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Verve College Verve College, located in both Oak Brook and Chicago, offers the Practical Nursing program with flexible schedules to accommodate working students.

Practical Nurses (PNs) care for the sick, injured, convalescent under the direction of physicians & nurses. PCCTI stands for Professional Career Certification and Training. PCCTI currently offers nursing programs such as Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN). Register online for our various nursing programs like LPN Program, CNA Program, A & P Prep Course, MA Program, and HVAC Program. Visit us today to know more.

The heart is more than just a symbol on a Valentine’s card—it’s the engine of the human body! ❤️⚙️If you are thinking ab...
05/06/2026

The heart is more than just a symbol on a Valentine’s card—it’s the engine of the human body! ❤️⚙️

If you are thinking about a career in nursing, understanding the heart and circulation is foundational. You can't understand why a patient's oxygen dropped or blood pressure spiked until you understand how the heart pumps!

Here is a quick breakdown of your heart's two main loops:
🫁 Pulmonary Circulation (The Right Side): Receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
🩸 Systemic Circulation (The Left Side): The left atrium receives the newly oxygen-rich blood from the lungs, and the left ventricle (the strongest chamber!) pumps it out to the entire body.

⚡ The Electrical System: Your heart doesn't just squeeze randomly! It follows a signal starting in the SA node (the heart's natural pacemaker) that tells the chambers when to contract. Understanding this is the first step to reading EKGs!

🚨 Clinical Tip: Did you know that the heart isn't the only organ involved in circulation? The heart is the pump, but the blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries) are the pipes. High blood pressure means your left ventricle is pushing against too much resistance and working harder than it should!

Check out our full Nursing Student Guide on the blog to build your cardiovascular foundation! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/role-of-heart-in-circulation/

Your nursing career starts sooner than you think! You do not need a 4-year degree to begin making a difference in health...
05/06/2026

Your nursing career starts sooner than you think! You do not need a 4-year degree to begin making a difference in healthcare.

With Verve College’s LPN program, you can achieve a faster path to licensing, start earning sooner, and steadily advance your career. Plus, with our dedicated job placement support, we have got your back well beyond graduation.

Ready to launch your career? Visit https://vervecollege.edu/

Most working adults assume adding a full nursing program to their plate is impossible. But with a simple "Time Audit," m...
04/06/2026

Most working adults assume adding a full nursing program to their plate is impossible. But with a simple "Time Audit," most students can find 15 usable hours per week without quitting their job or sacrificing sleep!

Here is how you find the time:
📝 Track Everything for 7 Days: Write down what you do every hour. Find your "time leaks" (like 2 hours of TV or 45 minutes of phone scrolling).
🗂️ Categorize Your Time: Sort into Fixed (work/sleep), Flexible (errands/social), and Unstructured (scrolling/TV). Your 15 hours are hiding in the unstructured time!

What does 15 hours actually look like?
☕ 45 mins before work (5 days) = 3.75 hours
🥪 30 min lunch breaks (4 days) = 2 hours
🌙 90 mins after dinner (4 nights) = 6 hours
☀️ One 3-hour weekend morning block = 3 hours
Total: ~15 hours without touching a single weekend afternoon!

🚨 Pro Tip: Stop waiting for the "perfect" 3-hour study block. That block rarely comes! Two focused 45-minute sessions work just as well and are far easier to protect. Remember, sustainable time management comes from design, not just willpower!

Check out our full Time Management Guide on the blog to learn how to carve out the time you need! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/time-management-for-nursing-students/

Antepartum vs. Postpartum: What is the difference? 🤰👶If you are studying for a nursing career, maternal and newborn care...
03/06/2026

Antepartum vs. Postpartum: What is the difference? 🤰👶

If you are studying for a nursing career, maternal and newborn care will be a huge part of your curriculum! Here is a quick breakdown to help you keep these two phases straight:

🤰 Antepartum (Before Birth):
This phase focuses on monitoring the health of the mother and baby during pregnancy. Your goals are to support a healthy pregnancy, provide education, and catch warning signs early!
Watch out for: Preeclampsia (high blood pressure), gestational diabetes, preterm labor, or issues like placenta previa.

👶 Postpartum (After Birth):
This phase shifts focus to the mother's recovery and caring for the newborn. You will be checking the uterus to ensure it is contracting, monitoring lochia (vaginal discharge), assisting with feeding, and checking in on the mother's mental health.

🚨 Clinical Tip: Do NOT assume postpartum is just "easy recovery." Conditions like postpartum hemorrhage and postpartum preeclampsia can develop quickly and become life-threatening. You need to stay just as alert after birth as you were during pregnancy!

Check out our full Maternal Nursing Guide on the blog to ace your next exam! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/antepartum-vs-postpartum-nursing/

Nervous about your first day in the Nursing Lab? Don’t be! 🩺🏥Walking into a room full of medical mannequins and hospital...
02/06/2026

Nervous about your first day in the Nursing Lab? Don’t be! 🩺🏥

Walking into a room full of medical mannequins and hospital beds can feel intimidating, but the nursing lab is actually the safest place to make mistakes and learn! It acts as a "flight simulator" for nurses, bridging the gap between textbook theory and real patient care.

Here is what you can actually expect on Day One:
🧭 Orientation: You aren't going to be doing complex procedures right away! You'll learn where equipment is stored, how to handle supplies, and the general rules of the space.
🧼 Foundational Skills: You will start with the basics that ensure patient safety, like proper hand hygiene, donning/doffing PPE, and taking vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temp).
🛏️ Working with Mannequins: Before touching a real patient, you'll practice on modern simulation mannequins that can mimic breathing and a pulse. It’s where everything starts to click!

🚨 Clinical Tip: The lab isn't just about learning how to do a skill; it’s about learning how to think. Your instructors will ask you why you are doing a step a certain way and what you would do if a result came back abnormal. This is how clinical judgment is built!

Check out our full Beginner's Guide on the blog to step into your first lab session with confidence! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/what-happens-in-a-nursing-lab/

Memorizing bone names might help you pass a test, but understanding how they work will help you save a patient! 🧠🩺Most n...
01/06/2026

Memorizing bone names might help you pass a test, but understanding how they work will help you save a patient! 🧠🩺

Most nursing students walk into clinicals feeling overwhelmed because they were taught to memorize facts, not how to think like a clinician. That’s where the "Diagnostic Mindset" comes in, and it starts on day one of Anatomy & Physiology!

Here is what it means to build a Diagnostic Mindset:
🧩 Systems Thinking: The body doesn't work in isolation. You'll learn how the heart, lungs, and kidneys all rely on each other. When you understand those conversations, you can predict what happens when something goes wrong!
⚖️ Homeostasis: Understanding the body's baseline balance so you can immediately spot when something breaks down.
🔍 Finding the "Why": A drop in oxygen doesn't just affect the lungs; it affects the brain, heart rate, and blood flow. The diagnostic mindset trains you to ask why symptoms are happening, rather than just treating the what.

🚨 Pro Tip: Taking an A&P Prep Class before starting your LPN program builds this clinical reasoning early! It shifts your brain from memorization to real understanding, reducing stress and making your first semester so much easier.

Check out our full blog post on building a Diagnostic Mindset! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/diagnostic-mindset-ap-prep-class/

Ever looked at an anatomy diagram and felt completely lost? You are not alone! 🧭🩺Knowing where things are in the body is...
31/05/2026

Ever looked at an anatomy diagram and felt completely lost? You are not alone! 🧭🩺

Knowing where things are in the body is just as important as knowing what they do. Anatomy isn't just memorization; it's a clinical tool that helps you connect patient symptoms to body systems!

Here is a quick breakdown of how the body is organized:
🔬 Cells & Tissues: It all starts with the cell. Groups of similar cells form tissues. We have four main types: Epithelial (covers/lines), Connective (supports/bones/blood), Muscle (movement), and Nervous (brain/spinal cord/signals).
🛡️ Body Cavities: Organs don't just float around; they live in protective cavities!

Dorsal: Holds the brain and spinal cord.

Ventral: Divided into the Thoracic (chest: heart, lungs) and Abdominopelvic (stomach, liver, bladder).
🗺️ The 4 Quadrants: When a patient has abdominal pain, you need to know what lives where!

RUQ: Liver, Gallbladder

LUQ: Stomach, Spleen

RLQ: Appendix

LLQ: Part of the large intestine

🚨 Clinical Tip: If a patient complains of pain in the Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ), you immediately know the appendix is there. That kind of anatomical knowledge is clinically significant and helps you act fast!

Check out our full Guide to Organs, Cells, and Tissues on the blog to build your anatomy foundation! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/organs-cells-and-tissues-anatomy/

Taking blood pressure seems simple, but getting it right is crucial! 🩺🩸Blood pressure is one of the first things you che...
30/05/2026

Taking blood pressure seems simple, but getting it right is crucial! 🩺🩸

Blood pressure is one of the first things you check on a patient, and a small error in your technique can lead to a wrong reading—which could mean the wrong care decision!

Here is how to ensure your manual BP reading is spot on:
📏 Cuff Size Matters: The cuff bladder should cover about 80% of the patient's upper arm. Too small = falsely high reading. Too large = falsely low!
🪑 Prep the Patient: Have them sit quietly for 5 minutes. Both feet flat on the floor (no crossing legs!), arm resting at heart level, and absolutely NO talking during the measurement.
🩺 Find the Artery: Place the cuff an inch above the inner elbow bend and palpate for the brachial artery.
🎈 Inflate & Deflate: Inflate 20-30 mmHg above where you stop feeling the radial pulse. Then, deflate SLOWLY (2-3 mmHg per second). Rushing the deflation is the #1 cause of missed systolic or diastolic points!

🚨 Clinical Tip: Did you miss the reading? Do NOT re-inflate mid-measurement! Fully deflate the cuff, wait at least one minute to prevent venous congestion, and try again.

Check out our full Step-by-Step Nursing Guide on the blog to perfect your clinical skills! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/how-to-take-blood-pressure-nursing/

Ready to launch your nursing career in Illinois? Here is what you need to know! 🏙️🩺Illinois is one of the largest health...
29/05/2026

Ready to launch your nursing career in Illinois? Here is what you need to know! 🏙️🩺

Illinois is one of the largest healthcare markets in the country! With dozens of major hospital systems, outpatient clinics, and community health centers in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, the demand for nurses is growing fast.

If you are a new or soon-to-be grad, here is a quick guide to getting started:
⏩ Why Choose LPN First? LPNs can complete their training in just 12 to 14 months, allowing you to enter the workforce and start earning much faster than the RN route! Plus, you can always bridge to an RN later.
💼 Where are the Jobs? Don't assume you have to start in a hospital. Long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and outpatient clinics are actively hiring new grads and provide incredible foundational experience!
💰 Salary Expectations: LPNs in Illinois earn an average of $55,000 to $60,000 per year, with even higher pay in the Chicago metro area and specialized settings.

🚨 Career Tip: Employers are looking for more than just a passed NCLEX. They want to see hands-on clinical hours, strong communication skills under pressure, and solid professional references from your clinical instructors!

Check out our full Guide to Nursing Careers in Illinois on the blog to set yourself up for long-term success! 👇

https://vervecollege.edu/nursing-careers-in-illinois/

Work. Family. Nursing school. At Verve College, you do not have to choose.Designed for working adults and caregivers, ou...
29/05/2026

Work. Family. Nursing school. At Verve College, you do not have to choose.

Designed for working adults and caregivers, our flexible programs offer day, evening, weekend, and hybrid learning options so you can move toward your nursing career without putting life on hold.

Find a schedule that fits your life →
https://vervecollege.edu/programs/online-hybrid-practical-nursing-pn-program/

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Monday 09:30 - 18:00
Tuesday 09:30 - 18:00
Wednesday 09:30 - 18:00
Thursday 09:30 - 18:00
Friday 09:30 - 18:00
Saturday 08:30 - 12:00

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