scores, so I guess "very good"=good enough to get in, at least where I live. I've since graduated and passed the NCLEX the first try, which I was also certain I had failed.:lol2:I guess it's pretty common to feel that way with the testing. Best wishes on your journey to become a nurse, whatever you decide!

Hi All, I graduated from nursing school last August, and passed NCLEX on my first attempt last November. Due to family issues, I am just now starting to look for an LPN position. I am concerned that the gap may hurt my chances of getting hired. Would it be wise to explain the reason for my delay, or would that induce a prospective employer to think I may bow out on them in the future BECAUSE I took time to handle the issue? I personally believe that this issue is now resolved, and would seek other options if anything similar arose in the future, but I'm not sure how a prospective employer might feel. Has anyone else experienced a gap betwen their training and seeking employment? How did things work out for you? Thank You

Hi There, I am very familiar with the subject of day to night transition, since my husband has worked swing shifts for years, and has to make that transition four to eight months out of the year. Some tips I can share: 1. Prepare your environment: You are probably going to need it near total dark to sleep. Purchase room blackening curtains, or cover your window with aluminum foil. We use a combo of a room blackening liner and heavy velvet drapes to block out light AND muffle noise.Hook and loop fasteners, like Velcro, can help block out any light that may seep from around the curtains. Having a fan or some other sort of "white noise" device to help you notice outside environmental sounds less can help a lot. Keep your room a bit cooler. It helps your body temp drop a bit, which aids in being able to sleep. If you own your own place, it really helps to paint your walls a darker color. I painted our bedroom red, which is dark when the lights are off, yet emits a sense of warmth when the lights are on in the room. I also painted our ceiling gold. Carpet on your floors can help muffle noises. 2. If you have time, start gradually getting used to staying up later at night and sleeping in more during the day. 3. If you choose to use sleep aids, please consult your healthcare practioner for which ones are suitable for you. Be aware that many sleep aids require that you be able to get a certain number of hours of sleep. If you are not able to sleep for that number of hours, you may get a kind of "hangover" from them. 4. It's important to teach other family members about the difficulty of adjusting to nights, and to solicit their help. We have quiet time during dad's peak sleep hours. When my children were little, we would run errands and go on outings during those hours. 5. I really don't recommend trying to switch back around to day time hours on your off days. My husband just sticks to his routine, and I stay up with him as long as I feel comfortable. If he stays up during the day, he makes every effort to get a nap in during the day. 6. Try and simplify your daily routine while you are adjusting to a different shift. My husband limits his social obligations during this time, and we do minimal household maintenance. 7. Limit your exposure to light after your shift. Wear sunglasses if it's possible. Go straight home and perform some daily bedtime rituals that signal to your body it's time to prepare for sleep. Don't eat a heavy meal 8. Be patient, and don't be too hard on yourself. It can take up to three or four months to adjust when you first change shift. If you work swing shifts, the adjustment period usually shortens. My husband usually adjusts within two weeks now. While he is adjusting, he expects to experience higher blood pressure, "the shakes", stomach ache, and headache. We adjust our diet to foods that are easier to digest for a time,and he has discussed with his healthcare practioner which OTC meds he can use to help with the headache and stomach ache. Finally, after you've tried all of these measures and given it some time, if you just can't adjust, don't beat yourself up. Some people just don't have circadian rythms that allow them to work nights. I personally can't. The latest shift I can work is second shift. I accept that now, and work around it. I feel I am more productive by accepting it, and so do my bosses:D Good luck!

Hi There, I used Kaplan NCLEX PN prep. It's entirely online, and I could access it at my convenience 24 hours per day. This was great, because I was working odd shifts in a non nursing position. The practice exams are set up for the different areas of the NCLEX, and there is also a more comprehensive exam format. The questions are very, very similar to those on the NCLEX.It's a bit pricey, but I considered it worth every penny. I was able to identify the areas that I needed to review by using the prep, and I felt comfortable with the NCLEX type questions, after having used that program.

I say I'm an LPN. It's my chosen career. I'm not ashamed of it. I consider myself a nurse, period, but there is a distinction between LPN and RN and that is always everyone's second question, anyway. The third is always "Well, when are you going to become an RN?" I save them the extra effort, tell them I'm an LPN, I love my chosen vocation, and while I will continue my education, I have no desire at this time to pursue RN certfication.

Whoa, you scared me there for a minute:lol2: I just got my pass results yesterday. I've been carrying a copy around in my pocket just to reassure myself I really passed. I thought for sure I'd failed it when I took it. :balloons:By the way CONGRATS:balloons:

Fundamentals first semester and med/surg the last. It gets REALLY hard to keep going by the summer semester. You are in the classroom or on the clinical floor while everyone is out enjoying the summer. A lot of folks want to take time to enjoy the nice weather on the weekend. DON'T DO THAT! Stick with your study schedule, because in a lot of programs, there are more NCLEX type questions added to exams each semester.

Thank you for checking on that for me. I am really leaning toward St E. The only negative I have heard from people so far is that they don't have a summer program unless there are enough students. But that's fine with me-I wouldn't mind taking the summer off to work. I will definitely continue looking into it.

Hi There, I just gave my first injections this week. I must say, I obsessed about this through the entire year, lol. I was afraid I was going to get all the way through school without ever giving one (I have three more weeks to go). We practiced in lab last semester on practice pads. I was all thumbs drawing up the insulin, and felt pretty darn lost.I kept imagining over and over in my head that the same thing was going to happen in clinicals.And I was afraid that injecting a pad would be nothing like injecting a person. Our instructors kept reassuring us all along that things would start to "click" toward the end of the semester. I didn't believe them, because I have absolutely NO background in healthcare. But guess what-I did GREAT when I actually drew up the insulin for my med pass!I had reviewed the night before, and I couldn't believe how calm and confident I was, LOL. I even caught something the instructor had overlooked (the instructor is absolutely AWESOME, but she was subbing for another instructor and was about as familiar with this clinical site as us students are-so it wasn't anything negative against her, just a positive for me for catching it). So, if I can survive it, believe me, you can:) And FYI-if you use practice pads at school instead of humans-they really ARE similar to what the actual injection feels like.

Hi There, I'm not personally aware of any school in Indiana that has a strictly weekend/evening option for ASN.There are BSN courses that have weekend options and online options, but no ASN. I'm going to graduate from the PN program soon, and I just thought I'd warn you that nursing school is INCREDIBLY intensive. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend trying to combine starting a family with attending nursing school.Not if you actually want to enjoy both experiences. Perhaps you could work on your pre-reqs for now, then apply to nursing school later, after your baby is born. I know there are a number of pre-reqs that you could take at Ivy Tech (although none are on the weekend). Or, you could put off having your family for a few years and concentrate on getting through school. THAT is what I would do if I were in your shoes! If I could live my life over again, I would not have combined caring for family with trying to get through nursing school. I would have postponed having children until I was through school.The advantage of waiting to start your family would be twofold-no daycare to worry about, and more time to concentrate on studying. Because believe me, you eat, sleep, and BREATHE nursing when you are in nursing school.There is very little time for anything else. Good luck, whatever you decide:)