carrienoka

That’s how I found out when I got in a couple of years ago. Came here to look for someone else to see if they were sending anything yet. Log in and look at your program, should say you are in the program.

You absolutely are perpetuating the stigma. Many, many people seek help at one point in their life and you could go through their charts and see that they had a major stressor and no supports in place and needed to seek treatment and how about after you look in their chart they are also the exact same person, a nice person. I am in no way saying that people should be dating former patients, in fact that was already addressed in the original post, but I am saying that you are perpetuating the stigma that people with mental health issues are lesser than others and not as desirable as others. Sorry, but you are. If you were talking about a cancer patient and saying this people would be up in arms if you said once you look through their chart you see what landed them there in the first place.

I am 35 and just went back for LPN to RN, graduated in May. I worked more than full time (ft plus 2 per diems) and managed it. For me, I found an overnight job with a lot of downtime and then was able to study at work. You may be able to find a HHA job overnight or a sitter position that would allow you to do some studying. One thing you need to do is just let go of things that do not concern you that other people put on your plate. It may seem like its hard to do, but you have to put yourself first for a period and really structure and be in charge of your time. Anything that someone can do to help you, just let them....don't be making dinner for a spouse etc, it is time for them to step up. I don't have a lot of outside obligations, so it was easy for me to just focus on myself. But, start your prereqs because time will pass anyways. While you do that try to get into a position like I mentioned where you are able to be paid and get some studying done. Also figure out what works for you in terms of studying and how you learn while you take them. For me, I stayed away from study groups even though I think others thought I never studied because I don't learn best in a group. I rewrote my notes, organized information in a way that made sense to me and tbh didn't have to spend a lot of time studying because I knew what worked for me. I probably was way less close than everyone else in our class, but oh well. It is totally do-able. Somehow I managed to be the class valedictorian! You can do it, don't let your age or needing to work stop you! If you have to, find a part time program. Most people in my class were working full time.

You specifically say nothing against mental illness and then go on to specifically say something about mental illness.

I am not discussing the fact that you said don't date a patient from a ward, my issue is with you talking about humans like this. Sorry, I feel sorry that you work in this field and that is the way that you feel about your patients that you would talk about them in this way. You should be helping to end the stigma, not perpetuating it.

Disgusting coming from a mental health professional to talk about people in this manner.

Disgusting coming from a mental health professional to talk about people in this manner.

Disgusting coming from a mental health professional to talk about people in this manner.

That is what I am saying, I am saying it is unnecessary for all of the negative things that have been said about being seen for mental health issues, that the only thing that was appropriate was the fact that someone said it can be a vulnerable population. Let me point out what I am talking about : " Is this real? You want to date a guy you met as a patient in a mental hospital? Hey good luck but when he starts displaying all the reasons that got him placed in mental health treatment you sure as heck can't say you weren't warned " or "It's not so much that he's a patient, but that you met him in a psych hospital. Nothing against mental illness, however, this isnt the case where you met a guy, and then discovered he had a mental illness. I work in a psych facility and the patients there are really nice people of course that is until you read their chart and then it's apparent why they are getting treatment in the first place. You will ultimately do what you want but please try to get to know this person first. " THAT IS WHAT I AM HAVING AN ISSUE WITH and despite that not being what the question is about I find it terrible that medical professionals are saying this about those with mental health issues....no matter the forum it just perpetuates the stigma, so I felt the need to point it out.

I worked full time while in LPN school and LPN to RN. You wont have a life, but that's ok. To be fair, while I was in LPN school I stayed with my sister, but mainly because I had a lot of debt and took a pay cut for the career change. It felt mostly like a crash pad as someone above stated. You could always try to find roommates and somewhere cheap. I worked evening shift in a group home where I could study for a bit after the kids were in bed most days. You may be able to find something that allows you to work enough to pay your bills and go to school.

I am really disgusted with how more than one person has brought up that the person was in for a psych issue, aside from mentioning this could be a vulnerable population. You should really think about how you are stigmatizing people as a medical professional. So people with mental health issues are not good people, they are not worthy of relationships or love? That honestly has not much to do with the issue at hand, it is just a dig at those who have mental health issues. None of your spouses have ever been depressed? That is lucky. Think about how you are perpetuating the stigma of mental illness which can and does happen to anyone, next could be you or your loved one.

I have been with the VA for 3 years and I am a GS6, highest for my position. I have never seen a GS7 LPN posting around here. Maybe they don't leave haha!

Agreed. I made $86,000 last year as an LPN and over $90K the year before. My base before differential is 56K, plus differential ranging from 10%-35% and the occasional OT or per diem shift elsewhere (all things my RN friends are doing as well). It depends on where you live and what you are doing. My sister is an LPN as well and makes over $100K a year. Come to Massachusetts....they literally will beg you to work everywhere...seriously I get calls all day!

I am currently an LPN, but my first 2 jobs fresh out of school were community based. One for a group home for individuals with brain injury and the other in a Crisis Stabilization Unit run by a non-profit. Both of these places also hire RNs. Just keep searching for jobs that you may like. Mental Health isn't desirable for a lot of people so you will certainly find something! Substance abuse is huge right now, perhaps you can find a detox or something where it isn't overwhelming because everyone is there for the same couple of things. I am in an RN program now and even though I have been an LPN for 5 years and have worked in a variety of places I still dread clinical! Good Luck!

For evening LPN to RN Spring 2017 is what I meant.