Advice for soon-to-be RN

[Emily456]

Hello everyone,

So I'm about 5 weeks from the end of my RN nursing program. I'm going to be graduating with an ADN and already have chosen a bridge over program to further my education so a BSN. Working as an LPN, I've truly come to love being a nurse. I've had some awful days and some great days. I truly do have a passion for this field. However I've only been an LPN for about a year and a half so I don't have tons of experience. Over that span of time I only worked in skilled/ assisted living facilities. And while I love getting to know my residents over time, I often times find myself bored. Geriatrics is my comfort zone. I finally feel like I've gotten a hang of this type of nursing. But when I'm at work I don't feel like I really get to use my critical thinking skills to their full extent. I love having the time to think things through and focus on what is going on with my patients. Which is very hard to do considering I manage 38 patients while at work (yikes). I feel like I'm just a robot passing pills all day. This is why I loved my ICU clinicals because I had less patients, and more unstable patients with complex problems. I really had to think everything through which is what I love.

So my question is, what type of nursing do all of you experienced nurses recommend I start out in? I know ICU isn't likely, unless I do a nurse residency program (which I really want to do). Any suggestions for different types of nursing that I could try out based on my interests?

also, I know that hospitals are starting to eliminate ADN nurses. So will places still hire me as long as I'm working toward my bachelor degree?

Thank you in advance!

[Ladybug993]

How was your transition into the program.. LPN to RN

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

ER maybe?

[Emily456]

I actually had a very smooth transition in the LPN to RN program. My school used to require nursing students to get their LPN before entering the RN program. Recently they began accepting "direct entry students" (students with no nursing background). Our school requires us to take specialty HESI's and an exit HESI prior to graduation. The only people in our class who passed first try are those who got their LPN before RN. I think for an ADN nursing program it is more beneficial to get your LPN first. Only because you learn the basics of nursing in LPN school. You learn the knowledge and skills of nursing in LPN school, and then learn how to critically think and apply that knowledge further in RN school. Whereas direct entry students are being forced to learn all of the basic knowledge, comprehension, critical thinking, and application in just 2 years. That's quite challenging. So, like I said, my transition was very smooth!

[Ladybug993]

Thanks for the reply.. It's been difficult for some people to put in words how the program was for them.. The way you put it makes a lot of sense.. Thanks for sharing [emoji1]

[lauramitr]

Hi Emily456! I appreciated reading your input on your LVN-RN transition experience. As far as the concept maps in RN school, did you find it difficult to adjust? I myself didn't have any exposure to care plans in LVN school but we did complete concept maps so I'm curious to know what your experience was with adjusting to the new requirements in a whole new school and with the new scope of practice.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

I would like to follow this thread. In my LVN program one of the clinical instructors had us write care plans -etiology and everything. She would say "I know this is a RN job but you will get the exposure now" I never understood it but now I truly appreciate her :)