Shaunda Granger Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Initial Struggles to Become LPN
I’m 39, divorced, have no kids. It’s just me and my little dog. Originally, I wanted to be a doctor, when I was back in elementary school. As I grew up I don’t know what happened to that dream, but in high school, my mom kind of encouraged me to go to nursing school. So right out of high school I went and enrolled in community college but I didn’t finish. I ended up getting married and college just kinda faded out for me. Later I became a nurses aide and activities director at a nursing home. That gave me the motivation to go back to nursing school. Even before I became an LPN, I knew there would be more opportunities as an RN. So within 6 months of becoming an LPN I started taking classes for my RN.
LPN to RN Early Frustrations
I started out with College Network and Excelsior in May 2014. Unfortunately, I found out that the LPN classes I took from a private college to get my LPN, wouldn’t transfer over. I had to retake everything, which really hurt me. If not for that, I would have already had my RN. I started with Sociology. That was a very difficult course and I couldn’t get any type of assistance. There was so much material to go through and when I did have questions, there was nobody who could really answer them in a way that I could understand enough to move forward in the course. So I never even finished the 1st course.
Starting with Achieve Test Prep
I received a postcard from Achieve Test Prep in the early Spring of 2015. I thought the program looked doable and that it could be the answer to my frustrations. I planned to request further information right away. But life got in the way and over the summer I kept running into that postcard in different places in the house. Finally, I decided not to wait any longer and give them a call. I took Achieve’s 1.5 hr. free virtual class to see if it was a fit for me.
I really liked it because of how we could interact with the instructor. I also liked the structure. I could actually have some type of guidance once a week-with somebody who could say, “This is the material. We’ll review it and then, if you have any questions about anything that you’ve read, before we get to class we’ll talk about it.” It was like going to a brick and mortar school without having to go. You could get your questions answered, which was unlike the College Network and Excelsior where I had no direction at all.
Great Instructors
Achieve’s teachers are very good. They are really, really knowledgeable, and it’s actually really exciting to go to class and to listen to them. They don’t just cover the material to help you pass the test, they expound and share their experience which helps me to understand it a little bit more.
Progress
I started my first classes 3 months ago and I have already completed college math. I am studying to take the CLEP exam for that one. My Nursing 104 ends in two weeks and then I’ll have to get ready to study to take an exam for that sometime next month. I would like to be finished by the end of the year and perhaps sit for my board sometime in the Spring.
Conclusions
What advice would you give someone who is considering Achieve Test Prep?
I would just say that the program at Achieve is just the way to go if you’re short on time and want to get ahead in your education and advance in your career. The live virtual classroom gives you the interaction that is so helpful and the instructors are knowledgeable and really care about you. This is the way to go.
"This student is part of Achieve’s Ambassador program and was asked to give a summary of their actual experience while attending our program and was compensated for their time."
LPN to RN Bridge Program Online
