St. Cloud Technical College

[Nurse Mars, ADN]

Hello!

I haven't been able to find a thread at all about the Nursing program at St. Cloud Tech so I figured I would start one since I just recently got accepted into their LPN program =)

Anyone else going there in the Fall? Has anyone attended this school before? Any graduates that like this nursing program? Any graduates that have transferred and furthered their career at a RN-BSN program?

I looked up their stats online and it looks like this school has a 96% passing rate for the NCLEX. Although this wasn't my first choice for Nursing school (I wanted to get into a MANE program in the Twin Cities) I did do one year of my pre-reqs here and liked the size of the college and classes. I scored a 78.8 on my teas and have a GPA of 3.45. They do also have an ADN program that you have to apply into once completing all the pre-reqs and LPN program. They also have a transfer agreement with the U of M: Moorhead for the RN-BSN, although online, but you do have to apply separately into this program too I believe. That was one of the big reasons why I hoped to get into a MANE school for the accelerated BSN program and seamless transition. So I will be applying again for Spring 2016 and hope to get an answer by July 15th before my orientation at SCTCC.

Hope this helps and also hope to hear back from any future classmates!

[Nurse Mars, ADN]

Just thought I'd update anyone who is interested in going to this school that I successfully graduated this past May and passed NCLEX on the first try with the minimum amount of questions. Great teachers, great school, and met so many great people. I commuted an hour (through snow and rain) to go to this school and it was all worth it. I even got a scholarship from this school which helped me pay for my textbooks. The college is relatively cheap and living in the area is affordable (I lived up there for 2 years before moving back home to the Twin Cities.) I loved that the health science building was separated so the nursing students had their own building/floor. There's a variety of clinical sights (ER was my favorite) and most were hiring throughout the year. I am glad I went this route, as I am now currently in a MANE RN program in the Twin Cities, and it's super easy with the base knowledge this school has given me. I also work part time as an LPN and was able to get a job 2 months after graduation (one month after passing boards). Hope this helps some of you out there on your nursing journey

[Cnalpn]

As an applicant to the SCTCC LPN program (full time sequence), I'm wondering if you can tell me if it's possible to continue working while in the program? I'm interested in knowing an approximate average of number of hours/week that students work and are able to successfully complete the program. Thanks.

[Nurse Mars, ADN]

Hi! I would like to tell you my own personal story of when I arrived to SCTCC LPN orientation and they recommended to NOT WORK at all during the program. They are adamant and I was confused as to who was going to pay for my schooling and bills. I did not live in St. Cloud at the time and commuted an hour both ways, 3-4 days a week for class/clinical. I worked on weekends as a waitress in the Twin Cities from Friday night-Sunday night. This was about 24 hours a week (depending on if I wanted to work a double or not). The flexibility of my job allowed me time to do homework and study in the day time before shifts (sometimes during if business was slow). I know some students in my class worked full time AND had kids. I commend them for finishing the program with 4.0's. It truly depends on how well you function under stress. My work was my fun place as I got to work with family and bartend/serve while making "easy" money. For me working now as an LPN and going to RN school, it's very stressful on both ends. I had to cut back from working full time as an LPN to 16 hours a week to survive the workload and stress of it all. I think you can do anything that you set your mind to, but also know your limits, have an excellent support system, and don't forget self care for yourself before you can even begin to think about caring for others. The LPN program is hard and I found it much more difficult than my current RN program (although I'm sure the LPN knowledge helps out a bit) My RN program now has a lot more paperwork, group work, clinical work to worry about which is why I cut my hours back significantly right now compared to when I was in LPN school. Good luck to you in school and let me know if you have any more questions regarding SCTCC's program =)