Advice Needed. RN, LPN, Schools...Life Track?

I had a friend in Portland that wanted to join nursing. The wait list was 3 years, so he decided to go to a coastal college...in a less populated area, about 3 hours from Portland or any major city. He got in, and got his license in 2 years...and was out before he colleagues had even gotten in. If you can relocate to a different area, somewhere that isn't a huge city, or try a private school, you might have more luck.

as for your other ??? regarding LPN versus RN...I will always advocate getting an RN degree. Although many plan to use the LPN as a stepping stone the truth is that once they graduate, few people ever finish up. They start working, love making the money and stay in that niche. Becoming an RN gives you a wider platform of impact, especially in the mental health field.

Good luck!

Well, at most schools the LPN programs are from 7 a.m to 3p.m. I would suggest for you to go on and do the RN program, because at least you could possibly work a job part-time with the RN program (since you said you had bills to pay). The LPN program's day schedule is too long. Also, I have heard many nurses say that the LPN program is harder than the RN, and they wished they just did the RN program first instead of doing the LPN to ADN bridge program. Are you married? If you are, at least you have someone able to foot most of the bills while you are in school and any part-time income you bring in would be supplemental income. Also, you mentioned that you were thinking about the IT field. There are a lot of job openings in IT. I just got accepted into the RN program for the Fall and still trying to decide if I want to do it. I have a week to decide to take the program slot. I have bills as well, and I"m in the process of trying to think of a job that would be able to cover all my expenses and still leave time for studying. Anyway, good luck with your decision.