Unitek College LVN program... good or Bad??

Faith2BAnurse · Mar 9, 2008

OOps, I didnt realize my first posting went through, I thought I lost it and had to remember what I wrote all over again, argh. Sorry =)

Thanks for the great info. I was considering this school but I dont know if they have the bridge program in Sacramento Do you know? Thanks

MysticalSeeker · Mar 10, 2008

Thanks for the great info. I was considering this school but I dont know if they have the bridge program in Sacramento Do you know? Thanks

You're welcome :specs:

As of right now, the only campus that has the Bridge program is the Fremont campus. I know that wont be that way for long, but it takes X amount of months for the Board of Registered Nurses to give an 'interim' application for accreditation. I figure within the next year, the Bridge program will expand.

I do know, however, that Western Career College has a bridge program for RN in Sacramento, which actually isnt that bad. I wouldnt go to WCC for LVN, but I have heard good things about the Sacramento RN campus.

But if you do go to Unitek Sac, you will still get a "guarantee" slot in the Unitek RN program. So thats good.

Hope this helps!

Faith2BAnurse · Mar 10, 2008

You're welcome
As of right now, the only campus that has the Bridge program is the Fremont campus. I know that wont be that way for long, but it takes X amount of months for the Board of Registered Nurses to give an 'interim' application for accreditation. I figure within the next year, the Bridge program will expand.
I do know, however, that Western Career College has a bridge program for RN in Sacramento, which actually isnt that bad. I wouldnt go to WCC for LVN, but I have heard good things about the Sacramento RN campus.
But if you do go to Unitek Sac, you will still get a "guarantee" slot in the Unitek RN program. So thats good.
Hope this helps!

If I do decide to go to Unitek in Sac I can go to any RN program after that? And are you saying that the Unitek in Sac may have the brige program in 1 year or so? Why did you choose Unitek? What is the LVN daily schedule like. I have four kids and I am hoping to be in school when they are in school. Do you feel like you got a quality education like going to any other JC or University? I really want to work in Labor and Delivery and I hear LVN dont usually work there so I really want to become an RN. Thank you for any advice that you have.

MysticalSeeker · Mar 10, 2008

If I do decide to go to Unitek in Sac I can go to any RN program after that? And are you saying that the Unitek in Sac may have the brige program in 1 year or so? Why did you choose Unitek? What is the LVN daily schedule like. I have four kids and I am hoping to be in school when they are in school. Do you feel like you got a quality education like going to any other JC or University? I really want to work in Labor and Delivery and I hear LVN dont usually work there so I really want to become an RN. Thank you for any advice that you have.

Any graduate of a Unitek LVN program has a "slot" in their Bridge RN program. However, you have to be able to get the loans to pay for it. But as long as you can get that, they wont turn you down for a non-Unitek grad. But, no you cant go into any other programs RN program. Well, I mean sure you can but you have to apply and make all the requirements and such. Its just with Unitek, they will always hold a spot for you in the RN program when you are a graduate of their LVN program.

And another awesome thing Unitek has done....if you have graduated from their LVN program, you dont need to worry about the various prereqs needed for the RN program [its an A.S degree program]. For Unitek LVN grads, the school puts you through an intensive prereq period, so you dont have to waste years going to community colleges for the courses needed.

And I cant give you the exact answer of when Sac will get the RN program, I really dont know. But the Fremont campus' RN Bridge is in their 2nd class, and the interest is very high. Like I said, all that it takes now is the accreditation process. And that is a government bureaucratic thing, like I said I would be surprised if within a year the Sac or even the SF or Santa Clara campus doesnt get an RN Program.

Why did I choose Unitek? Well for years I lived 2 blocks away, so I always saw it. But it wasnt until after I moved out of Fremont and into Livermore that I even thought of going into nursing. I mean, I had been trying for years to get into a nursing program but because they are all lottery-based in colleges, I spent 4 years going nowhere. A friend of mine, was also interested, so we began looking into programs. It basically boiled down to Unitek or Western Career.....I was NOT impressed with WCC when I visited the San Leandro campus. Maybe the Sacramento campus is different....but I didnt like the vibe I got. And I especially didnt like it when they said "We arent worried about who passes the NCLEX, we dont even record the scores of our grads." That, to me, was a major red flag because without passing the NCLEX, you cant become a LVN, all you are is a GVN and that gets you nowhere.

The guy from WCC just wouldnt answer any questions at all, he was very evasive, wouldnt even let me tour the place. I couldnt even find out where they went for clinicals. And it was 10-12k more expensive and 4 months longer than Unitek.

So when I went to Unitek, I really liked my academic advisor (Mark), he was very informative and upfront and he answered as many questions as he could.

Unitek's LVN program is basically 8 am - 4 pm on the Theory Days. And they are strict on their attendance and punctuality....if you are tardy, you get marked and if you get 3 tardies that equals one half day absence....And if you get 5 days absence, you are put on probation, and 6 days you cant graduate. Why? Because LVN is based on hours, and you cant get certificated if you dont have the minimum hours. And I was a very tardy person before this program, and they kicked my butt into shape let me tell you.

On Clinicals, the time varies, but it is anywhere from 6-8 hour days or evenings. I have had clinicals beginning at 6:30 am, 7:00 am, and 2:30 pm. You get a schedule in advance of which clinical site and the time, so you can know where you are going ahead of time.

You cant do UNitek without a good support system. Why? Because nursing school, no matter where you go, is a full-time job. And for us women who have children, it is VERY tough. So you have to have someone, or a group of someones to rely on to help you because it comes down to choosing between studying and doing the dishes on somenights. Its a sacrifice, but let me tell you the 11 months goes by so fast, and it is SO worth it.

I went to UC Berkeley, so I can say that Unitek is a very good quality education. A lot of it depends on your instructors. I have had some excellent top=notch stellar instructors, and I have had bottom of the barrel-no-way-can-they-be-nurses instructors too. You take the good with the bad and you realize that your education is only as good as you make it, you only learn as much as you are willing to learn. So you can walk away in 11 months knowing nothing (and many of my classmates are like this) or you can walk away with a head full of knowledge.

The theory days, got to be boring. But only because Im not one to like to sit down and have someone lecture at me. What I loved was the clinicals. That was my favorite. Being able to have direct one-on-one patient care experiences was great. Some of the clinical sites were wonderful, and others were a waste of time. Again, life is a crap shoot and maybe the clinical site that was a waste of time was my fault, and in fact it probably was. In an 11 month program, you have to take the rope by reins.

Lots of LVNs and lots of my classmates want to work in L/D. I never did. I want to work in Trauma/Emergency medicine.

Are LVNs employed in L/D. It totally depends on where you live. In Southern California, LVNs make an integral part of L/D nurses. In Northern California, not so much......The RNs have a tight grip on L/D up here, and they have made it very difficult for LVNs to be L/D nurses. So are you going to be able to graduate and work in L/D, no.

When you graduate, you are green. You have no acute-care experience outside your clinical....you wont get into hospitals. So you get hired in a long-term care or SNF and work there for 6 months, and then you can make the leap into acute-care. And thats how it should be. Because acute care hospital is rather scary, and I dont think I would want any fresh grad LVN to work there without having a good solid background in long-term care first. Gotta pay your dues.

One of my instructors told us "Never let them say you cant be a nurse because you are an LVN." And thats true. I have a friend who works in L/D and is an LVN. So it does happen. She has been a LVN for 7 years and working in L/D for the last 3.5. She forged ahead and made the L/D nurse manager see that she was as qualified, if not more so than the average RN.

I think its going to get to a point where even RNs wont be working in L/D in California because of the malpractice, and many hospitals are starting to require a "L/D technologist" program, so healthcare is ever-changing and always upping the ante for requirements for any given speciality.

And you know, the reason why I went to LVN school was because I wanted to be an RN. I never wanted to be an LVN. But its damn near impossible to become an RN because of the lotteries....So you become an LVN, pay your dues and then enter into a Bridge program. So I know that my dream job of working in a Level I trauma center will come true, but I will no doubt that to wait until Im a RN. So in the meantime, I am waiting to take the NCLEX (Cant work as an LVN until you pass the NCLEX) and once I pass I will get a job and just soak in as much knowledge as I can so when i become an RN, I will be that much better.

My goal is to provide the highest level of patient care possible and to be a patient advocate. I know it sounds sappy, but I really believe that is what nursing is about. Its not about the money, because they dont pay nurses enough to deal with what we have to deal with or to do what we have to do. its about the heart, the passion and the soul. I think one of the greatest gifts to give someone is to hold their hand and stand next to them while they are dying, to be the one to comfort those who arent being comforted physically. Call me a hopeless do-gooder.

If you want to, email me and I can be a support and a cheer-leader to you or I can answer any more questions you may have.

Faith2BAnurse · Mar 10, 2008

Any graduate of a Unitek LVN program has a "slot" in their Bridge RN program. However, you have to be able to get the loans to pay for it. But as long as you can get that, they wont turn you down for a non-Unitek grad. But, no you cant go into any other programs RN program. Well, I mean sure you can but you have to apply and make all the requirements and such. Its just with Unitek, they will always hold a spot for you in the RN program when you are a graduate of their LVN program.
And another awesome thing Unitek has done....if you have graduated from their LVN program, you dont need to worry about the various prereqs needed for the RN program [its an A.S degree program]. For Unitek LVN grads, the school puts you through an intensive prereq period, so you dont have to waste years going to community colleges for the courses needed.
And I cant give you the exact answer of when Sac will get the RN program, I really dont know. But the Fremont campus' RN Bridge is in their 2nd class, and the interest is very high. Like I said, all that it takes now is the accreditation process. And that is a government bureaucratic thing, like I said I would be surprised if within a year the Sac or even the SF or Santa Clara campus doesnt get an RN Program.
Why did I choose Unitek? Well for years I lived 2 blocks away, so I always saw it. But it wasnt until after I moved out of Fremont and into Livermore that I even thought of going into nursing. I mean, I had been trying for years to get into a nursing program but because they are all lottery-based in colleges, I spent 4 years going nowhere. A friend of mine, was also interested, so we began looking into programs. It basically boiled down to Unitek or Western Career.....I was NOT impressed with WCC when I visited the San Leandro campus. Maybe the Sacramento campus is different....but I didnt like the vibe I got. And I especially didnt like it when they said "We arent worried about who passes the NCLEX, we dont even record the scores of our grads." That, to me, was a major red flag because without passing the NCLEX, you cant become a LVN, all you are is a GVN and that gets you nowhere.
The guy from WCC just wouldnt answer any questions at all, he was very evasive, wouldnt even let me tour the place. I couldnt even find out where they went for clinicals. And it was 10-12k more expensive and 4 months longer than Unitek.
So when I went to Unitek, I really liked my academic advisor (Mark), he was very informative and upfront and he answered as many questions as he could.
Unitek's LVN program is basically 8 am - 4 pm on the Theory Days. And they are strict on their attendance and punctuality....if you are tardy, you get marked and if you get 3 tardies that equals one half day absence....And if you get 5 days absence, you are put on probation, and 6 days you cant graduate. Why? Because LVN is based on hours, and you cant get certificated if you dont have the minimum hours. And I was a very tardy person before this program, and they kicked my butt into shape let me tell you.
On Clinicals, the time varies, but it is anywhere from 6-8 hour days or evenings. I have had clinicals beginning at 6:30 am, 7:00 am, and 2:30 pm. You get a schedule in advance of which clinical site and the time, so you can know where you are going ahead of time.
You cant do UNitek without a good support system. Why? Because nursing school, no matter where you go, is a full-time job. And for us women who have children, it is VERY tough. So you have to have someone, or a group of someones to rely on to help you because it comes down to choosing between studying and doing the dishes on somenights. Its a sacrifice, but let me tell you the 11 months goes by so fast, and it is SO worth it.
I went to UC Berkeley, so I can say that Unitek is a very good quality education. A lot of it depends on your instructors. I have had some excellent top=notch stellar instructors, and I have had bottom of the barrel-no-way-can-they-be-nurses instructors too. You take the good with the bad and you realize that your education is only as good as you make it, you only learn as much as you are willing to learn. So you can walk away in 11 months knowing nothing (and many of my classmates are like this) or you can walk away with a head full of knowledge.
The theory days, got to be boring. But only because Im not one to like to sit down and have someone lecture at me. What I loved was the clinicals. That was my favorite. Being able to have direct one-on-one patient care experiences was great. Some of the clinical sites were wonderful, and others were a waste of time. Again, life is a crap shoot and maybe the clinical site that was a waste of time was my fault, and in fact it probably was. In an 11 month program, you have to take the rope by reins.
Lots of LVNs and lots of my classmates want to work in L/D. I never did. I want to work in Trauma/Emergency medicine.
Are LVNs employed in L/D. It totally depends on where you live. In Southern California, LVNs make an integral part of L/D nurses. In Northern California, not so much......The RNs have a tight grip on L/D up here, and they have made it very difficult for LVNs to be L/D nurses. So are you going to be able to graduate and work in L/D, no.
When you graduate, you are green. You have no acute-care experience outside your clinical....you wont get into hospitals. So you get hired in a long-term care or SNF and work there for 6 months, and then you can make the leap into acute-care. And thats how it should be. Because acute care hospital is rather scary, and I dont think I would want any fresh grad LVN to work there without having a good solid background in long-term care first. Gotta pay your dues.
One of my instructors told us "Never let them say you cant be a nurse because you are an LVN." And thats true. I have a friend who works in L/D and is an LVN. So it does happen. She has been a LVN for 7 years and working in L/D for the last 3.5. She forged ahead and made the L/D nurse manager see that she was as qualified, if not more so than the average RN.
I think its going to get to a point where even RNs wont be working in L/D in California because of the malpractice, and many hospitals are starting to require a "L/D technologist" program, so healthcare is ever-changing and always upping the ante for requirements for any given speciality.
And you know, the reason why I went to LVN school was because I wanted to be an RN. I never wanted to be an LVN. But its damn near impossible to become an RN because of the lotteries....So you become an LVN, pay your dues and then enter into a Bridge program. So I know that my dream job of working in a Level I trauma center will come true, but I will no doubt that to wait until Im a RN. So in the meantime, I am waiting to take the NCLEX (Cant work as an LVN until you pass the NCLEX) and once I pass I will get a job and just soak in as much knowledge as I can so when i become an RN, I will be that much better.
My goal is to provide the highest level of patient care possible and to be a patient advocate. I know it sounds sappy, but I really believe that is what nursing is about. Its not about the money, because they dont pay nurses enough to deal with what we have to deal with or to do what we have to do. its about the heart, the passion and the soul. I think one of the greatest gifts to give someone is to hold their hand and stand next to them while they are dying, to be the one to comfort those who arent being comforted physically. Call me a hopeless do-gooder.
If you want to, email me and I can be a support and a cheer-leader to you or I can answer any more questions you may have.

Thanks for all the info. It is a hard choice to make on where to go. Are you a mom? I think that is going to be the hardest part not being home when my kids are home. I have always been a stay at home available for all their needs. You said you had a friend that was interested in nursing too. Did you both go to school together. I am asking because my sister wants to go back for nursing too. We thought it would be great to have the same schedule so we could carpool and study together. What are the chances of that with Unitek? Congrats on getting through the program and good luck on the NCLEX. Let me know how that goes, Thanks for the advice.

mesaray · Apr 20, 2008

The latest info 4/2008, the cost of the program is now $38,475. This is for the LVN to RN ADN program. Before admittance, you must pass the TEAS exam at >68%, you then need to enroll into the lvn to RN transition course (3 weeks). At the end of this course you take the ATI Comprehensive Proctored exam, which is basically an exam which tests your LVN skills ability. I am not sure what the passing score is on this? Then if you pass, you move on into the program, if not, then you must retake the class which costs around $3300. Also if you don't pass, then you have to wait until the next batch of LVN's entering into the program, probably a 3-4 month wait. Of course all your pre-requisites need to be completed before you enter the program as well.

ktin_25 · Apr 28, 2008

I graduated from unitek... But it sucks! I don't really recommend going to this school. It's very disorganize.. you learn on your own or through clinicals.

The good about the program is that its fast pace and its easy to get in. They have good clinical facilities... SETON MED is the best... you learn so much from there. The teachers will have set goals for you every level.. so u keep track of what things u could do and learn. They have a good job placement after taking the NCLEX... they will send you job openings and help you write a resume (i still recommend writing your own)..

The bad:

* disorganize

* teachers are not really trained to be teachers... they may be good nurses but giving information to students are pretty weak... they are friendly teachers, but u pretty much learn on your own

* they have a lab that is kept close... the lab kit you get is stupid... you don't really need to use it so it's a complete waste of money

* books don't share the same info... one book will say one thing and the other will give you a different info... not consistent... so when it comes to test... which one do you follow???

* they are currently in transition to have paperless test and do it through comp to get use to the concept of doing test online like NCLEX... sure that's good... but the computers arent ready.. sometimes it just stop in the middle of nowhere... and there is no way for u to continue the test o r restart.. the answer key is wrong... sometimes u do not get the email of your test result... sometimes... u just don't get any network connection...

* test.. both the comp and paper test was written poorly... bad grammar... a lot of misspelled words... confusing... sometimes a section is divided into 3 test.. there's a schedule that shows which test go first.. it wasnt followed so students have studied for the scheduled test but given the second or 3rd... just dumb!!!

* its a tech school but yet a simple good speaker for the comp isn't available... so when u watch videos from the computer all you hear is muffled sounds...

(should I go on)...

* the director of the school comes in to make improvements... different concerns were said... and she promised that they will be taken care of... but no... if u dun follow up.. it will never happen

* they don't really follow their rules... so they give favor to single moms... there are rules about absences... (which wasnt really clarified) but the way it was said.. you get 5 absences for theory and 3 for clinicals... tardiness will count as half absence... the beginning it was followed... towards the end of the program... students will just show up late or leave class without getting penalized for it... unfair for the student who shows up on time and leave when the class ends.... somehow they always excuse single moms... sometimes their kids are sick (understandable)... but u know if it happens like 3-5 times... come on... they gotta make up missed work but they don't...(i guess good for them)

* they don't have a pediatric clinicals... they say they do and they brought us to AGNEWS... it's not peds... its a psych ward... the youngest person there is 14..

there's just so much more... if u have anything to ask me... i'll answer it...

overall... u really need to see if ur ready to deal with all these concerns... i heard that both the RN and LVN program goes through the same crap... i will never get my RN at Unitek... it'll be my last resort.. if the only school left is unitek that's the only time i'll go back...

I did pass my Nclex... i do have a good job working for UCSF... without your own effort it'll be hard to accomplish things

shalamar · May 9, 2008

HI, JANET, just saying hi from fellow santa cruzen.

alltrue · Jul 11, 2008

Oh yeah...... Ktin 25, I agree Unitek "SUCKS!!!!", I wouldn't recommend anyone to go there. Everything want you said here is so true. It's the worse school I ever attended. I withdrawn from that school. The school is so disorganize...you had to learn everything on your own.....got no trained instructors. The director of admission was so rude in the Sacramento campus. Instructors doesn't even repond to your emails. There was an instructor that got "FIRED" because she doesn't know how to teach...Unitek is a "GOLD DIGGER". Unitek think they may be the # 1 for nursing, but they are totally "NOT"...

If anyone who plan to attend Unitek College should ask all the questions and do research about that school before attending. If anyone want to know more about Unitek ask me.........I'll tell you all about that school.

MysticalSeeker · Jul 12, 2008

And the Fremont campus is WOOORRRRSSEEEE. God, the director of nursing there is like a chihuahua, only not cute. Some of the teachers at Fremont are great.........some....and even then, they dont make up for the sheer lack of information the other teachers 'teach' with. If you want to go to a nursing school where the teachers have no clue, this is it.....Or if you want to go to a nursing school where there is blatant favortism, or where the Director of Nursing will bite your head off for breathing, then check Unitek out.

guri · Dec 31, 2008

I have attended both the LVN and LVN to RN programs in the Fremont Branch of Unitek College. I was part of the first batch of students for both of these programs. These programs are accelerated so alot rides on self-study. The teachers are great about letting the students know what to study and the topics to study but the actual studying, sometimes research and memorization is on your own time. That can sound hard but thats the only way to do all that you pay for in the little time you want to do it. This curriculum for both programs is very thorough and they're also very good about instilling hands-on skills in the students. Clinical hours and opportunities are plenty and prepare the students very well. They even allow for resources for the preparation of NCLEX which was great. They focused not only on what they want to teach for their own tests but also help prepare for the NCLEX which is the ultimate test of all. Ivannia was a great bridge between the students and the administration which allowed for students to provide feedback. It is important to know that the 8 months for RN and 11 months for LVN to RN are rigorous and require complete attention.

CalNevaMimi, LPN, LVN · Dec 31, 2008

I start the LVN program in Santa Clara soon. Thank you for a positive post! Unitek is going to be very demanding. It would be a mistake to underestimate what it means to be in an accelerated program. If anyone is considering Unitek, I would suggest that they are up for the challenge and make sure they have an excellent support system at home. I did something similar to get my teaching credential years ago. It was a great fit for me but there were a ton of whiners! There is no time for complaining when you're in a demanding program. That's why it's not for everybody.