Need advice please - LPN first, then RN?

[HopefulLInurse]

Greetings to all,

I am thrilled to have found this site! I've been a lurker for a while and decided to take the plunge and join in.

I need to ask for some advice. I will try to make this as short as possible.

Given that the nursing schools in my area (Suffolk County, Long Island) are so competitive, would the quicker route be to go for LPN first, then go for RN?

I am presently taking A & P 1 at Suffolk Community College. I am loving the class and I have an A average so far (will be keeping that up!). I am just afraid that even if I do get high grades in all my prerequisite classes, there are so many people applying for seats at nursing schools, I may still not be accepted.

I do understand that going for an LPN would be just as hard as going for an RN, i.e. the classes will be just as intense. I would also be attending school at night, so I understand that getting the LPN would take over a year.

However, most of the schools here give precedence to LPN's trying to enter their BSN programs (at least that's what I've been told by advisors at these schools) and there is also the chance that the institution that I would be working at may help out with tuition (please correct me if I'm wrong on this).

I am looking for any advice that you would have to give. I realize that getting into nursing these days is not the easiest thing in the world and would like to know what my options are.

Thank you all very much for reading this!

[1lollipop]

From what I hear, LPNs are having a very tough time finding jobs now (even tougher time than the RNs). Nursing homes hire very few LPNS, and hospitals generally don't hire any. However, graduating from a LPN program would give you an edge in getting accepted to many nursing programs, esp. the lower-cost public colleges like Suffolk Community College, Nassau Community College, Queensborough, etc. These programs are much more competitive than the private schools because they get so many applications (due to the lower tuition rates). Once you get accepted into a RN program or LPN, it's very tough to work and take classes unless you're very organized and diligent. It's better not to work while you're a student if possible, but that's up to you. I thought about a LPN program myself at one time, but ended up going to a private BSN program because I figured I'd end up doing that anyway, and it would take less time to just do it directly. It's expensive, but i'm going full-time and hope to graduate and work asap. It should take me about 2.5 years. That's a year and a half more than a LPN program when you think about it. I've been a BSN student for a year already, and I'm happy with my decision. That's my perspective. Good luck with whatever you decide.