Published Apr 17, 2009
Dani3176
22 Posts
I have 4 months left until I graduate in August from LVN school. Does anyone have advice on how long to wait to take the state exam...I'm scared! lol Some people have said it's not bad but then others have horror stories so any advice at all would be appreciated. I also want to know what the difference is between RN, BSN, ADN and I even saw an online program for AS in nursing!! Can someone please clear this all up? I want to work as an LVN for a couple years while doing some kind of online program to be an RN but I just don't know what to sign up for!
GOMER42
310 Posts
I also want to know what the difference is between RN, BSN, ADN and I even saw an online program for AS in nursing!!
What do you mean- in regards to degree or licensing exams?
All people whether from Associate or Bachelors programs are RN prepared and take the exact same NCLEX-RN.
In regards to degrees: An AS in Nursing (ASN) is the same as an ADN. BSN programs cover more management and community healthcare areas than ASN programs.
And take the exam when you feel confident. Good luck!
sunray12
637 Posts
I'm surprised you did not go over this in school. Check out your state board of nursing website for the legal distinctions between LVN and RN in your state.
Basically
RN - someone who completes a registered nursing program and passes the state licensing exam for registered nurses (nclex rn).
ADN - Associate's degree in nursing. Some people do their registered nursing education as a part of an associate's degree program.
BSN - Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Some people do their rn education as a part of a Bachelor's degree program. In addition many RN's with associate's degrees (or diplomas) in nursing go on to get their BSN through RN to BSN programs.
Quite a few schools have online LPN to RN programs - but for these what you do online is the lecture part of your nursing courses. The clinical parts would be done onsite, in person. You'd also have the option of taking your prereqs online or in person depending on what works for you.
The only completely online RN program I know of is through Excelsior (see the distance learning forum). But this program is not recognized in all states so if it interests you be sure to find out whether or not it's accepted in your state before you look into it.
HTH
stellina615
146 Posts
I took my NCLEX-PN in January and will be taking my NCLEX-RN in the not-too-distant future. I would say take the exam as soon as you possibly can! What I did was planned out my studying in a fashion that was organized by subject. For example, Jan 6th I studied cardiovascular stuff, Jan 7th was renal stuff, Jan 8th was musculoskeletal...you get the idea. Studying this way helped me to map out disease processes and nsg interventions in my mind. After I had gone through systematically that way, then I did NCLEX prep questions in random order to simulate the way the actual test is. I used this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone prepping for the NCLEX (there is a PN and RN version and I love both!) It has content review and questions in the book as well as lots of questions on the CD-ROM, which is basically set up exactly like the NCLEX. You can set up the questions in a variety of modes (quiz, study, exam modes) and focus on the content area you want to work on: http://www.amazon.com/Saunders-Comprehensive-NCLEX-RN%C2%AE-Examination-Nclex-Rn/dp/141603708X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239942368&sr=8-1
One other thing: practice doin NCLEX questions ON THE COMPUTER, because that's what the test is. Try and simulate the test environment as much as you can. Don't have coffee at your computer desk, don't pause to check your email, don't be snacking on food, and don't be texting people. Use the computer's calculator to do med math. The real NCLEX-PN may not take you long (I passed in the minimum amount of questions in 30 minutes), but it's just like training for a race. You push yourself harder than you may actually need to go so that you know you are FULLY CAPABLE of doing great under ANY conditions that may arise! Good luck!
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
Perhaps you should pose your education and licensing questions to your instructors for understandable answers before your graduate. As for taking the NCLEX, you should make your appointment to test after enough time to prepare. It would not be out of line to start preparing now, but not at the expense of finishing your coursework to graduate on time.