My Nursing School Plan

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Hello. I am currently a full time banker and single mom of four. I have made the decision to go back to school for nursing. I have no current degrees, so I would starting from the beginning.

My Plan is to start my prereqs for a community college LVN program this spring. I am thinking I will be able to stay a full time and do the majority of my classes online. I then would start the actual program next spring using savings from my job and tax refund to make up for the loss in income while I'm in the program.

I am hoping that I am able get an LVN job while I do my general ed for my ASN. The same school offers LVN-RN so I would only have to do an additional year for the RN program.

Does this sound like a feasible plan? I would love to go straight into RN, but I need to be working faster, as I mentioned I have 4 kids and though I receive support from my ex husband, his income isn't always reliable. I'm thinking doing LVN first will give me an opportunity to start my medical career while I do my General ed.

Thoughts?

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Total waste of time. Nobody is hiring LPNs much these days, and many of your courses will not transfer to an RN program. Take the prereqs at the CC, but be sure that they will transfer to a reputable (not "mostly online") college BSN program or, at very least, the CC ADN/ASN program with a guaranteed integration to the BSN program on satisfactory completion. This will take you about 5 years, one year for prereqs, plus two years for the associate's degree (it's a dirty little secret that an associates degree in nursing takes you at least a year longer than an associate's degree in, say, English), plus another 1.5-2 years for the BSN (again in a real school, not an online one-- employers are catching on that these are often worth little more than the paper they're printed on). Better you should go direct to the BSN program-- save time, make yourself better-educated and prepared for the workplace (these are fighting words in some quarters, but that doesn't make them untrue, and anecdote is not the singular of data), and much more attractive to future employers.

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Thank you for your comment. My main concern is spending that much time not being able to really work. I have a decent job now that pays almost on par with what an LVN makes, however I work banking hours. Looking at the LVN jobs in my area, a lot of the offer flexibility that I can see myself still being able to go to school as well.

Would you suggest maybe medical assistant or something that would offer some flexibility yet introduce me to the medical field while I'm in school?

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No. Again, a waste of time, as MA courses will definitely not transfer to nursing (it's not a step on the nursing ladder at all).

Sometimes we just have to do the right thing from the beginning, even if it's not as convenient as we wish. Something that valuable is worth the initial sacrifice, and think of the good example you'll be giving your kids.

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Thank you for your comment. My main concern is spending that much time not being able to really work. I have a decent job now that pays almost on par with what an LVN makes, however I work banking hours. Looking at the LVN jobs in my area, a lot of the offer flexibility that I can see myself still being able to go to school as well.

Would you suggest maybe medical assistant or something that would offer some flexibility yet introduce me to the medical field while I'm in school?

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(I'll still say the same thing too, LOL)

Take your prereqs slowly if you have to, until your kids are a little older. Get loans, get really good grades and get scholarships/grants. Spend some quality time with the financial aid counselors at the nursing colleges you're considering and see what they can offer you; they often know about obscure scholarships that can help folks like you.

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Sorry i replied twice lol I'm getting used to the forum. Anywho, you are probably right. I may be able to do the prereqs for the rn program at the cc and still work full time. Save like I was going to so that I have money put aside when I enter the program and work part time.

I'll see how that goes

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

As shared, a MA doesn't translate to either a LPN or RN (i.e. no bridges). Check the local job market where you live in terms of LPN/LVN jobs. In our geographic area, LPN's are in demand. So don't take it as a blanket statement that LPN's cannot get jobs. Personally, I do believe in going straight for the RN; but going to LPN then bridging works as well.

Thank you.

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That's what I was thinking because I'm between the San Francisco bay area and also the Sacramento area. I looked at job offerings and there seem to be a lot with decent pay for LVN. I think going straight into RN would be best I'm just not 100% sure how doable it is. Because of my family size, I'm eligeable for both fee waivers and grant so going to school would be basically free until the point i transfer to a university and since I wouldn't have to start over(the school that has the LVN program offers the lvn-rn program as well). I figured what the heck, may as well.

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Since you live in the Bay Area it would be wise to get your BSN. If it were me, I would work and take one science prereq at a time hopefully getting A's in all the sciences. Do summers as well doing your general ed. Save save save the whole time and apply for a BSN program (hopefully a 2 year one). It will take years to get into a program but you would have saved up your money and you kids will be older hopefully making the stress not as severe. Once in a program you may be surprised about the schedule and possibly can work a day or two during the week if you need to and your job is flexible. There are some schedules in my BSN program that are only 3 days a week. That time doesn't include studying at home but that is going to be a lot no matter what but at least the class time is limited to only a few days. Good luck!!

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Thank you I think that is super helpful! My ultimate goal is to get my BSN and specialize in pediatrics I know there are more open doors for RNs. I'll be honest, I am still going back and forth on doing LVN first since I know at least now there are a lot of openings for it in the bay and I don't have to pay for the program(part of me wants to get out of banking hell asap lol) but RN is my ultimate goal and I'm not stopping til I get there. Thank you

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Specializes in NICU, RNC.

Unfortunately, in CA, lvns aren't in high demand. We are one of the few states that have state mandated RN-to-patient ratios and lvns do not count toward those numbers. Because of that, lvns are usually only hired in skilled nursing and psych facilities. And the bay area is very over saturated. Even RNs have difficulty finding employment.

As someone else suggested, you best bet is to keep your current job as you complete your pre reqs, achieve a 4.0 and then apply for scholarships for your nursing program. I received over $8000 in scholarships during my program. I also received Pell grants and tuition waivers. My education has been completely free plus additional living expenses and I'm not low income. I just have maintained excellent grades. Check with your school's financial aid office to see what you qualify for, and ask the difference between working vs. Not working.

Good luck!

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