Shortest LPN program anywhere?
I think LPN programs are 12 months. I don't know if you can find any shorter Most seem to start in the fall, then do a spring semester, take the summer off or have a short summer session and then finish in the fall. I know you're looking for something six months, but is it possible you could do 15 months ? Almost every nursing school offers something called an "accelerated BSN" or a "2nd degree" program" These are for students who already have a non-nursing BS. You go straight into the nursing courses full time and 15 months later you have a BS in nursing (I think I've even seen some schools that do it in 12 months) and you're eligible to take the NCLEX to become licensed. anyway, back to what your asked for you can search for accredited LPN programs here http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm just select Practical for Program Type and here's another way to search http://www.licensedpracticalnurse.net/lpn-schools/ they don't tell how long he programs are, but maybe that will help you search I googled New York BON (for New York Board of Nursing) and I got this page http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurseprogs.htm which lists all the approves programs in New York maybe you have something similar in your state good luck
I want to go back to school to get a Ph.D in clinical psychology. I have a BA in photography from 10 years ago. Will I be able to start on the master's level or will I have to start all over?
If you're talking about the US, you should realize getting a Ph.D. in clinical psych is complicated and very competitive. Here's what you will need:-a series of psych undergrad courses. Look at Ph.D. programs to see precisely what they require, but it often includes a course in abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, personality psychology, experimental psychology, and a couple of courses in statistics. You can get this either with a post baccalaureate program in psychology, which some places offer, or else with a master's degree.-your grades will matter. So do well on those psych courses!-recommendations will matter.-you will NEED research experience in psychology. That means working for a psychology professor (or if possible, even two) for a full year, and THEN getting a recommendation from that professor.-it would be helpful to have some clinical experience in psychology. This could happen, for instance, by volunteering on a suicide hotline-you need good GRE scores... >1200. For some programs >1300. Look up the specific program.Be aware of therapeutic modalities. Different schools are either more Freudian (psychodynamic/psychoanalytic) or emphasize cognitive-behavioral or humanistic therapies.Carefully read through the psychology forums at Student Doctor psychology forums (google it) to get a lot more info.You do NOT need a Ph.D. if all you want to do is therapy. You can get that with a master's in social work, which is easier and shorter and less competitive to get into, but will not give you a stipend, as a Ph.D. usually will.There is also the more therapy-focused / less research-focused variant of the Ph.D., the Psy.D. to consider.I would make an appointment with a friendly professor at a Ph.D. program in clinical psych and see if you can't talk to them for 20 minutes and pick their brains to get more info. Also google this topic: "mitch's uncensored advice for applying to graduate school"
What are the best places to go to cooking school?
This is very specific to your style and interests. Many folks with a passion for food who are coming straight out of High School who are looking for a career in the food/hospitality industry are likely to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. They offer a 2-year associate degree which I believe allows students to transfer credits to a regular university later on if they decide they want to also pursue a college degree. CIA is a pretty formal, long and expensive program. You'll learn a lot as a student there and will have a chance to stagé in a restaurant before graduating. If you like the academic approach it is probably the best prep one can have for learning about all aspects of running a restaurant. The obvious downside is it will take 2-years before you step into a full-time chef role...Alternatively, some are looking for programs that are shorter and/or more specific. Those interested in health oriented (think organic/vegan/vegetarian cooking) are likely to consider the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. Students are going to miss out on some of the more formal french techniques that would be taught at a place like the CIA, the Institute for Culinary Education or the French Culinary Institute in NYC. But, they will also learn about a growing market that isn't taught in more formal culinary programs.At the end of the day while school will teach a lot of basics there's really nothing like working in a professional kitchen to develop culinary skills. My favorite chefs (Thomas Keller, Corey Lee, Ferran Adriá, Tom Collicio) have no culinary degree's and they got where they are through putting in the time, working hard, and identifying excellent chefs to mentor under. I would strongly encourage talking your way into a kitchen without formal experience vs going to school. You can always go back to school. Degree's don't matter in the back of the house, it's all about attention to detail and repetition. After all, cooking is mostly common sense and they really don't teach that anywhere.
I am 41 years young. Am I too old to go back to school?
I think your calculations are off as to when you will be a doctor if in the United States. Undergraduate study takes on average 4 years, medical school takes 4 years, then the minimum residency is 3 years and some are 7+. So at minimum you will be 52 and if you wanted to be a surgeon or specialist mid 50's. The average medical student exits medical school with $160,000 in debt and usually they do not pay on it accruing interest during residency. The average doctor leaving residency has $200,000 in loan debt. During medical school you would be in you mid-late 40's going to school and studying 50-60 hours a week. Later with clinical rotations you will be taking in hospital call. In residency you will be late 40's to early 50's taking in house call some days and often working 60-80 hrs per week. Will you be able to do that?Another challenge will actually be getting accepted to medical school. You will need excellent grades especially in the prerequisite subjects. You will be competing with kids just out of high school. I would look at the admission requirements Admission Requirements for Medical School and in many colleges courses like organic chemistry are used to cull the students wanting to go to medical school. You will have to take the MCAT's as well. Only 40% of applicants are accepted. Most applicants apply to 10 or more schools. The average medical school gets 4500 applications for 100-200 spots. Some state schools are required to take a a certain percentage of applicants from their own state. So are you ready to grind out A's against teenage-young 20's in the pre-requisite subjects?Finally are you ready to move for college? Are you ready to move again for medical school and then again for residency? If you have family/children how will you support this endeavor and moving them each time. What happens if you fail to get into medical school and have accumulated debt? What happens if you get out of medical school and don't match as programs might think you to be too old?I am not saying it is impossible to do, but at 41 with no prior college you are choosing one of the longest and most difficult/expensive paths to a career.
Why do people go back to school for a second bachelor's degree?
To begin a new career. The popular myth that a bachelor’s degree in one field (ie BA in any Liberal Arts or Humanities) will qualify you for a Master’s degree in EVERY OTHER FIELD no matter how radically different it may be (ie nursing, computer science, or electrical engineering) is exactly that: a myth. The fact is that while you can get a Master’s in a different field than your Bachelor’s (like English to Business Management), it often not the case in a science, health, mathematics and engineering. You will need to either a) start with a second bachelor’s or b) take prerequisites classes, pass the GRE or GMAT and hope your GPA is high enough so a University will accept you into their program. Route b) will often take 4 years to complete (adjusting for Pre-Reqs, tests, applications and Masters), while route a) will perhaps take less time if your second college accepts all the credits from your previous degree (mine’s did, but some will not accept all of them) and less money. It usually sucks, but hey: if you struck out with the first degree and you want to get into a field that is in HIGH DEMAND and PAYS A DECENT SALARY then it needs to be done.
Why do some people go to school for LPN instead of just going directly for RN?
Well for me it was about the fact that I would essentially be finished in 1 year versus the 2 years bare minimum( 2 years is only if you have all the classes completed that you need to get into that nursing program and if you have taken chemistry in the last 5 years and had a C or better in it) needed to complete an ADN RN program. The ones that are nearby to where I live are also very competitive to get into from what I had learned. As for the time being a factor, I have a husband and 4 young children and taking a year of time in an intense LPN program where I was in school every day of the week and studying at nights and on weekends was extremely hard on my family and I would not choose to go any further until they are older due to that.I really struggled with the decision of which way to go but ended up choosing LPN knowing I would be able to obtain a much higher paying job until I was able to continue my education in a LPN to RN bridge program.
Can you rejoin a high school after dropping out??
I think he would need to check with the school. I think rules regarding this would differ from school system to school system. If he has been out for 2 years he may have some catch up to do. Perhaps you could schedule a meeting with an empathetic school counselor. If he is unable to go back to school, he can get a GED through many programs in your area. I am sure the school counselor could help you with this as well. Or you could even check the phone book for places that offer GED courses. For sports, if he is ineligible for HS sports due to age, have him check into Rec leagues. My husband played rec league basketball in our county for one year. He was 40 and most of the men in the mens rec league were 18-22.
What track did you take to becoming a nurse practitioner and will the hospital you work at sometimes pay for a nurse to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner?
I did the RN to MSN (Family Nurse Practitioner track). It bridges you over BSN if your RN license was obtained with an associate degree. I did have A LOT of previous college experience and credits, not in nursing though. I had about 6 years worth of credits in mechanical engineering and in dental medicine (I changed my majors due to major political and economical changes when the anti-communism revolution collapsed the old economy and the capitalist economy emerged in Romania). Luckily, I used lots of those credits to get into Nursing School in U.S. If you already have a BSN, you will have a shorter program to complete (about 2.5 years), including over 645 hours of clinical rotations in all specialties, from obgyn to neonates to peds to adults and geriatrics, including acute care). Most hospitals I know do not help pay tuition for registered nurses looking to become nurse practitioners. However, I understand that most hospitals help reimburse tuition when they hire nurse practitioners. Odd, I know. You can always ask HR or Education department what the policy is in the hospital you’re working or you’re interviewing to work in. If you decide to work for a small practice, the reimbursement is not a certainty unless the practice is located in what’s designated as critical shortage facility in high need area, so you’d be eligible for a loan repayment courtesy of the government. See the link below on how to apply for a loan repayment. Good luck!NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program
In the last six months or so I've been studying programming, and have found that I really like it. Is it worth it to go back to school for a CS degree?
Just learning to program isn't really enough. Going back to school will teach you not only programming but also how to truly solve difficult technical problems, not just hack something that works short-term. There's no reason why it has to be a bachelor's, though. A master's in CS is a much shorter time investment and will more than likely allow you to skip useless/uninteresting classes you would otherwise be forced to take in a bachelor's program. Certainly it could be difficult to step directly into a graduate program with no prior experience, but if you're already studying CS on the side, you should be able to do it.As you mention, it is useful to "learn the language" of CS people. Going back to school will give you the chance to do that and potentially find someone who is just as excited about the next big thing you want to do as you are. There's your co-founder.