MattP

Thanks Tweety, I appreciate your response.

Yeah, I was thinking that would be another perk as well if I could get a hospital to take care of my schooling while I continue on as an RN. That's a way down the road but I'll keep my eyes focused on the long term goal. Thanks for the advice. :)

I thought that was you that was going to Concorde. I didn't want to put you on the spot on the forum or anything though. Were you in class today? You may have seen me. I was taking a tour with one of the Admission Reps. around 8:30 this morning. I was the guy in the black slacks and yellow, long sleeve shirt peeking in the classrooms. That is a really nice school. I wanted to start in August but I am going on a cruise and class starts on the day of the cruise. We have had this cruise planned for three years and my wife would kill me if I backed out. The Admissions Rep said that she thought there would be another class starting in October or a little after, so that is when I will more than likely start. So, how far along are you in your schooling there? Do you enjoy it? I was so excited when I was up there today, I just wanted to walk into the classroom and sit down and start learning. Hey, how was the NET? I took the 12 minute assesment and they said they thought I would do fine but I would be so down on myself if I didn't pass it the first try. The Admissions Rep. told me you can only take the test once a year. I'm sure I'll do fine though. Hopefully I'll see you up there someday soon. :) So long term care is the way to go for LVN huh? Is that what you plan on doing.

This is very true. My brother-in-law works at the same company as I do and he is always talking about how many raises he gets and how much money he makes and all the bonus's and bla, bla, bla........... I guess he doesn't realize it yet, but since I work in accounting, I know how much everyone in the company makes. Salary, hourly, incentives and bonus's. I don't call him out though. If that makes him feel good to inflate his income by 10k a year, then so be it. I know better.

Yeah, I am really excited that they offer night classes. I make decent money with what I am doing right now, I am just not happy. I would go to school during the day and work nights, but I don't think I could find a job that would support me financialy like my current job. Alot of people outside of this forum have told me that I would be treated differently as a LVN and would not like it because I would be bossed around. No matter where you go, you will always have superiors though. That is just something you have to accept. I have seen several LVN's on here that are happy with what they do and don't mind being under an RN. I look at it as a stepping stone and a learning experience. I know there will be a ton of information and experieces obtained while being a LVN that I will take with me as a RN. Thanks for the kind words. :)

I can't remember if it was Trauma - Life in the ER or Untold Stories of Life in the ER but did anyone watch this last night. There was a segment where one of the doctors was removing a bug (cockroach I think) from a pt's ear. He apparantly had a bug-phobia and freaked out, stripped off all of his cloths down to his boxers just to see that everyone was laughing at him. It was hilarious. :rotfl: Love that show. :)

Okay, initially I was looking into the ADN program at TCC, and had even registered for a few of the prereq's. The problem is that my job is not flexible enough that I could effectively attend clinicals while working and I can't afford to work part time either. I just got back (about 10 minutes ago) from Concorde in Arlington and was speaking to them about there LVN program. I haven't taken the NET yet but I took the little 12 minute assessment and they think I will do fine. I would rather just go straight for the RN, as most people recommend, but unfortunately I cannot do that because of financial responsibilities that I must take care of and my wife doesn't make enough to support both of us............not that I would expect her to. At this point, I feel that my only option is using the LVN as a stepping stone. Another exciting thing is that they offer the clinicals during the evening now as well. Typically, the LVN program is roughly 51 weeks but if you take the night classes, it is 18 months so it is a little longer. I would be going Monday and Wednesday, 6PM - 10PM and have two 12 hour shifts every other weekend. I can do it though and I am very excited that I found a way to achieve my goals. I think I have read about a few people on this forum that have attended Concorde and if so, please offer any advise you may have. One of my concerns is that when I do decide to continue on for my RN is trying to find a a bridge program that will accept credits from Concorde. If anyone has any info on this, I would greatly appreciate it. Any advice, suggestions or comments is great appreciated. Matt

Same here. Ultimately, I want to become an RN as well, but along the way, you can become discouraged and feel that the road is winding more than it should. I watch "Untold Stories of the ER" as well. That is a great show. It truly does remind of why you have chosen this career path. My philosophy is that, the first step in succeeding, is believing in yourself.

I have read several posts on here in regards to what people will do while attending nursing school. I really don't want to go through school to be an LPN because ultimately, I'll want to become an RN. But while I'm in Nursing school, I would like to work in a hospital to get experience and have considered volunteering but I can't afford to not work. Does anyone know about any CNA programs and how long they take to complete? Also, what is the typical pay for a CNA in the metroplex are? If you have your CNA, can you use that certification to work in other areas of a Hospital. In advance, thanks for any advice. MattP

I haven't taken any online courses yet. I was wanting to ask someone about them that had taken them first so I'm glad to get info from you and Katy in regards to this. I'll definetley look into those. I am starting my first classes this Summer II semester at SE Campus. This is what I'm taking for Summer II... 07/13/2005-08/18/2005 Lecture 1 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 05:50PM - 07:50PM, SE E Wing Classrooms, Room 1222 The instructor is Essie Ndokwu. Do you know who that is by any chance? BTW - I take it you don't like PE that much? :)

Isn't the NE campus off of Precinct Line? I used to work in the Pro Cuts building just passed the campus. Not for Pro Cuts but for PrimeLending which is a mortgage company. I am not working in our corporate office off of Frankford and Preston in Dallas. I have alot of driving to do.............Not fun at all.

Cool, thanks for the info. Have you attended at each of the campuses? How much do you know about the Southeast campus? You know what, I saw in the handbook that they offer some Internet Courses and ITV courses. Have you taken any of them? How are they?

I live in Mansfield so I will be taking the majority of my classes at the Southeast Campus. It's only about 5 minutes from my house. It'll be tough thought because I work full time in Dallas and average 2 - 3 hours of driving time each day. I'll manage though. In Summer II I'll be taking Intro. to Psychology and in the Fall I am taking A&P I and probably one or two other courses. I have to look at the schedules though and make sure I don't over do it as I want to make sure I can get the grades I need to be accepted. So I am assuming that you you live in the HEB area since you were asking about the NE campus.

Yeah, I'm already registered for some of the pre-reqs. Did you take all of the pre-reqs prior to applying? It also said that you can be awarded additional points for taking some non-accredited courses. (Intro. to Health Professions, Demensional Analysis and Medical Terminology for Nursing) Did you take any of these? Also, did you have to take the TEAS prior to applying? Thanks for the info. :)

I am curious of how time consuming the clinicals can be once you are accepted into their program? I know that a lot of them may be held during the day but I was curious of anyones personal experiences. Also, how long did it take for you to get accepted and with what credentials? In advance, thanks for your replies. MattP