question on lpn schooling

True, most hospitals are doing away with LPN positions. That still leaves LTC facilities, physician's offices, clinics, home health, and Hospice as places that would utilize LPNs.

People conveniently forget about the 77 million Baby Boomers living in the US today.

The oldest of the Baby Boomer cohort will be turning 63 this year, and the youngest of this cohort will be turning 45. These middle-aged people will soon become elderly and definitely need healthcare due to living longer and making some poor lifestyle choices.

I am certainly beginning to see the oldest Baby Boomers (people in their early 60s) end up in the nursing homes where I am employed due to massive CVAs that leave them incapacitated, amputations due to uncontrolled diabetes, and other issues. The flooding of the Baby Boomers into nursing homes and home health agencies is only going to increase, which leaves a need for LPNs/LVNs in healthcare.

Not to mention that insurance companies and medicare are getting people out of the hospital as fast as ever and many especially elderly are sent home for home health nursing or transferred to skilled nursing facilities for rehab and to long term acute care hospitals (LTACHs). Those settings seem to be employed by mostly LPN/LVN staff nurses. So because many areas are doing away with LPN/LVNs in large acute care hospitals, there seems to be many openings in other settings.

Believe me, in my area on NJ, being the nursing home capital of the world with lots of residents way over 90yrs of age, LPNs are not going anywhere except to work. There aren't enough RNs to keep up with the need for nurses. LPNs graduate much sooner than RNs. We currently have 2 LPN schools in the County vs. 1 RN school. I get calls & letters offering me agency work all the time. I've seen LPN job ads for the ARC, group homes, Board of Health, doctors offices, lots of jobs. Also, depending on your area, there are government jobs for practical nurses. Go for it! We are not going anywhere!