What was your first impression of being an lvn?

[pumpkin1984]

When you finished the program were you excited? Did you wish you had went straight to rn or were you happy with lvn? Was it a great learning step or was it a step you could have skipped? What did you go through when you first started working as a lvn?

[treezuh_lvn]

When I first finished the LVN program my thoughts were more nervous and anxious to take the NCLEX-VN rather than excited I've finished this milestone in my life. I'm happy I decided to to the LVN course because friends of mine who thought that LVN school would be not worth the time and money are still waiting to get into the RN programs. I on the other hand have the opportunity to apply to LVN to ASN programs where the applicant pool (though also many) give me a better chance to finish my RN sooner. I learned a lot from LVN school, especially in the clinical setting. I never worked a day in my life in the medical field so to have that experience to learn from was invaluable. Actually they just granted me my license (hoping it comes this week). I saw my name via online license verification through the BVNPT. I'm deciding whether to work registy, LTC or at the VA hospital.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I was also anxious about taking NCLEX, and placed my total focus on passing it, because as far as I was concerned, graduation was just a ceremony, but it was not the passage to working at what I studied for, passing NCLEX was.

I have had people approach me immediately and say "When are you becoming an RN?" and my feeling was that I just completed school, and want to soak in this experience here (I don't plan to go RN, anyhow). I've had people say all the time that LPNs are limited, going to be phased out, disregarded and such. Thus far, that has been further from the truth for me, however, I do wonder what the outcome of LPNs working in hospitals will eventually be because of Magnet and JCAHO requirements. I am happy with what I do for the most part and am glad that I made this decision to become an LPN.

[Fiona59]

Relieved was the word to describe me. I hated nursing school with a passion I usually reserve for shoe sales.

Up here we can't go from PN to RN without jumping through multiple hurdles, so very few people do that way. I went to school with and know LPNs who hold degrees from other countries or diciplines that do not have enough science based credits to permit entry into the Accelerated BScN programmes.

So relieved that I would never have to sit in a classroom with some of the weirdest people I ever met, apprehensive about writing CPNRE (our national exam) in four months time (we can only write our exam three times a year) and worried about finding a job (it was a different job market back then, new grads basically started out as casuals with really lucky ones finding a part time position, now there are guaranteed full time jobs for a year for new grads)

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Relieved was the word to describe me. I hated nursing school with a passion I usually reserve for shoe sales.

Up here we can't go from PN to RN without jumping through multiple hurdles, so very few people do that way. I went to school with and know LPNs who hold degrees from other countries or diciplines that do not have enough science based credits to permit entry into the Accelerated BScN programmes.

So relieved that I would never have to sit in a classroom with some of the weirdest people I ever met, apprehensive about writing CPNRE (our national exam) in four months time (we can only write our exam three times a year) and worried about finding a job (it was a different job market back then, new grads basically started out as casuals with really lucky ones finding a part time position, now there are guaranteed full time jobs for a year for new grads)

You have illustrated my feelings about nursing school to a 'T'! I hated it with an uncontrollable passion. As you said, the insane classmates, arrogant professors and just the politics to make it to where there is even more politics used to make me want to puke each day. It was weird, because I love learning and continue to read, review and update myself on information, but I will never set foot in another nursing school for as long as a live for a degree. The road to NCLEX made me apprehensive, resentful and just plain angry for some reason.

Being a nurse, I love, the road to it leaves alot to be desired.

[Lexxie, LPN]

On one hand, I was glad to be done with school, to get back to seeing my kids (whom I only saw every Friday & every other w/e for 18 months), to some resemblence of a normal life - well, sorta, as I was 5 months pregnant when I graduated! On the other hand, I was nervous about working at my LTCF. I had been the receptionist for 4 years prior to nursing school and at times it was difficult for everyone involved to see me as a nurse. Plus as I said earlier, I was 5 months pregnant at graduation. I figured that my chances of getting a job elsewhere might be pretty slim.

I recently took on a charge nurse position (which has me pulling my hair out at the moment!) and started a job a few months ago in a new Urgent Care Center. LPNs are not utilized in the major hospital here and there are rare openings in the other 2 hospitals. So I am pursuing my RN via Excelsior College for more opportunities. My long term goal is to become a travel nurse. At the rate I'm going tho, it's definitely gonna be a LONG while!!!