Medical Training

Ninety one percent success rate! Wow! Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is ahead of many other LVN schools in California! Our most recent graduates’ NCLEX passing results just came in, and the results were astonishing! This was great and exciting news our Chief Academic Officer brought to the latest faculty meeting last Friday. All the instructors in the meeting were happy and proud to hear the news. And as we thought about it, our school deserves to be recognized for one of the strongest VN Programs in California.

Just think about this. Only a few years ago, Gurnick Academy was a small single campus Vocational Nursing program, struggling to compete with other major LVN programs in the Bay Area. And look, where we are now. We are growing stronger than ever, better than ever, more successful than ever.

The journey to success of Gurnick Academy has not been easy. Our Nursing College went through many changes, upgrades, and innovations, which came with much efforts and energy from our school’s executive board, and, of course, all the faculty and staff. This is an example of successful team work, and we do have an amazing team of coordinators, clinical instructors, VN course lecturers, support staff, and of course, our leaders. Without them, who knows, where we would be?

Years ago when I became a LVN, I was pleasantly surprised to know that nutrition was one of the required courses to become a LVN/LPN.  Fortunately nutrition is still being taught in LVN/LPN schools with a minimum requirement of 32 theory hours in California.  The significance of good nutrition and health was even conveyed back in the days of Hippocrates (460-370 BC) who was the father of medicine known to say, “Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.” Today LVN/LPN students learn about the basic principles of nutrition to create a foundation for learning about the functions of protein, carbohydrates, fats and water.

With this knowledge the LVN/LPN may be the first one to notice that their patient is not eating adequate amounts of protein, which is essential for their patient’s wounds to heal and tissue to grow.  In addition, carbohydrates, such as glucose is essential for the brain to function, as this is the brain’s fuel.  Patients are sometimes not permitted to eat food prior to diagnostic tests and surgery.   This time of fasting can be very dangerous when the lack of food disrupts the blood sugar level and nutrients.  A patient may become disoriented and confused by having their diet withheld too long.  Fortunately for the patient, the nurse acts as a detective by keeping an eye out for all contributing factors that can be managed to prevent further problems with their patient.  Nutritional needs not only vary with different diagnosis, but also throughout the lifespan.

Parts of the LVN clinical training in Module 4 is that LPN licensed practical nursing students are scheduled to participate in various field trips throughout the Bay Area.  There are scheduled field trips to HeadStart, Martin Luther King, Jr. Preschool, Lynn Center, California Medical Facility in Vacaville, John Muir Medical Center and Sonoma Developmental Center.  These scheduled field trips during LVN courses are done to enhance the knowledge and experience of our students and thus better prepare them to be the best nurses they can be.  One of our field trips for Group 11 was to go to the Napa Coroner’s Office to observe an autopsy.

On July 16th Group 11 drove to the Napa Valley eager to have a life altering experience.  Students were anxious with cold, sweaty palms but also excited to experience the unknown.  We were welcomed by the Deputy Sheriff who gave us a nice tour of the facility and told us that there were two autopsies scheduled for that morning: a 25 year-old male and a 58 year-old female.  The Deputy Sheriff was explained that these two cases will be good experience for the students, as they will be able to see a variety of cases in one day.  We were briefed by the Deputy Sheriff as to what to expect and what was expected of us, but nothing could really prepare us for what we saw.

Our Clinical Coordinator, Nancye Maffei, handed out the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and instructed us to put it on.   As we put it on, we began to wonder why we needed this level of protection to observe an autopsy.  Nancye told us that during previous autopsies the pathologist allowed students to touch and hold human organs.  Experience from previous classes also taught us that there is the risk of exposure to clothing and skin.

We were told if we could not stand the smell or being that close to a dead body we could always stand behind the glass window in the other room.  As we were guided inside the coroner’s laboratory you could feel the cool breeze and the absolute absence of noise.  As the metal gurney was wheeled in with a closed body bag, reality started to kick in.  When the pathologist opened the zipper of the body bag we could feel the anxious, tense feelings of the students in the room.

The Pathologist (as well as all of the staff) was very accommodating to the Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts LVN students.  As he proceeded the pathologist told us exactly what he was doing.  The experience was very overwhelming to the students but it definitely taught them a lot about human anatomy and physiology.  For most LVN students it was the first time they had seen a human brain, heart, lungs, larynx, stomach, kidney, liver, thyroid, spleen and other organs.  It was an experience we will remember.

So you finished going to an LVN school in California and you are wondering, “That was a lot of work, but what can I do with this LVN certification?” Well, first of all, think back to when you made the decision to become a nurse in the first place. Did you want to help people? If so, in what way?  Maybe you took care of a family member who was sick at home and you thought that was something you could do as a career.  Maybe it’s a career change because you wanted to be an advocate for people who are disabled or in capacitated due to illness.  Once you remember the initial reason for your becoming an LVN, you can explore possibilities and options available.  If you like children, look into hospitals, clinics, home health care, pediatric hospice, or maybe school nursing.  You liked the technology and machines, look into the companies who made them and give them a call.  They use nurses to help teach others how to use them and to sell them.  This could be a lot of fun.  If you happen to like the excitement and the adrenaline rush of thinking on your feet and acting quickly and yet not get too emotionally involved with the patient, then maybe emergency room nursing is for you.  It’s a very fast paced area to work.  If you do like working with people, the patients and other health care providers, then bedside nursing is great.  You have 8 or 10 or 12 hour shifts where you will see the patient throughout those hours.  And within that area are several specialties, such as geriatrics, that is working with the elderly.  You could work at skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, day care facilities, or some retirement homes have need of nurses. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box when considering where to work. Large manufacturing companies often have on-site nurses, sporting facilities where professional athletes play, camp nursing would allow one to be outside and work with either healthy or special populations (asthmatics, cancer patients, etc), and working in the prison system.  Prisoners get sick or already were, so there is another special area of care.

Do you enjoy seeing other parts of the country or even the world?  Travel nursing is an exciting field.  Many nursing magazines have advertisements for travel nurses.  You get to experience living in another part of the country, learning about their culture and beliefs, maybe even a different language.

Registry nursing is a challenging area to be.  Here you would work within a company who would send you out to appropriate places to work.  It could be one-to-one nursing in someone’s home, or possibly working in a hospital, or even giving out flu shots at the local drug store, constantly changing environments with new people.

LVN’s also can become instructors and teach other students to become LVNs.  But, with all these areas of nursing, you have to do research and find out more about it.  Some areas will only accept registered nurses; that is why you have to ask more questions. Sometimes you have to explore further from the cities to find where an LVN can work, but the jobs are out there.

Our Groups 11 and 12 have just begun Module 4.  We’ve advised them even though they see the light at the end of the tunnel, they should hope it’s not a train! (LOL)  Their coursework in becoming an LVN is now covering the specialties of obstetric nursing, pediatric nursing and psychiatric nursing.  They have finished with 24 weeks (that was intense) of Medical Surgical Nursing parts 1 and 2, and Pharmacology, parts 1 and 2.  They will take their 2nd HESI exam next week, this one on Medical Surgical Nursing.

They will go on various field trips this module to Sonoma Developmental Center, John Muir Medical Center, Telecare Gladman, a psyche facility in Oakland, and California Medical Facility, the men’s prison in Vacaville which houses inmates with medical problems—they even have a hospice.  Various LVN schools in California may also have these types of clinical rotations.  Module 4 clinical will also include a day-long OB mock-up using our exciting new patient simulation lab.

They will also earn pediatric clinical hours required for becoming an LVN at Lynn Center in Pittsburg, a school for special needs children from 18 months to 5 years.  They will visit Martin Luther King, Jr. Preschool, where they observe normal growth and development as well as abnormal growth and development. They will also visit with children at the Concord HeadStart site where they will interact with children from infancy through pre-Kindergarten.  They will also spend clinical time at the Juvenile Justice Center Medical Unit in San Leandro for a combination Pediatric and Psych rotation.

This coming weekend we are celebrating the National Memorial Day, when we honor all those who did not come back home, giving their lives for our freedom and our chance for a bright future. Along with all those soldiers who never returned, and stayed laying dead on the battlefields, we also remember all the nurses who so selflessly gave up their lives, while saving the lives of others. We are celebrating the heroes who attended the wounded and the dying, risking their own lives. We are celebrating every male and female nurse, who had ever been through the horrors of war from Florence Nightingale, “The Lady with The Lamp,” as she helped sick and wounded soldiers during Crimean War over a century and a half ago to those nurses helping our troops these days in the Middle East and all over the world.

After an exhausting, gory fight, and the flames would die down, a few lone small figures would come out to the battle field, covered with the bodies of the army warriors who had fallen during the attack, to seek out those who are still breathing and alive, trying to save every precious life. At great risk to themselves these brave souls would put the wounded soldiers’ bodies on their fragile petite shoulders to take them to safety and provide necessary medical care. And when a dying soldier’s condition would be beyond medical help, and nothing could be done for the man, a nurse would comfort him by saying a prayer or singing a song, or even writing the last letter to his mother or the girl waiting at home. So many of those brave big hearts in tiny bodies in white gave up their lives while saving the wounded soldiers!

Today, every LVN school in California should remember those nurses, who never came back. We honor those nurses who left behind their loved ones at home: their children, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, their families. We admire what those nurses did in their time for their country and for their people. And when our time comes, we take that Florence Nightingale’s pledge to help those in need, and to selflessly serve, as all the ones before us did.

As any LVN college, we raise our future LVN nurses to be caring and compassionate persons, going into the future ready not only to fulfill their career goals, but also to fulfill their calling for helping others. We are certain that if there is need, our LVN graduates will go out there and be heroes, just like many hero nurses before them. They will never be forgotten, and we can only hope to live up to them.

Mary is an lvn student and a single mom. Just like so many other single moms, Mary is struggling to make ends meet. After an excruciatingly painful divorce, Mary had to take control over her life. She had to get back up on her feet to provide for her 6 year old daughter Amy, who is now in kindergarten and has no clue how hard her mom is trying to make ends meet. Amy is a happy little girl. Her mom loves her, making sure, Amy has everything she needs.

After her life was turned upside down, Mary had to figure out the next step in her path. She had to think fast. Being a realtor in the current economy was not the best way to go on. With the housing market plummeting down faster than sinking Titanic, Mary couldn’t make ends meet. She had to sell her house just to keep up with her bills. Something had to change. Fast!

In the midst of the financial despair following the divorce, after devastating crash of her social status, as well as her shaken self-confidence, Mary came to a brilliant thought: change life completely!

On this blank new page in her life, Mary decided to write a new story and make a very bold move: go back to school. Start from scratch, get a new career. This is when Mary became determined to become an lvn nurse.

Looking for the right lvn program was not easy and once found the right school, serious adjustments in Mary’s life had to be made. It is difficult to go back to studies after decades being out of school. Mary had to cut her hours at work to keep up with the lvn school classes and assignments. No one told her, how difficult this would be: juggling school, work, home, her daughter, and much more.

However, on the first day of the lvn program, Mary discovered that she was not alone. Almost everyone in her new class was there to change their lives. Almost everyone came to the lvn program to become somewhat renewed, stronger, better. Someone was there to switch from their high-tech career, because they got sick and tired of computers, and wanted some human contact. Someone came from the world of finance, because of the problems in the economy, and a need to change their life perspectives. Someone went to lvn school simply because they couldn’t find the fulfillment through their previous job, and craved the inner gratification of helping other people. But all the students in Mary’s class came to get the lvn training to change their lives.

Today Mary is on her way to her goal. Someone said, a goal is a dream with a date on it, and they were right: Mary’s dream of making life better for herself and her daughter Amy will soon come true. And even though Mary is struggling just like all other lvn students keeping up with school and her growing daughter, while trying to make ends meet, she is happy, because she is on her way to something fresh and exciting. And maybe the road to Mary’s dream is full of curves and obstacles, this story has a happy ending, or, perhaps, a happy beginning…

LVN stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse or the Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN. LVN’s are registered nurses who take care of the sick, injured and disabled people under the proper supervision of the physicians. LVN programs are very rewarding and the salaries are really attractive. These programs make way to facilitate the basic care to the patients.

LVN nursing is a fundamental education on patient’s care and recovery. They treat bedsores, give injections and enemas, apply dressings, provide massages, monitors catheters etc. It is a vital lifesaving profession since they are a critical link between the patient and doctor.

The prerequisites to join the LVN programs include an age-bar of 17yrs or older. The applicant must produce a copy of your High School Diploma, GED or its equivalent certificate, current immunization record, healthcare provider CPR. Applicant has to pass the school enrolment exam and pass an interview with the institution directors. The preferred courses are anatomy, physiology and general psychology.

The institutes of Medical Education provide the healthcare community with expertise required to fulfill their daily professional needs. Clinical part of the student’s education occurs mainly in the hospitals. After undergoing the training in LVN and obtaining a license, nurses can find jobs in hospitals, nursing homes or in a doctor’s office.

When it comes to the healthcare occupation, nursing holds the largest share of job opportunities and they are one of the 10 ten occupations which or the possibility of the most jobs annually. The market demand is very huge when compared with other professions. Therefore, it is quite evident that the nursing jobs are not just lucrative but also in huge demand. With advancement in technologies and invention of new methods of treatment, healthcare jobs have more opportunities to diversify.

The market demand is something which gives much worth to this course. It is not just that LVN nursing is of great demand due to the aging workforce and shortage of nursing school enrolments. Also the reason that the old age problems are increasing with more of patients preferring home based treatment and caring. This need is only helping the cause and encouraging the LVN nursing job opportunities.

After you become an LVN, in less than two years you can become an RN (registered nurse) which is a step lesser than a MD. Some RNs start their careers as licensed practical nurses and then later go back to schools to receive the RN degree. As a registered nurse, the salaries will be a lot higher and the demand in the market is no less either. LVN Certification is the easiest path to become a registered nurse and the best part is that your employment is guaranteed until you become one.

Nurses can advance in their careers to an assistant unit manager or a head nurse or more senior levels like chief nurse. Few of them also get into other business segments of healthcare. Employers need RNs for health planning and development, consulting, marketing etc. There is also the requirement of registered nurses as the faculty in colleges or universities.

An LVN salary will depend upon the medical institutions and the states or locations. An LVN salary would fall anywhere from $35,000 to $45,000 annually. Like already mentioned, the demand for LVN is ever increasing due to the shortage of workforce. Hence when the supply fails to meet the demand, salary is made more competitive to attract more qualified nurses. LVN is absolutely the profession which has huge demand in the market.

As Modesto Bee writes:
“Anyone looking for a job in California this spring has to be a little depressed. The collapse of the housing industry has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs in construction and the finance industry. Manufacturing is slumping. Retail is not doing much better. If not for schools, health care, government and information technology, the state’s employers wouldn’t be adding any jobs at all.”

A lot of that is demand is driven by the need for more nurses. Thankfully, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger introduced the California Nurse Education Initiative back in April 2005 to expand the number of nursing programs.

Many students choose private LVN training programs as viable and immediate options.

With Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts you become LVN in just short 14 months!