LPN to RN Hurdles!!

kimlpn · Feb 6, 2006

The clinical at Excelsior is fairly expensive. I took it last a year ago and paid about $1250.00. The clinical is tough but very doable. I liked the Excelsior (Regents) program. I feel that I learned a lot and I was able to continue working and caring for my kids. This is a great program for those that have families and need to continue working. As with any program, it has it's downfalls too. Good luck in whatever route you choose, Check out the distance learning section of allnurses....you will find tons of useful info on various distance learning programs.

Kim--RN as of 2005!!!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2006

All current LPNs/LVNs who are attending RN programs must do clinical rotations while in the RN program, regardless of their work experience.

If you're going to earn more money with an RN license, why would returning to school be a waste of money? I would think that returning to school will result in a higher salary and more respect for what you have already been doing throughout the past 24 years. With 24 years of LPN experience, RN clinical rotations should be very easy for you to complete.

pattyzaccy · Feb 6, 2006

i've been an lpn for 24 years and really agree i know and can do just as much as the rns i work with, in fact sometimes they come to me for all my experience! they really do make it really hard and expensive for the lpn to get her rn, i almost feel like all those years of experience should somehow be gandfathered in and we should be able to take the rn boards!!!

luv4nursing · Feb 6, 2006

Ive only been an LPN for a few months, and Im finishing my pre reqs for my RN right now--Im deciding between Excelsior (I have all the College Network Study guides bc a friend copied most of them for me and I bought a couple from Ebay) and the community college for the LPN-RN bridge. The program at the comm. college is online as well, but we have weekly clinicals. I wouldnt be so stressed out like I would with Excelsior. Since Im a new nurse Im worried I would fail the CPNE and it costs 1500 bucks. I wouldnt have a problem with the book work portion, but I would probably have a nervous breakdown over the CPNE :wink2: Im pretty sure Im gonna end up just going to the comm college starting next January (they only start once a year).

Anyhow, I have friends who are older than me who have been LPNs for years and they say the only thing thing they regret is not getting their RN sooner. You are right in that you know as much if not more as many RNs, but you dont get paid or respected as much as an RN bc u dont have the education to earn the title. Bascially I look at it as you are giving yourself a voluntary pay cut. You should think of it as all the money you have lost in 24 years and all the money you will continue to lose if u dont spend a few thousand dollars to get your RN. When I think of it that way, the only unfairness I see is being unfair to ourselves knowing we are capable and not taking the initiatvive/time/money to just get it done. This doesnt go for the LPNs who are happier with bedside care and arent concerned about pay, and there is nothing wrong with that. Im referring to LPNs who are unhappy with their position/pay. I can understand thinking its unfair, but there isnt much you can do about it other than accept it or go back to school for a year. Good luck to you and I hope u use your anger/frustration with the situation as fuel to do something positive about it. :)

Bird2 · Feb 6, 2006

I also was an LPN for many years then I went received my RN. Trust me it is not a waste of time or money. There were many things that were review for me but you will be surprised on what you do not know or just had forgotten.

whimsical5 · Feb 6, 2006

thanks all! I did not mean getting my RN would ne a waste of time or money, absolutely NOT! what I mean is, I wish 23 yearsof experience counted for something! Wher I work now, I only make $1.00 an hour less than the RNs, so that is great for An LPN! But I would love to become an RN. I appreciate the Comm. College Bridge idea. I have to look into that!

Nanyc

pagandeva2000, LPN · Feb 13, 2006

The clinical at Excelsior is fairly expensive. I took it last a year ago and paid about $1250.00. The clinical is tough but very doable. I liked the Excelsior (Regents) program. I feel that I learned a lot and I was able to continue working and caring for my kids. This is a great program for those that have families and need to continue working. As with any program, it has it's downfalls too. Good luck in whatever route you choose, Check out the distance learning section of allnurses....you will find tons of useful info on various distance learning programs.
Kim--RN as of 2005!!!

Please share your experience with Excelsior. I was thinking about it when I graduate and get my license in practical nursing. Is the tuition expensive, and most importantly, how was it studying on your own?

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2006

I have to agree with Bird2. Skill wise maybe you can do everything an Rn does, but working and being effective as an Rn is a different way of thinking than it is for a LPN. LPN bridges are a great course for those of us who have worked as an LPN for years before completeing the RN.

Ive been there done that, and critical thinking is completely different in the RN scope of practice than it is LPN. Yes, clinicals are clinicals but the focus is different. Good luck, you wont be sorry.

If you want frustration, see what hoops you have to jump through to get a BSN after your already a ASN or ADN AND have passed your NCLEX. That transition is pretty much about money, cut and dried.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Feb 13, 2006

I hear many times that the focus is different for the RN. I see it, but can't really place a finger on how. I was speaking to an RN student about classes, and at that time, we were both taking OB and Peds (I'm an LPN student). I shared alot of facts with her, and she let me read her notes. She felt that I was learning the same things she was learning, and yet, I saw from her notes, that the focus is not quite the same. Is it that the LPN focus is more prioritizing work, and the RN is geared more towards assessment? Again, I certainly see that there is a difference, but can't really explain why or what it is.