LPN...Is it a good move?

PurpleLVN · Oct 7, 2009

ITA with LPN on the Move.:yeahthat: Not only are RN's being required to get their BSN but the LVN's that have been there forever(hospital) have to now go to school to get their RN in order to keep their jobs...vicious cycle!! You can't easily give up when obtaining your goals in nursing. Pray, be strong and just do it!!!! :yeah:

Areenn · Oct 7, 2009

It is a good move if it is the best move for your family. Yes there will be people who put you down. As an LPN You will not be able to work in OB or ICU. Some ER also. Yes there are some that will not hire LPNs at all. Others hire only LPN s to save money. But you can have a good fullfiling career as an LPN, or bridge to RN if you are willing to work in the areas where they are hired. An RN obtains a deeper understanding of nursing, but the hands on nursing is the same. RNs and LPNs give the same bed baths, insert the same foleys and IV.s , administer the same meds. RNs do get more pathophysiology and leadership training. There has been talk of phasing out the LPN since I went in 1980. They are still around. I wish you luck. It took me years to cross the bridge to my

RN but it was worth it. The years as an LPN made RN school a breeze because of all the experience. I think the teacher was afraid I was going to take over her class though LOL. Even if you have to start out as an LPN, and it takes you until your kids are grown to get your RN, at least your are working toward your goal. :up:

MaritesaRN · Oct 7, 2009

Ok, so I am finally coming to terms w/ having failed the TEAS-RN exam last week. It's sad but I have to move on. Anyway, I have started to re-think my career move. I requested the LPN program info packet and have taken an interest. The fact that it allows you to bridge to the RN program is a big advantage.
So, I have a couple of questions before I make a decision that I DON'T want to regret.
1. Is becoming an LPN a good idea?
2. Is it true that LPN's are being phased out? No longer needed?
3. Are they treated inferiorly by RN's? I ask b/c just by being a volunteer at Childrens Hospital, I have not been treated very nicely by RN's.
4. Would this career move work better if I have 2 young daughters (1 and 3)?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I was told that this program requieres the Compass or the TABE exam. What were your experiences after taking this test? Would it be similar to the TEAS?
I want to become an RN with all my heart and now I am more determined than ever to succeed. I may be the 60 year old in the class, but I will work at this however long it takes.
Thanks!

Go for the LPN program. this is a good move since it will keep you in nursing ...not to mention , they earn pretty good money ...and in some places they will hire LPN instead of RN to save money. This will give you a good job and an opening to the RN program . This way you are opening yourself to a broader possibilities.

60 is young nowadays, so do not let that deter to accomplish your dreams. " All limitations are self imposed !"

We would like to remind ourselves ( including me ) that adversity is a challenge , not a limitation. We set up our own limitations by how we interpret and read things . Beleive me , I works at it in a daily basis to change the way I think !!!!:chuckle

Mudwoman · Oct 7, 2009

Here's the problem Mudwoman you are getting paid a hell of alot more than that lpn so she starts resenting the fact that you want her to do more work. This really is a vicious circle, I don't know what the answer is.

Most of the LPNs left have been with the hospital a LONG time and they are making more money than the RNs with 2 yrs or less experience.

queensgirl2054 · Oct 7, 2009

Where are you from?

arhyme100 · Oct 7, 2009

i come to this website maybe only 1-2 times a year (initially it was more because i like to patronize nursing websites). because of the lpn bashing i very seldom come on here. it has never changed, it has always been lowball and mean. it is so low grade and middle school. i have been an lpn for 30yr. i was there when the law changed our scope of nursing with the sweep of a pen at midnight. but i'll tell you this,the only thing an rn has over me is that he or she is trained in doing a different kind of paperwork. anyone can learn to use different equipment, fill out forms, boss people around and be nasty with their co workers. but being an lpn and loving it has allowed my critical thinking skills to grow, i've worked in situations and places that most rn's have not yet tread. i've been very picky about what positions i would and would not take and have had a wonderful nursing career as a result. but working with most rn's is like hitting the bottom of the barrel. they are cruel to others and to each other. i've taught and trained many an rn, and she couldn't have learned her job if i hadn't been there with her/him. so you have to have a strong sense of self and confidence in your abilities in order to be an lpn and love your job.

queensgirl2054 · Oct 7, 2009

You are absolutly right! right on

auntb219 · Oct 7, 2009

Having been an LPN for over 35 years, I would recommend to retake the RN exam again---

Unfortunately many of the state boards of nursing have led the community to treat and react to LPNs as non-nurses---they are not looked upon as a part of the nursing profession-----

there fore the medical nursing community has and will loose a lot of good nurses and would be nurses. Talk to anyone you wish this is the reality of the profession ---the associate nurse is the LPN the diploma nurse is far and few between ---the three year program is a nurse and the 4 plus year nurse is management--- :cool:

Webvamp · Oct 8, 2009

I thought long and hard about the same questions you have, I am in the ADN program and was told by the schools Dean of Health Sciences not to go that route, He said that you get treated as a second class nurse. I think many on here are right in saying it's according to the people you work with and I have also I want to work the ER and LPN's are typically long term care facility nurses.

Now with all that said, I think alot of RN's get a bad rap, I read many of the comments and very few addressed the superiority complex I have personally encountered by LPN's who I hear saying LPN's are the working nurses. My CNA instructor was one of the worst, she bashed RN's every day, I finally had all I could stand and asked her why she chose to remain an LPN instead of getting her RN.... she stated " I was happy as an LPN" and "I want to earn my pay" I translated it myself to understand she was Happy to do the same work for half the pay..... yeah right!

I think you will find some people who feel superior and your job ops will be limited. Just know that going in and let your work do the talking! Good luck.

And who cares about the age..... I'm a 44 year old male and Im just starting myself!

mpittsrn · Oct 8, 2009

I am so sorry that you failed the test! I am an RN, and by no means am I superior to any LPN that I have run into. However I work on a Rehab unit and we always have 2 nurses, an LPN and an RN and I think it is unfair that the LPN's unfortunately take the bulk of the bs and get paid significantly less. I like to think that I am very fair with the LPN's that I work with, but I know that all of the RN's that I run into are not that way. I think that you should give yourself some time. Retake the test. Invest in some study materials. Brush up on your basics and keep your head up. Don't settle. I am at work now and just asked my co-worker (an LPN of 4 years) to answer you questions and she said the following:

In response to is it being weeded out: YES! She worked on an acute floor and wanted to go full time from PRN (taking a pay cut of $3/hour) but they wouldn't hire her. She happened to fall into the position she is in now because our longtime LPN on nights decided that she had enough of the job and left!

Anyway, she says they are definitely mistreated. Oftentimes RN's think that because they have an ADN or BSN they are superior (and I've run into this being only 1 year out of school too) to new nurses and LPN's. I find it unfair because there are very few things that you can't do as an LPN (push meds in an IV, hang blood, access central lines), so we basically do the same job and there is a significant pay difference!!!

So I guess what I'm saying after much rambling is follow your heart. It's the same job, why not get paid more and not have to deal with the bs of others bothering you or mistreating you for being an LPN? :twocents:

I also know a girl that went the Delta College route and now is making 2 dollars more than she was as a CNA and has nearly $20,000 in debt. She recommends not going that route as well!

Good luck, keep your head up, and I hope it all works out!

Melissa

paganoid · Oct 8, 2009

I'm a senior BSN student just a few units away from graduation.

Just before Christmas my partner was in a near-fatal accident. Following inpatient care at a "magnet" facility which included an IV push of 4mg MSO4 that resulted in acute respiratory distress and an overflowing foley bag all over the floor, we transferred to a SNF where we got the VERY BEST care from LVN's and aides.

All I'm saying is the degree does not determine the quality of the nurse, it's the commitment to caring.

I'm surprised the OP doesn't just retake the TEAS test. Get a TEAS study guide and take a couple of weeks to work it through, then take the test again. Or get your LPN degree and get some work experience. Then take an LVN to RN bridge program, or LVN to BSN if such a thing is available and you want to go into management/administration.

Best of luck to you,

paganoid

Hopefull nurse · Oct 8, 2009

Thank you so much for your replies and support. What I like most about nursing is the patient/nurse interaction. Being able to help people as much as I can. My first degree is in Business Management. I worked as a CSM(Custormer Sevice Manager) at the New Orleans Airport & Big Lots (when I first started). Believe me, I loved it! I was able to interact w/ people and help them a lot. I interviewed, got hired and almost went to work for Southwest Airlines but the recruiter told me to finish college; he didn't want me to quit college.

I haved learned so much in customer service and I feel I can bring that into nursing. I have great people skills and want to put them to good use.

I know that as an LPN, I would get paid much less than an RN, but in the past I have gotten good paying jobs that I hated. Now, I may be getting paid less but I just might love the job! Point is, I want to be happy with what I do. I want to be excited about going to work, about being there and even more excited driving home, knowing that I helped someone today.

A classmate said to me the other day, that being an RN just sounds so much better than being an LPN. She says its sounds like something cheap. I was like, "WHAT!"

I am not doing it for the title. Right now I have the title of VOLUNTEER at Childrens Hospital and I am proud of it. Some of the RN's (I checked their badges) in the floor I work at ignore me when I speak to them, but you know what? I am giving up my time for FREE to be with those kids. I do it b/c it makes me feel good as a person. I walk in there feeling proud of myself and that is worth a lot more than $$'s. :yeah: