i've been trying for almost 10 years now ..

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i'd like to share my story and get any and all advice i can.

i'm at the lowest of my low at this point ..

18 years old. start pre-req's for community college RN program. breeze through 'em.

2 years later - take the first RN class - get a D. (had NO clue how much it would take .. lesson learned.)

next semester - decide to go for LPN to ease me into things. graduated with LPN.

go back for LPN to RN Bridge - pass that, the RN psych. course, get a D in Peds. (not again!)

enroll in excelsior. oh boy .. passed all of the exams with no problem. get to the final clinical exam -- of course, "fail." we all know excelsior -- one little thing wrong .. it's over.

sooooooooo down and out by now.

am i not supposed to be an RN?

is this a sign?

should i just stick with my LPN and be happy with that?

got back on my feet recently and enrolled in yet another program. now, the cost of education and working/not working -- impossible in terms of debt. what if i don't pass again? do i really want to go thru yet another program only to fail?

i know i might hear 'you can't think like that!' 'you must keep trying!'

but seriously. you can only hear 'fail.' 'fail.' 'fail.' but so many times before you have to stand back and say ok .. what do i do?

it's so easy to say 'oh come on .. just do it.'

but anyone who's been through nursing school knows .. it's just simply not that easy.

i love nursing. obviously, i really do. i know i know it.

but to go through all of this has been such an experience. i've never in my life had such a time with getting to a goal.

my question is .. what would you do if you were me .. and be honest.

i don't want to hear 'brick walls are what you hit to see how badly you want something.'

i've hit like eight million brick walls .. i should have a severe concussion by now.

thanks for your advice and listening.

love,

laura the (always) LPN ???

p.s. - totally nothing against staying an LPN for the rest of my career. totally fine with it. however, my ultimate goal was to be an RN. more opportunity, more voice, and more financial room to grow. so it's hard to give up on a goal .. but how much more can i take?

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

I don't know how excelcier works. Can you retake the clinicals?

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I would think that a person can retake the clinicals (but am not sure). It is very expensive to do, though...close to $1000, which is nothing to sneeze at for the average LPN salary. I hope that they are allowed to retake...that would be too much money down the drain taking the concept classes and practice exams to just throw away. I wish you the best of luck!

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yes, i can take the clinical portion over again ..

but, no to sound like a total wimp ..

it was such a scarring experience!

i studied for it and practiced for it for almost a year!

i put so much hard work into getting everything right and to be thiiiiiiiiis close to graduating and saying 'nope. sorry .. all that hard work .. you don't pass.' really really really bummed me out .. to go back again ..ughhh.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

(Based on what I have been hearing over time) I think that Excelsior's clinical portion is worse than a traditional school in the sense that the Excelsior professors have no emotional connection to you, therefore, pass or fail people strictly on performance alone. What is particularly annoying is that no matter how you slice it, no one in the real world practices in such regimented fashion.

My true feeling is that anyone determined enough to take a certain path in life will eventually get what they want. I am sorry this has happened, and hope that with all of the material you have studied, that this time entering and completing an RN program should be a charm.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

What I see when I read you story is that every time you failed at something, you left the program and started over again somewhere else. That tendency has perhaps made your road longer, harder, and more expensive than it needed to be. Had you stuck with the same program when you got your first "D," you'd probably be an RN by now.

Rather than run away and start over again somewhere else, I suggest giving your current program a 2nd try. It would be the shortest, cheapest route to your goals. Now that you know where your weaknesses are -- and you know what the test is like -- you will be in a better position to pass on your 2nd attempt.

Yes, it will be emotionally stressful -- but so would starting over again somewhere else. At least this way will be quicker and cheaper.

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Wow, you got me thinking about myself. I am 18 years old and I am in a VN ( same as PN) program now. my parents didnt think I was ready for college so I am going to school and living at home. I am making some of the best grades in class, but it is a whole lot different than high school. The only way I can make the grades I do is all I do is homework, if I'm not in class I'm doing homework. I make all A's in all of the classes, even A&P, but then in clinicals the instructor is so hard on me, I am passing by a 0.1, my mom is an RN she says to me all I have to do is figure what im doing wrong so I can find a way to fix it. If you have credit hours you probably shouldnt be too far from becoming an RN, well a heck of a lot closer than I am. If my advice means anything, go back to school give it your ALL and if you do anything less than perfect ask the teacher to explain what you're doing wrong so you can fix it before its too late and you get a D. My instructor grades on improvement, I failed a clinical day, I just found out today and I'm heart broken, but I'm not going to let that stop me, I will do my best tomorrow and the next day(litterally), and you should try to do the same and don't stop, don't let up, if I were in your shoes, I would want someone to say the same thing to me.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

Do it the second time...you will regret it if you don't and always wonder "what if?" if you don't. And for your clinicals, do it as the book, not what you see in practice as an LPN. The NCLEX and clinicals are "ivory tower nursing", not reality. Let us know when you do your clinicals. Hugs.

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.

i am sorry this has happened to you several times.

i will do excelsior college soon so i have no experience with it yet.

it seems that the fastest and cheapest way to become an rn is to stay with excelsior and try to pass the cpne. you can try the cpne up to 3 times (if that's what it takes). you already took all the nursing concepts so staying with ec will save you so much time and money.

i know how it feels to fail. i failed one nursing class and retook it the next semester and did excellent. it was easier for me to take since i took it already. wouldn't you feel the same with cpne? that the second time should be easier?

well, good luck on whatever you decide but i do wish that you give the cpne a second try even a third try if need be. i hope the second time is the charm.

don't give up on your dream! you will reach it eventually even with all this unexpected detours thrown at you.

angel

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.
i would think that a person can retake the clinicals (but am not sure). it is very expensive to do, though...close to $1000, which is nothing to sneeze at for the average lpn salary. i hope that they are allowed to retake...that would be too much money down the drain taking the concept classes and practice exams to just throw away. i wish you the best of luck!

i think it costs $1800 to take the cpne (the "final clinical").

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thank you all for your comments!

yes, the clinical portion (CLEP) for excelsior college is about a billion dollars.

however, i think i'll be perpetually in limbo about this school decision. haha!

again, thanks for all of your input!

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
i think it costs $1800 to take the cpne (the "final clinical").

oh, goodness, even worse than i expected. if i were to go that route, that price would also have to include traveling 4 hours away, hotel, food and the stress factor. my area does not have an excelsior clinical site, the closet is at least 4-5 hours away. sheeh...:banghead:

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