School starts in 10 days!

patty89 · Mar 3, 2012

Congrats!! I start my 12 month program in October, I wish it would hurry up and get here already :)

north, LVN · Mar 3, 2012

Congrats to both of you!

I'm 1/2 way through my program now. I'm just entering my 5th week of clinicals. Clinicals seems to be moving by much faster than the classroom portion of the program did. I graduate in only 4 months! CAN'T WAIT!

When your program starts, be prepared to "hit the ground running" as they say. Even at a year long, there is a lot covered in LPN school and it comes at you very fast. Remember that when it's all said and done, LPNs can do nearly everything RNs can do (except for IV and blood draws/transfusions). Point is that you'll learn most of what RNs learn through your program so it's going to be challenging.

I've met several RNs who started as LPNs and they have all told me that LPN school was harder for them than RN school. Some have even said that LPN school was the hardest thing they've done. This is probably the first time you'll be hearing some of the information that you have to learn and there's lots of it. So just have your study habits planned out. You'll need some study time everyday. The time seems to fly by so take care what you bother to write on flash cards. If you don't, you'll spend lots of precious time making flash cards for things that you might not need to worry about...or you'll simply run out of time and never get to use your cards anyway. We typically had 2 test EVERY week for 6 months straight. LPN school is fast and challenging.

It's fun too! Have a good time with it...and good luck!

leenie45 · Mar 3, 2012

Good luck to you! I am in my 5th wk of a 12 month program. Stay organized, (biggest thing) and study, don't fall behind. There is so much to learn in 1 yr, and it's really flying by. I have already had 2 clinicals! Very fast paced. Let us know how you are doing, have fun!

glamazon · Mar 3, 2012

I too am starting a LVN program in the fall I'm so stoked! Im moving to Texas this summer Im from Detroit Ive been a MA for 8 yrs! Im excited for the new change in my life. Good luck

leenie45 · Mar 3, 2012

Super, and good luck to you, you have a little head start, at least with abbrev, etc. It will fly right by, and you'll be posting that you ARE a nurse. A whole location change too, you'll do great, it's very instense, I can't say this enough, but we'll make it.

north, LVN · Mar 4, 2012

Good luck to you! I am in my 5th wk of a 12 month program. Stay organized, (biggest thing) and study, don't fall behind. There is so much to learn in 1 yr, and it's really flying by. I have already had 2 clinicals! Very fast paced. Let us know how you are doing, have fun!

That sounds pretty cool!

The program I'm in does all the didactic classroom lecture portion and lab portion in the first 1/2 of the program then the final 5 months of the program is all clinicals (with the exception of some classroom tests that we still have to take). So for the last 1/2 of the program it feels like we're actually going to work since we go to clinicals several days a week and don't go back to the classroom.

The RN program at the University mixes clinicals and classroom throughout the program; however, I've been told this is because they don't have the CNA requirement. Our LPN program requires students to be CNA before they can enroll in the LPN course. The RN students spend their first few months of clinicals learning CNA skills (toileting, hygiene, measuring I/Os, passing out food trays, etc.). When we hit our clinicals, we started passing out meds on the first day.

I've always wondered how the learning would differ by mixing clinical and classroom time as opposed to having clinicals follow classroom time.

Good luck to you all!

Hope one day to meet some of you on the floor!

P.S. If you haven't already, start giving some serious thought to the shoes you're going to wear for clinicals/work. Shoes can make a HUGE difference in how your day goes. The wrong shoes will have you in pain for several days. Crocks, AnyWear, and Danskos are pretty popular brands I've seen on the floor.

4my5luvs · Mar 4, 2012

I can't believe it is finally here! I am only ten days away from the start of my 12 month LPN program. Had orientation today and I really like some of my classmates. Super stoked for my future! Good luck to anyone else that is getting ready to start or who has already started. Haven't been this excited about anything in a while. Prepared to give it my all and then some! :)

Hey kimkb0429,I also was at oriebtation! some of the classmates seem pretty cool...Im still a bit undecided about others...Im beyond excited and a bit nervous...already starting to have a few issues with the home front...hopefully it gets better for me.

Kimkb0429 · Mar 4, 2012

I am so glad one of my classmates is on here! There is so much good info posted here. So hard to believe we start next week! aaaahhhhh! We really all have to help each other when we can and give good encouragement because I have heard some horror stories about this program! LOL. Sorry to hear you are already running into some problems. Hopefully you can get it worked out so that you can focus on school....it sounds like we are already going to be super stressed for the next 12 months so I hope your family recognizes this is for the best! If there is anything I can do, let me know! See you in a week!!!!!

4my5luvs · Mar 4, 2012

I think I was seated behind u *next to the lady with the cute southern accent...do u have the cool ear piercings?* I too have heard the HORROR stories :uhoh21: and I have faith that things will get better or work its self out for the best at this moment *Im just going through a seperation and Im trying to learn how to transition into being a single mom* THANKS so MUCH for the kind words!

Kimkb0429 · Mar 5, 2012

Yep that was me! Lol. I am sure you will all make it work. One week from today....YAY!

Iridescent Orchid, CNA, LPN · Mar 5, 2012

[color=#2f4f4f]congratulations to you both! the program will be fast-paced, but it is all worth it! i will be finishing up my first semester of a 15-month lpn program this coming may! i have enjoyed every minute of it, even the most stressful parts...turns out, they were some of the funnest and the best learning experiences i could have had! you guys are going to love it. i am in a class of 17, so we are able to really help each other out and have definitely become tightly knitted...we have a motto - "no one in this class is going to be left behind!" - i hope you both will be able to experience some of the same closeness with your fellow nursing classmates...they become family. you see and spend more time with them than you do your very own family! best of luck to you both and enjoy it all, throughout the good times and the bad! :)