I've been wanting to write a tip post for awhile. Because I've been facing some challenges in my LVN-RN bridge program and I don't want others to go through what I experienced.
There are lots of tips on here for new nursing students, but we LVNs/LPNs are different.
We're different because we have real world work experience. We know how it really is out there.
My program isn't a "true" LVN - RN program. Rather, we're thrown into the 3rd of 4 terms with other traditional RN students who have never worked as a nurse.
One challenge: professors who assume that LVNs take direction from RNs and don't have to use "critical thinking" because as LVNs, they believe we can "pass the buck" to the RN. My instructors keep saying this to me, us. It's not true, I was charge nurse and there was no RN in the facility when I worked the vast majority of the time.
There was certainly no RN on the floor with me.
Anyhow, this post is supposed to be helpful. So I'll stop complaining and get to the lessons I've learned.
Clinical paperwork will take a lot of your time. As a working nurse, I never had to write up 10 pages per day on my patients. At school, we work for 8 hrs then go home to write papers.
The clinical paperwork must be completely filled out with direct book references. It's not enough to know that lisinopril is an ace inhibitor that is used for HTN and should be held if the pt has low BP or low HR. Instead they literally want you to copy from the lab book the exact mechanism of action, know which labs should be drawn on the person taking lisinopril (hello! None in real life) and the side effects-not just dry cough and low BP, but random side effects that aren't common but are listed in the drug book.
Most of my instructors have been great, but some want to feel "smart" and therefore don't like the confident demeanor of LVNs. For example, I have classmates who are in the traditional program that make statements such as, "what is an anticoagulant used for?" Then they are told and they still ask "why is my pt prescribed Coumadin after his valve replacement?" Teachers love these students.
On the contrary, one LVN who works with IV pumps all day at her job told the instructor, "oh, I understand that pump. I just have to press this and that to program it, right?" The instructor immediately bristled because, I guess, we're supposed to be "dumb" and seek the professor for knowledge.
Not all of our instructors are like this. Not even the majority. But my experience with 1 teacher like this has really affected my confidence.
My other tip is to work hard to study for exams. Be prepared to put in lots of hours. I've seen so many LVNs fail out of RN school over testing. Know that the exams are hard. Even though we already know a lot, as LVNs/ LPNs, we aren't used to "school". I was in school just 18 months ago, but still I have to really study to pass my exams. I highly recommend using NCLEX RN questions to augment your "studying". They are working for me.
I would love it if other lvn/LPN-RN students added their tips. I'll add more as I think of them.
