Should I pursue a BSN or LPN

[girtenbt]

Hi I just completed my pre-nursing year for a BSN at a 4 year college and I've been told I will start off making between $19-$23 with a BSN which is not bad but my friends sister recieved her LPN and is making $45,000 a year which might be more then what I start off making with a bachelors. Also I will graduate with $50,000 in federal loans but if I took an LPN program at a community college I will only have 5k or 6k more in loans versus 30k pursuing my bachelors. Is it worth it to stay in the BSN program or should I switch to LPN? When I gain more experience will my pay/benefits dwarf hers or is 1 year of school to be an LPN almost equal to being an RN with a BSN?

[home-school mom]

Going back to school after nearly 20 years of being out and I was thinking of doing ADN to BSN. I just want to work PRN not full time any suggestions. I don't have a big degree to feel good about myself. I'm not doing to make more money either. I just want to get a good education so I can go out and do a great job. It is more about the training... I hear the ADN programs give better training, is this true?

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

In high cost areas like NYC, nurses do make a substantial amount. An LPN here starts at $23 an hour and an experienced RN with just an associates can make over $40 an hour. In fact, when I spoke to my mother (an RN) about going to nursing school, she told me that financially it is not worth it to get a BSN. I noticed a lot of the younger generation of nurses on these forums seem to look to the BSN as the gold standard, but when you speak with more senior nurses, their opinion of the BSN is much different.

Actually, the ANA wants to make BSN the entry level for an RN.

[Donald11]

"You may as well go for one or two more years and get that bachelors degree!"

Why? If you can be working during those 2 years instead of in school, you would be better off financially. Your earning potential would be greater and you student loan debt lower. In economics, this is what is referred to as "opportunity cost." Not only must you count the cost of doing something, in this case going to school, but you must also factor in the money you would earn by not doing that activity, in this case working instead of going to school.

[kanidoit2]

I definitely think that you should pursue your BSN. In my area, diploma and ADN RN's are beginning to be phased out of area hospitals. I'm an LPN and I just recently decided to bite the bullet and start a BSN program myself. I love nursing and I think the key to longevity (and higher salaries) is education.