Anyone else decide to not to go on to RN and stay an LPN?

[Errin1]

I have been an LPN for 23 years and I love it. I am so over being treated like I'm less than a nurse because I don't have RN next to my name. You should hear what some of my patients have to say about the "real nurses" and their bedside manor. I too have raised my kids, have a hubby , a home and a life... two cats and piece of mind.

[agldragonRN]

Unfortunately, there would always be those people who would look down on lpns because they are ignorant to what an lpn is. if you are content with being an lpn, there is nothing wrong with that. at least you know what you want. you should only do the RN for you and not for something else. unfortunately, I do get more respect now that I am an RN. I don't know why when I knew most of the stuff I know when I was an lpn.

[ChristinP]

I've said it 100s if not 1000s of times I love being a lpn! And darn it I'm good at.

The only reason I am pursuing my RN is because of the job market only. It's getting harder to find a job other than in LTC which means there is not enough jobs to hire us all.

I recently applied for a nurse intake position with a homecare agency. I was disappointed when the manager told me that the state requires a licensed person to do this so we give it to the lpns rather than have them see patients.

[mazy]

For as long as I can remember I have always spent my life thinking about the next step. Always trying to challenge myself, accomplish one thing and then move on to the next thing and then the next and the next. So it seems obvious that once I got my LPN the next step would be to get my RN.

But circumstances have made that impossible up to now. And although I have had some profound regrets, there is a lot to be said for stopping the train and enjoying the feeling of being comfortable with where I am, feeling confident in what I know, and just committing to one thing without always thinking that this is going to be a temporary stop until the next step.

I'm an experienced nurse now, I fought hard to get to this place in my career and my life; I want to spend some time being content with my life for a change.

So yes, I want to go on for my RN, if it happens that's fine, if it doesn't then I'll be OK with that.

[itsmejuli]

During my mid-life career change I had planned on becoming an RN. I started pre-reqs, couldn't get into an RN program, went the LPN route then started the RN program. I was in FL at the time and working in LTC, the local hospitals didn't hire LPNs.

I completed one semester of of RN where I learned nothing new. Then over Christmas break decided to sell my house and return to Canada.

So here I am, an LPN working in medical rehab making more money than a new RN grad in most of the US. I can work in a hospital if I want to.

I have no desire to go on to RN, I'm done with school. And I'm sure being an RN won't give me that much more money in my pocket after taxes and tuition.

[AZMOMO2]

I want the RN... I guess mainly because there may be more options later in life as an RN than there are as an LPN. Teaching being one of them.

Of course with that being said there is not much out there for new grads and despite having LPN experience, which it seems counts for nothing, the RN market is pretty dismal. I can move more freely with the 2 + years of experience in my field, but since I have continued to take pre-reqs and co-reqs for RN programs and even BSN programs, since finishing my LPN program in 2009, I can't stop now. Presently I am waiting for a spot for the LPN-ADN/RN program while working on my BSN general education classes so I can bridge right away to RN-BSN core classes. There seems to be little market for extry level RNs around here without at least a BSN.

I also have the comfort of know that my current LPN position converts to a RN position with a big pay bump once I graduate, so I have some extra incentive there too.

I think for me ultimately the reason I keep going is it would be more about becoming complacent than anything.

I am also tired of hearing, "Oh you are just an LPN that's not a real nurse."

[RJKitts]

I am an LPN for 3 almost 4 years and wishes that I would've went the RN route, because now after finishing school and working I feel that I always make an excuse not to go back. Where I'm from there are not a lot of job opportunities for LPNs mostly LTC, no hospital in this area will hire an LPN unless they want to work as a PCA. But I also feel like new grads from RN school aren't getting hired either. In a LTC setting where I was we had 2 brand new RN's with BSNs come to work for $20/hr which is what the LPNs were making and we all were doing the same thing. But my dream is to become a travel nurse, so RN I will have to get to broaden my possibilities in that field. But in my opinion a nurse is a nurse and we all contribute to patient care so if you're happy with that, we need LPNs as much as we need RNs and STNAs.

[winnowill]

I've been a LPN for ten years now. Sometimes I think about going back to get my RN. And sometimes I wonder what I was thinking going into nursing in the first place. Then something will happen to remind me why and that I wouldn't do anything else. I doubt I will ever go back for my RN though. I am happy where I am.

[ruthalittle]

Hello. Same here. My oldest "child" is now 28. When he was 8 years old he had a Tympanomastoidectomy and was hospitalized for over a month. At the time I was enrolled in an RN program and was almost halfway through it. After he recovered I took the Practical nursing program so that I could work & concentrate on raising my kids. The plan was to bridge over to an RN program after my children were grown.

I also currently work in homecare. Have you seen the amount of paperwork the RN's are responsible for in homecare?! There is very little time left for what I love; the hands on aspect of nursing. So, I'm blessed enough to love what I get paid for, and make my own hours more or less. I will one day be a retired LPN.

[WldChrry]

I am still a very new LPN, about a year in now. I have toyed with alot of different ideas as to what my next step would be, if any. On top of being an LPN, I have an Associates in Early Childhood Education, and until recently, I was enrolled in Excelsior's RN program. However, I have decided to change my major and start working on a Bachelors degree in a health related field. When I started LPN school, it was never my intent to become an RN, but of course with everyone's "input" it just seemed like the most logical thing to do. I guess it took me just taking a step back and realizing that I love being an LPN, I love working in geriatrics, plus I already have an Associates degree already, so why am I working toward another Associates when I could use that same time to just get my Bachelors. I will still be a nurse, although not an RN, but that's really not important to me. What's important to me is that I love what I do, and that I can still be a well educated LPN with many opportunities.

[CLUVRN, MSN, RN]

I too plan on a career as an LPN with no desire to be an RN. I have a great paying full-time job with benefits and gas/cell phone reimbursement. I enjoy my life and those in it. I have no complaints/worries. Things are good right now!

[Kamilah Coney, ASN, BSN, RN]

I am a new LPN. I do not have the knowledge or experience of working as an LPN, as of yet. But, one thing that EVERY working LPN I met through my clinical rotation suggested is, that I go on to get my RN degree. I wanted to do that this May but I didn't want to place the financial burden on my spouse through another intensive year nursing school. I pray that my decision to put if off for a year won't haunt me (since it took my 10 years to get to this point). But I do intend to go on to get my RN and within 5 years, God willing, my BSN (as the state in which I reside has their local new RN's on a 5 year deadline to get their BSN). Most of the hospitals in my region won't hire LPNs unless they are experienced (5+ years or more), and even with that, job positions are limited. I haven't been looking long for work, but even jobs for newly licensed LPNs are hard to come by because most LTC facilities want nurses with "experience". I thought a year of clinical experience would count as something. Back on topic, getting an RN degree is becoming a "must have" to work in the healthcare industry as a nurse. There used to be a time when LPNs were the nurses to be, now you must have your BSN to get into the door of a HOSPITAL, next thing you know...PhD in nursing (is that even possible??)