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Nursing Schools are challenging, and with the nature of a nursing career and Medical Training, truly a trial by fire. I am enrolled in a nursing program and will graduate the LVN program in August 2007. I attend classes in the evening and on the weekend, to work around my current job. It is hard, tiring, sometimes frustrating, but sometimes magical! It would definitely be easier if you can attend school full-time and not work, but it's not impossible to survive. You WILL be sleep deprived, and forget about a life for up to 2 years.

Hands-on experience is vital to any type of Medical Training, and no training would be complete without it. My own experience and the observations I've made of fellow students proves that "book smarts" alone are not enough to be an effective doctor. Effective training simply has to include interaction with real patients. The mannequins we use to practice procedures like injections, insertion of NG tubes, catheters, and assessments are useful, but incomplete. Mannequins don't have the feel of a real body or give the feedback a real patient does (both positive and negative).

Is it absolutely critical to evaluate the nursing school you are taking into account for attending, and considering the different Nursing Careers that you may embrace. Assure yourself that you will appreciate the level you wish to gain. Is LVN enough for what you aim to? Are there alternative nursing caereers which are better tailored to your needs?

You must check whether the private Nursing Schools have the accreditations you require if you wish to get into different Nursing Careers later on. Can that program give you an AA or BS? Or cat it give you a state-limited licence only? Which credits may be transferred to a public college or university, shoud you choose to continue to a Bachelor's or Master's degree?

Another consideration is COST! Private Nursing Schools are certainly easier to get into, but they are a great deal pricier than a community college. I had to go this route because my local community college has a waiting list for the RN program out to 2011! I had to pay more to get training in a reasonable time frame.

And finally, I would like to offer one suggestion-- sign up for the tour and perhaps try out being a student for the day. Attend a class and make an effort to interact with teachers and other students in order to get a good feel of the type of environment the school offers. This will give you a good idea of what it'll be like for the next two years that you'll be attending the school. With this experience, you may even decide that it's not for you. Take note of the pace and structure of teaching and decide whether it's suited to how you learn. Also pay attention to the staff; are they helpful? Judging the environment earlier on will give you a glimpse on how satisfied you will be once you enroll.