Wanna be a nurse when I grow up - prereq ?

[BeckyV71]

Hello All,

My name is Becky and I live in Texas. I've been working in the medical field for many years and feel it is finally the right time to go to nursing school. I am currently reviewing and touring multiple nursing schools in my area before applying for acceptance. With 4 kids I want to make sure that my money goes to the best option for me. My question is - are there any prereq's that I can take online? I've seen many vocational programs where you can recieve your LVN in as little as 13 months but am wondering what kind of prereqs if any need to be met prior to applying. I have contacted multiple schools for information via email and toured 2. The 2 schools I toured didn't require any prereqs which i thought was great, however, the schools appeared very disorganized and after talking to some current and past students of those schools - i'm not really liking what i hear. Does that make sense?

Any help or advice you can give will be greatly appreciated. I just want to make sure that now that i'm ready to do this that I make the best of my time and my money without sacrificing too much of the very necessary family time that is required with 4 kids.

Thank you all again! I look forward to recieving much needed help.

Becky

[Nursing24/7, LVN]

It's really different for each school unfortunately, so you really need to get them to tell you, so you can make sure you take the right prereq courses before you apply for admission. I know some schools take credits from straighterline.com which offers alot of general ed and the "typical" prereq courses online but you should ASK FIRST if the schools you are applying to take transfer credit from straighterline. You also may be eligible to take CLEP & DSST exams for some of your prereqs but again you should ask the schools first if they except CLEP or DSST exams. Also, alot of the community colleges offer general ed courses via online, so try that too. Good luck!

[DFWgal]

The community colleges have several of the pre-reqs online. (I don't know for LVN, but the PSYC classes, Gen Chem, A&P, etc. can be found online) and they look exactly like regular classes in your transcript.

They also have ADN options, like El Centro College (DCCCD). I was told that Brookhaven (also DCCCD) has an ADN with some kind of bridge to apply to UTA for the BSN if it interests you. Much cheaper than a university to get your degree and more sections to better fit your schedule.

Several CC's have similar offers in TX. Maybe you have one of them near you?

Best wishes!

[kirbycruiser]

The way I understand it is that usually there are few if any pre-reqs that need to be completed for LVN/LPN, however you will still need to complete all the pre-reqs that are required of an RN if/when you decide to bridge to that. The LPN license is usually acquired from a technical school/college and is designed to get you to work asap. The program is still very intensive and will require a lot of hard work. I could be wrong, if so someone please correct me.

Most colleges offer online classes, although many nursing pre-reqs require a lot of labs and hands on learning that will be difficult, if not impossible, to complete online. I have completed several online classes but they have been in addition to my on campus classes. I wouldn't count on being able to complete all of your pre-reqs online but you should be able to register for online classes at most colleges. You should contact each college you are interested in attending and see what they offer online. Many have this available on their web sites. Good luck!