LVN Program: Is Nursing the Right Choice for You?

As long as you can remember, have you always wanted to be a nurse, but it never happened? Whether you have just graduated from high school, have been working at a job you don’t love or simply want a change, it is never too late. If you are a person who has compassion, patience, and loves to take care of people, you already have what it takes to become an amazing nurse.

There are plenty of reasons why people say they either didn’t go back to school or were afraid to begin in the first place. It is expensive, takes a lot of time, and there is no promise of a job. These reasons for not enrolling in an LVN program is just fear talking. Nothing is holding you back from becoming an LVN except yourself! Nurses are among the most important people in the world because of their contributions to healthcare. Still wondering if an LVN program is right for you? This may help answer your questions.

 

What are my duties as an LVN?

A Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) has various duties that are extremely essential to the successful care of a patient. The LVN works under the direction of a registered nurse and/or doctor to provide care such as the following:

• Provide basic nursing care
• Administer medications
• Run health assessments
• Document signs and symptoms
• Carry out therapeutic and rehabilitative measures

 

How likely am I to pass an LVN Program?

Have academics never been a real priority for you? If you are worried you may not be able to graduate from the LVN program, take a look at these statistics.

• CA Quarter Pass Rate for 1st-time Program Candidates during Quarter 4 – 2016 was 70%. CA Average Annual Pass Rate for 1st-time Program Candidates for Quarter 4– 2016 was 74%. CA Pass Rates Link.
• National Quarter Pass Rate for 1st-time Program Candidates during Quarter 4 – 2016 was 80%. National Average Annual Pass Rate for 1st-time Program Candidates for Quarter 4 – 2016 was 84%.

More than 3 out of 4 students successfully complete the program! Don’t let your passion to become a nurse pass you by because you are worried about the classwork. HDMC cares about its students and does everything to ensure academic support for everyone. On top of all that, the LVN program at HDMC only require you to take the classes needed to be a successful nurse. No general education courses like you’d have to take for a Bachelors’ degree. Here are the courses needed to complete the LVN program.

• Fundamentals of Nursing
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Pharmacology
• Medical-Surgical
• Obstetrics
• Pediatrics
• Clinical in Various Facilities

 

What is the LVN Program time commitment?

One of the largest obstacles for people looking into continuing education is life commitments. As life gets busy, career dreams get put on the back burner. The bills need to be paid, 40 hours of work need to go on the clock, your kids need a provider, and food needs to be put on the table. Now with HDMC’s LVN program, dreams do not have to stay on the back burner. HDMC makes times for its students so they can pursue dreams on their own schedule.

Don’t have the time to go to school for four years to receive a Bachelor’s? HDMC’s LVN programs only require 1,595 hours of class time, which on average takes a little over 1 year to complete.

 

Will I have an LVN job post-graduation?

Worried that you will put all that effort in to get an LVN certificate and not find a job? Luckily, this is very unlikely to be the case. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks Vocational Nursing among the fastest growing occupations over the 2016-2026 decade. Employment is projected to grow 12%, which is much faster than the average job ranking. This is due to the growing aging population and the stagnant nurse population. As of 2016, Vocational Nurses held about 724,500 jobs with the following breakdown:

• Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) 29%
• Hospitals; state, local, and private 20%
• Offices of physicians 12%
• Home healthcare services 11%
• Residential care facilities 8%

Fortunately, nursing has one of the highest post-graduation employment rates due to the high demand for nurses. Healthcare is one of the only occupations that are immune to the state of the economy. Even during the recession, nurses remained unharmed. That’s because no matter what, the world needs nurses because there will always be people who need to be cared for.

With HDMC, it is never too late to pursue your dreams! Contact us today to get started. Our next nursing class begins February 5, 2018. Call 888-633-4362 for an appointment to visit our campus, meet our staff and find out more about the HDMC Vocational Nursing program.