Hey everyone!!  <<<<<<All you Angels out there..........

I wondered if other CA LVN's have been receiving the ads from The College Network and Indiana State University School of Nursing? 

This is the 'new' distance learning program for CA LVN's who are seeking to take the NCLEX exam.  Instead of the 'old' program through Excelsior College that allowed LVN to RN with an ADN degree on completion, this new program is LVN to BSN, and then take the NCLEX.  Interesting I think....this will do 2 things mainly (among others):  Produce higher-trained and educated RN's through distance-education, and give a real challenge to us, and an ability to go to where I have always wanted to be in my education!  Instead of the AA first, then the BSN, this is a bull-your way right through it all.   And, just like the old program, this one also gives LVN's a lot of repect for our profession, and education; and we are taking Bachelor's level classes much faster than if we did four years straight through!  And...there is a 'fast track' in the Nursing Program also, I am interested in that. 

So, I am a student now, again I should say, this will be the third time around the block, once was back to school with a semester and a half of pre-reqs, a 4.0,  then my dad went on Hospice, (I was a Hospice Nurse at the time also), and I took the caretaker role.  Best gift he ever gave me was the glory of seeing my father off the right way, in his home, with his beloved basketball games on...oops!  went off topic there.........the 2nd time around was the Excelsior College route, and took 2 tests, and then my first back surgery tore up my life.  I asked if I could transfer those 2 tests to this program, and they don't transfer nursing classes. :-(

I am loving studying and knowing how this will pay off one day...I could look back say 3 years from now and either have done this, or NOT done it!!  Pain or no pain, I want my RN and CA now wants a Bachelor's out of me too, then ok, I'll take that on.  I am still on my pre-reqs. Just started at the very end of Feb.  Then I enroll in the University.  There are 495 hours of clinicals, just like any other BSN program.  There are then Preceptors that somehow will have me in a Hospital a few hours around work, or maybe they come to my work, I am not sure yet.  The College Network is a really great company.  They have Educators for my calls anytime.  They want to help us through this part of the program.  Then they turn us over after a little Stage II that has a couple transitional classes into the University, then of course after acceptance, it is studying online during regular school semesters, being taught by the same Professor that is teaching the class in Indiana.  There is a board for posting on that is part of the experience and part of being graded.  I will feel much more 'pushed' when that Stage happens, as I have to have work done by a certain time.  This self-study I must say is pretty challenging, a real test of my stamina in one subject.  I really don't like just one, I've never taken just one class before, so I orderded 2 more books, and I'm going to switch around.

Sorry so long, just wondered if anyone out there in CA land is also doing this program, and how it is going.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Shauna  

http://shaunaslifeinpain.blogspot.com