what was the biggest adjustment from LPN to RN?

Nursing Students LPN-RN

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I am currently in LPN school, but plan to bridge immediately into RN. LPN so far isn't too hard academically, but it's the course load that is wearing me out, and I'm only 5 wks in :no: I am working part time and have a 3yr old.

My plan is to work 2 12-hr shifts as an LPN while in the bridging program, but I recently talked to a friend who's doing the last semester of her bridge while doing the same, and she's worried she's not even going to make it. She said it just SO much harder and she's already failed out/dropped out (not sure which) once, and this is her second shot at the second semester.

So what is it that makes it so much harder? Was it a big transition for you? Is it a bad idea to think that I could actually work as a nurse on the weekends while doing it?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I also thought the work wasn't very difficult it was more the huge amount of it. Kudos to you because I can't imagine wrangling a 3yo also! :)

My RN bridge program was not hard. Again it was a lot of work to stay on top of but it was interesting to get more indepth knowledge about many of the disease processes we studied in LPN school. I worked a min of 30 hours through both programs without a problem and the RN bridge program was so short just 2 full time semesters after a mini summer bridge class that there was no way I wasn't going to sail through it. Best of luck to you!!

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This isn't to answer your original question, because I'm still a LPN student, but just something to share.

I plan to graduate from my LPN program in Dec. Yes, it's much more time consuming and more difficult than I imagined.

At my school, there's a RN and a LPN-RN bridge program. The bridge program starts once a year in Sept., the RN in Jan. and Sept. Most LPN students (if they want the RN), are doing the bridge. The problem, the program is much more rigid with class/clinical options than the regular RN program. The RN program offers night, weekend, online-many options. The LPN-RN is 3 semesters instead of 4, which is good, but the price is rigidity (few options classes and more compact schedule). This is just when you want to be out there working as a LPN while going to school.

For me and one other classmate, we applied to the RN regular program (at same time as LPN in our cases), and got in to start this Jan, right after our LPN. Our pharm, nutrition, sciences (we took all RN anatomy/micro/math, etc. independently, before the LPN program) all transfer. We will have to take the RN fundamentals, but that's about it that we wouldn't have to take anyway in the bridge.

You might want to look into regular RN programs if you are willing to trade a semester extra for flexibility.

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in my area the bridge is just 2 semesters long, so going with a traditional RN program would add 2 semesters extra :no:

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The only problem I am having right now, is that alot of our class have been an LPN for MANY years and some haven't even passed LPN boards yet. So when lecturing in OB or Med Surg for example, the instructor says "we aren't going to lecture this part because it should be review". Well, it would have been review for me about 5 years ago when I got out of LPN school! So alot is self teaching. And it seems that LPN school was more black/white. Like, I remember having to memorize definitions, etc. In RN school, it is taking all of that and applying it to a situation.

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Specializes in Vascular Access Nurse.

I'm 236 days away from graduation LPN to RN. I've been an LPN for 20 years and finally went back to school. For me, the biggest difference is critical thinking skills. The classwork and clinical aren't difficult, though certainly exhuasting while working full time, but you really have to know your body systems and how everything works together to answer questions correctly on exams. As a previous poster noted, there is a lot less black and white. You need to think on your feet and chose the BEST answer, even if the other answer wouldn't technically be wrong. For me, it's exciting to understand more of the WHY behind what we do, not just HOW to do it. I see my role as an LPN to be more task oriented, and my role as a SN (and RN soon, I hope!) as to understanding more about the ramifications of what I do, or don't do. For example, not just learning the s/s and probable treatment of CHF, but also the pathophysiology behind how and why CHF develops and how the treatments work. Hope this is helpful!!

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

As you can see from above posters, much depends on how long you have been an LPN. I graduated with an LPN in May 1992 and was back in school Jan 1993 for the ADN. For me, because my knowledge was already fresh, it was a cake walk. I did work full-time and went to school full time and graduated in May 1994 with the ADN.

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:yeah: Very good story, thanks for sharing it

I also thought the work wasn't very difficult it was more the huge amount of it. Kudos to you because I can't imagine wrangling a 3yo also! :)

My RN bridge program was not hard. Again it was a lot of work to stay on top of but it was interesting to get more indepth knowledge about many of the disease processes we studied in LPN school. I worked a min of 30 hours through both programs without a problem and the RN bridge program was so short just 2 full time semesters after a mini summer bridge class that there was no way I wasn't going to sail through it. Best of luck to you!!

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I didnt do it but most of my classmates did. Most of them also flunked out after a short minute. I think the 2nd semester, the one after the transition semester they had only 3 or 4 left from my class. Im not sure why this was. They said they were not given any tests throughout and one final exam...so they werent able to gauge their progress or lack of. Im not sure which way Im going to go...bridge or regular 2 yr RN. Im just not sure. After a year or so of working then Ill go. Good luck!

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I'm doing the LPN/RN bridge at my local CC right now, and so far, the biggest challenge for me is the "what are they thinking!?!" things in the text book -- like "normal" respirations in a healthy adult are 12-20. Yeah, maybe if you're a marathon Olympic runner your respiratory rate's 12. The average age of our patients in the hospital is usually about 73, and anybody goes under 16rpm, I'm in the room trying to figure out what's going on. Or the 2 weeks we've spent on "spiritual/cultural issues" -- these folks are in the hospital as student nurses, isn't it more important to teach them to look at critical labs/vital signs so as to know when to yell for help? We're in a rural area, and a bus load of Hmong, Korean, Japanese, Muslim, Jewish and Amish sightseers wrecking their bus in front of our little hospital--not that likely...Not about our teacher, she's great, but it's the stupid book....we need to know "cultural competence" but to do it practically first???

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What was the defference between the nclex rn and the nclex pn

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