lvn or straight through??? help please.

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Hi everyone, I am going back and fourth on an issue.

I am in the first year of my 4 semester ADn program. THIS SUMMER we can do clinicals all summer and sit for the LVN exam in the mid fall. This is basically working 40 hrs a week, straight through no breaks, etc. no pay , blah blah. but i am sure the xperience is very valuable.

I have been told that lvns are being phased out but i see ads for them all over. I would love to work possibly weekends while I stay in school for the adn. I AM getting my adn/rn, doing the lvn woudl be for experience and hopefully a part time job.

I have gotten mixed reviews - some say do it others say don't bother, bc lvns are being phased out. Again, I would love to have the opportunity to work part time while in school, and get my foot in the door , however i don't want to get all the way thru and see there are no jobs, and there are not jobs that will accomodate students.

my second option is to take some classes for a BSN. I already have a bs in psych so it won't take long, but i do lack THREE prereques (nutrition, chem, and stats......) so i was thinking about working on that.

third option is to get a regular part time job somewhere and just sort of chill. That is what many of my classmates are doing.

I am really torn on this topic. I am leaning toward the lvn bc it will be valuable experience. I would love to hear others stories -- others experiences.

Thanks so much !

:balloons:

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Why not get a nurse tech position? This is for students that are in their last year of clinicals. The pay is actually about the same, at least in most areas, and you will be able to do almost the same treatments that the LPN can. And yes, not all hospitals are using LPNs like they did in the past, so you will find it easier to get a nurse tech position.

And depending on where you are, there are also nurse externships available where you are paired one to one with an RN and can actually do much more than a nurse tech. It is worth checking it out.

Be aware that the NCLEX-PN coveres different topics than the RN exam so wil linvolve different studying, plus you have to pay for the license, as well as the $200 for the exam, making it about $400 to get your license.

I am sure that there are others with completely different ideas on the topic but this is all mine.

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Specializes in LTC.

If you're just looking to work part-time to make some money while you finish your second year, I say go ahead and sit for the LVN boards. If you're not that picky about the type of nursing, I'm sure there are tons of LTC facilities who can use weekend LPNs. I honestly doubt that LVNs will be anywhere close to being phased out by the time you're licensed if you're that close to doing it. Besides making the extra cash, the nursing experience you receive will be an added bonus.

Being a nurse tech is also an excellent suggestion. It would be worth it to look into both and weigh your options based on what you find out.

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