"I've been an LVN for six years. I started out at a substance use rehab, spent a year at a hospital in Murrieta, and now I work in an OB-GYN clinic. I always planned to become an RN. My LVN was supposed to be a stepping stone so I could start working. Then life happened. I had my daughter, who's now three, and I kept chipping away at my prerequisites until I finally said, okay, it's time.

Working in the hospital is what gave me the confidence. I was doing a lot of what the RNs did, within my scope, and I realized I was ready for the next step.

The time frame was the biggest thing that drew me to United Nursing College's Advanced Placement Pathway. If I worked hard in the workshop, I could come into the third semester and finish in nine months. That's almost unheard of. I'd also taken a few prerequisites at United and live about 15–20 minutes away, so I already knew what the environment was like.

From orientation on, the staff told us, "We're here to support you. We know this transition is hard, especially if you've been out of school for a while." In my LVN program, a lot of instructors had a "you're on your own" attitude. Here, I felt supported from day one.

I was nervous about the workshop because it was my first time back in a nursing school setting, but it turned out to be a refresher on everything. We brushed up on skills and content like OB and pediatrics, and our instructor taught us how to study again: writing practice questions for ourselves, using podcasts, trying different study tools. Without the workshop, I think I would have been overwhelmed walking into third semester.

Honestly, joining an established class was scary. They already had their study groups and routines. But the instructors told us, "We know you're new, and we'll help you through it." Clinicals were my biggest fear since I hadn't done them in years.

My classmates were welcoming too. They showed us how labs and simulations work here and what to expect. (It helped that my sister is in the same class!)

Balancing everything is still a work in progress. Some days school comes first, some days my daughter does. I block off two to three hours to really lock in, and then I can give the next few hours to my daughter or work. I went from full-time to part-time at work, and I'd recommend that for third semester.

If I had to describe UNC in one word, it would be supportive. Even when I call with a silly question, someone either answers it or finds the person who can. My goal is to work in ICU or critical care, and down the road I'd like to earn my BSN and eventually become a nurse practitioner. This pathway is getting me there faster.

If you're an LVN who's been thinking about becoming an RN, my advice is simple: do it. It's never too late. Take it day by day, finish your prereqs, and go. The gap between LVN and RN feels big, but it's smaller than you think, and anybody can do it. A lot of my peers in other programs tell me they wish they'd looked into this pathway first.

I'm so grateful I got to do the workshop and the LVN to RN advanced placement. You can do anything for nine months."