maybe alls not lost?

...as far as getting work experience as a nurse.
i only need a year or two.
i dont have to be an rn. lvn experience will do.

i wonder if i can sit in on the NCLEX-PN???
and if not, can i make up the missing course/clinical hrs in an LVN program???

from the state lvn board website:

Method 3
Qualification Based on Equivalent Education and/or Experience

Experience
Pursuant to the California Code of Regulations section 2516(b), the 51 months of paid general duty inpatient bedside nursing experience must include a minimum of each of the following:

•48 months medical/surgical nursing;
•6 weeks maternity or genitourinary nursing;
•6 weeks pediatric nursing.
The majority of the paid bedside nursing experience must have occurred in a inpatient clinical facility providing the types of patient care that will prepare the applicant for the content topics covered in the licensure examination. It is required that all experience must have occurred within the past ten years, with half of the required experience occurring in the past five years. The experience must have been recent enough that the applicant is knowledgeable regarding current types of patient care equipment, policies and procedures.

and

Equivalent Education
Applicants who have acquired additional formal nursing education from an approved/accredited vocational nursing, practical nursing or registered nursing program may submit official transcripts for evaluation for possible credit in lieu of paid bedside nursing experience. The transcripts must be submitted to the Board directly from the school where the courses were taken and must show theory and clinical hours completed, as well as the grades for each course. Applicants must achieve a C or better in the course in order to be given equivalency credit for the course. Credit will only be granted for those courses taken in approved/accredited vocational nursing, practical nursing, psychiatric technician or registered nursing programs.

Required Pharmacology Course
In addition to the required paid bedside nursing experience, the applicant must also have completed a pharmacology course of at least 54 theory hours that covers the following content:

•Knowledge of commonly used drugs and their action;
•Computation of dosages;
•Preparation of medications;
•Principles of administration.
The pharmacology requirement may be satisfied by completion of 54 theory hours of pharmacology in a Board accredited vocational nursing or psychiatric technician program or 54 theory hours of pharmacology offered as part of an approved registered nursing program. In some cases, applicants attended an accredited psychiatric technician, vocational nursing or registered nursing program but did not complete the program. In order to receive credit for pharmacology content that was offered in that program, documentation provided by the program must clearly delineate that the applicant successfully completed 54 hours of actual pharmacology content, which included the 4 content areas described above.

Many individuals and organizations offer pharmacology courses that fit the criteria listed above. The Board does not review, approve or endorse these courses. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the pharmacology course taken includes the required content topics listed above. When the applicant submits the licensure examination application, the applicant must present documentation that specifies the number of theory hours of the course, a course description and list the content presented.

A maximum total of 54 theory hours of credit may be granted for completion of any pharmacology course. If the course contains additional material that is not specific to pharmacology, credit is awarded for pharmacology content, only.