RN Student fr CA - Clinical hours required for LVN Boards?

[msjennymarie]

Hi all!

I'm an RN student from California and unfortunately just recently failed my 3rd (Med-surg/Psych portion) semester of nursing school.

I was able to finish and pass the required 54 theory hrs of pharmacology that the LPN boards is asking for, as well as the OB/Peds portion of my program.

However, I was told by my nursing director that the LPN boards requires a certain amount of clinical hours from nursing school to apply for the boards, but since I failed my Med-surg/Psych portion she cannot give me any credit for the clinical hours I spent in my third semester.

So does anyone know exactly how many nursing school clinical hrs the CA LVN boards requires before I register and apply to take the exam? I thought I looked everywhere at http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/ or http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/pdf/method3.pdf but couldn't find the information on that.

Also, my nursing director says I can make up for those hrs lost by working as a CNA. If that is the way for me to go, how do I get started on that becoming a CNA first so I can work x amount of hrs, and then challenge the LVN boards?

Thanks everyone!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I don't know how many clinical hours are required to sit for the NCLEX-PN in California.

However, I did complete an LVN program in California back in 2005. In order to graduate successfully from this program, all students had to complete more than 900 hours worth of clinical rotations.

[caliotter3]

Your program's director has essentially told you that she will not be supporting you in your application to take the PN boards although you have finished 50 per cent of your program, the requirement for PN boards. By telling you to become a CNA, she is relegating you to the option of 51 months of paid bedside experience in lieu of her signing your paperwork. You could enter, and complete, an LVN program faster than that. For that matter, you could complete a different RN program in that amount of time. Sorry that your program director is not willing to help you.

[msjennymarie]

Thanks both of you for your reply.

TheCommuter, thank you for ur post with info on completing 900 hrs in the LVN program. I thought that would be correct, however, my program director told me that it could be 1200-1500 hrs required now. Does anyone know if that is true?

Caliotter3, thank you as well. My prog director said she would only sign for the 900 hrs I earned from my first two semesters (but would not sign for the 450 hrs earned from the 3rd semester) and earn the remaining hours needed by working as a CNA to fulfill the PN boards requirement. Is that possible? Because I am willing to do anything possible to get myself back on track and on my way to an RN program.

I'm not sure, but my prog director's information just doesn't sound very legitimate to me, because I have heard from LVN prog grads that 900 hrs was all I needed for the PN boards, and she says I have 900s hrs but that I need 300-600 more? Thanks for your input everyone. I will still contact the boards next week since I cannot find any of this info on their website.

I understand what my options are, such as applying to an LVN program or other RN programs with an advanced standing admission. And I'm also in the process of applying to such programs too, but I think I'd like to also take advantage of challenging the PN boards for now, but by first working as a CNA to earn those hrs needed. I guess I'd prefer to work as a CNA for now, challenge the PN boards if possible, instead of sitting around all day, unemployed and just waiting to see if I get accepted to another LVN or RN prog this year ;]

[rlem5]

Hi,

On the BVNPT home page under the licensing tab, there is a link to an LVN fact sheet. It states the curricular requirements for an LVN are: 1530 hours required, 576 theory hours, 954 clinical hours, including 54 pharmacology hours.

The link is: http://www.bvnpt.ca.gov/Licensing/Licensed_Vocational_Nurses.asp