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Thread: My possible nursing pathway, any thoughts or critiques?

  1. #1
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    My possible nursing pathway, any thoughts or critiques?

    Hello, I am trying to ultimately become an RN in CA, and was wondering if the path I was working for seems feasible or common, or if there are any common problems I am overlooking here. First of all, I'm 26, a former college football player, and already have my B.A. in Anthropology, as well as now working on recertifying my EMT-B. I am looking into going back to school to ultimately become an RN, but there are a few factors to get to that route that I have to consider. First and foremost, since I already have my Bachelor's, I don;t qualify for any grants or free money out there, only loans, and other friends of mine are having trouble getting both government and student loans in this economy. This will especially impact me since I was laid off recently from a lucrative job and will not be able to acquire anything near what I was making for the time I am in school, and which will mess with the expected family contribution from my FAFSA qualifying me for loans. Anyone had this kind of problem as well?

    Secondly, I know that I qualify for an accelerated-BSN from certain schools in CA, but the nursing pre-reqs, almost none of which I have, have to be completed first in most cases, and given the way the CC system is impacted in CA, I won;t be able to get these classes anytime soon (For anyone that doesn;t know, imagine this: I went to try and crash a basic anatomy class, when I got there, there were the lucky 30 that got in, 20 on the official waitlist, and another 50 that were hoping the 20 on the waitlist weren;t going to make it!). The other consideration is even after I get my pre-reqs done, for most schools with nursing I will be put on a wait-list for the RN program specifically, which is typically 1-2 years of academic limbo. The other option is trying to get the RN done at a private college with no required pre-reqs, of which there are few and which charge you out the nose. I went for a preliminary interview with these people, and the total cost of the program was $136K for 3 years! Not even my Bachelor's was that expensive!

    So all those considerations aside, I was planning on taking a part-time, 18 month LVN class in Los Angeles for about $18K while working on the side, preferably as a CNA, which I just got the cert for earlier this month, or even EMT-B, after I finish all the recert paperwork for it. Then after finishing school, while working as an LVN I was planning on trying to go thru the LVN-RN pathway at one of the local colleges. That way after I get my RN (and to some extent even my LVN), I will already have a ton of direct nursing experience that I can use in ultimately acquiring an RN job. Any thoughts, critiques, pitfalls, or otherwise that I may have left out? Please let me know.

  2. #2
    Super Moderator cougarnurse's Avatar
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    Just my 2 cents worth: I did the LPN to RN route. Given the state CA (and the rest of the country) is in, this may be a good thing for you. Working as a CNA is an option: earn and earn. The EMT skills are also a good idea.

    More later....this Cat is a bit tired.

    PS....welcome to the site! I hope to see you around often!

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    Don't expect an easy time getting a job as an LVN in the LA area. Instead look at the LVN license as a stepping stone to admission to an RN program.

  4. #4
    Member SyckRN's Avatar
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    Another thought...

    Quote Originally Posted by cali510 View Post
    Don't expect an easy time getting a job as an LVN in the LA area. Instead look at the LVN license as a stepping stone to admission to an RN program.
    There are several really good 4 year programs (PRIVATE) in CA: St Marys College of California (my daughter goes there for nursing) and Dominican. Now, you are thinking...why start all over? But...the prerequisites take almost two years anyway, so you are looking at four years. Secondly, you are thinking...too expensive. But the little known secret about some of these private schools...they give you about 1/2 the money and you get student loans for the rest. I went private, through an accelerated program, but I still had to fight the CC fight you are talking about for my prerequisites (a BA in Psych did not transfer anything). No such fight at a private college...and nursing students are treated better on average.

    Just my opinion. That's surely an option.
    Steph R. RN, MS

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