Anxiety-ridden LPN: RN school and/or LPN work?

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  1. What do you think I should do, re anxiety & second-career nursing?

    • 1
      BOTH STUDY & WORK -- the less you have time to think about your anxiety, the better! ;-)
    • 1
      ONLY WORK -- get back on the horse ASAP and retry RN school when "ready"
    • 1
      ONLY STUDY -- re-learn some stuff during 1st year, re-build your confidence over the years

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Hi all, I'm a new second-career LPN, in my early 50's.

I had a 8-day orientation in a hospital - med/sug - and was fired : my anxiety got the better of me.

Even if I'm sad and worried, I know that I can get through this and succeed at a future job. I thought about my issues and errors and about ways to not repeat them.

I wonder if I should go to RN school or work as a LPN again. I love being a LPN, but I know, from my previous jobs, that I'm more confident with paperwork, which is a big part of the RN job.

I've been accepted to a RN school (BSN), which is very rare for an LPN. I thought they'd tell me what to do in order to be admitted "next time" and use it as a plan for the next few years.

But I was admitted! If I don't attend this year, I might loose my chance to ever attend, since admission depends on the other candidates as well as on the market.

In an ideal world, I'd work for at least 3 years prior to RN school. But I had the luck to be admitted now.

And I have a new job offer as a LPN in another hospital. Of course I'm scared of the orientation, because of what happened at the other hospital.

I'd love to do both: study to be a RN *AND* work as a LPN, in order to consolidate both my learning with my job and the work with the new knowledge. As well as to bring some money home. It would be only 2 days per week.

But an hospital orientation is very stress-full, and the probation period afterwards is not easy-breezy neither.

The orientation would start about 3 weeks after the school start.

I could work hard at school in the beginning order to be able to miss school for the orientation period. Like do homework in advance, read everything, etc.

Reading what I wrote make me realize it's nuts for a NON 20-something. ;-)

So here's a recap:

Plan A) Both study and work: not enough time with my family, risks for my health

Plan B) Only work: not enough money, risk of another failed orientation

Plan C) Only study: no money but more revenue on the long run

What do you guys and gals think?

Thank you for reading

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You can't do both if you can't talk yourself into positive thinking and confidence. Concentrate on the BSN if you don't think you can give your best to both situations at the same time. If it were me, I would tell you to do only one activity at a time, for now. That is my take on what you wrote in your post.

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Hello Callioter3, many thanks for taking the time to give me your opinion!

Coincidentally, I read another post about a 50-something thinking about RN school (https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/is-this-a-1169711.html) to which Horseshoe commented:

"Experience is the best teacher for new nurses. If you are limiting your exposure to the job, you are limiting those opportunities for learning and skill advancement."

You replied to the above comment with:

"Could not have said it better. Establish your knowledge and experience base before you seek part time."

It makes so much sense. Starting my LPN career with a part-time job (2 days per week) is not conductive to success.

Thanks again for your feedback!

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I could work hard at school in the beginning order to be able to miss school for the orientation period. Like do homework in advance, read everything, etc.

There are so many programs out there you might find a situation where that's possible, but the ones I know of would never allow absences (even from regular class time) to accommodate personal preferences/needs - you would want to discuss this plan with someone and not assume it would be allowed.

I also think it would probably be pretty stressful, although many, many nurses have held down some kind of job while attending school. In your case you would be trying to orient as a new grad to a position with quite a degree of responsibility and expectations while having another major priority that can't be put on the back burner come what may.

Your best chance of success may be to pick one or the other. You said this:

If I don't attend this year, I might loose my chance to ever attend, since admission depends on the other candidates as well as on the market.

It's worth thinking about that possibility. Or something may change on your end to make it less possible to attend school. Who knows.

If you can swing it financially it is really worth thinking about the opportunity to attend school while it exists.

Good luck with your decision!

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Hello JKL33, thank you so much for your inputs!

I know that some teachers can be accommodating, but you're right, I can't assume they will *all* be. Plus the orientation at work will probably span over 3 weeks.

And indeed, I'm worried that in a few or several years, it won't be a good timing to attend school.

Thanks again for your time!

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I found in nursing school that they were not accommodating at all to any problems or situations I had in my personal life. Even finding out what my personal circumstances were (for instance, that I was a single mother of a teenage daughter) came about to be a strike against me as far as the nursing school was concerned. A valued nursing supervisor one time told me what happened when she failed out of RN school. She was told it was because of working. So, she wised up, and when she returned to the program, she slathered them up with telling them that she took their advice and was no longer working. She finished the program without the school discovering that all she had done was to change her work hours. Keep your personal life, personal circumstances, personal problems, to yourself while you are in school and you will likely have an easier time of it. It might also mean the difference between being successful and being marginalized out the door.

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Specializes in school nurse.

Here's a slight variation of one of your choices-

Take the LPN job and work at carving away some of the non-nursing courses (one at a time) that the BSN program will require, i.e. core liberal arts, etc.

Get your confidence back before studying for a higher level of licensure that may well be more stressful for you than your current situation.

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Specializes in PMHNP.

It sounds like you get overwhelmed under stress and have anxiety, is that correct? Why not try a different setting for your first successful LPN job, like one-on-one pediatric Home Care? Not only will you be earning money and having an easier transition into LPN work but if you're working nights you might have a lot of free time to study while your patient is sleeping, particularly if you're working with a patient with low acuity, such as a nighttime tube feed often can be.

Your BSN program would be stressful enough as it is, and you want to give yourself every opportunity to be successful in that. Also keep in mind, pediatric home care companies in my experience can be very flexible to meet the needs of your school schedule. That's just one other perspective, good luck!

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Hello Caliotter3, thanks for your July 27 (2018) advices, sorry about my very late answer, I had forgotten about AllNurses!

I started the RN program at university in Fall 2018.

I work about 2 shifts per month at another job, not the one I was offered at 4 shifts monthly. Except in Summer, when I work between 3 and 5 shifts per week, as a student nurse.and discovered that indeed, they are way less accommodating than in other programs in which I have studied.

As you wrote, this program's teachers and administrators are way less accommodating than the ones of the other programs I had studied in.

When I had problems in the RN program, I decided to tell them the truth, so that we establish an honest rapport. Maybe I shouldn't have, according to your post, but I also told them what I was doing about it in order to solve it.

So it's both a challenge and a positive change in my life, since the problems I am addressing will be tackled, if I may say. ?

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Hello Jedrnurse, thanks for your July 28 (2018) advices, sorry about my very late answer, I had forgotten about AllNurses!

I started the RN program at university in Fall 2018.

I work about 2 shifts per month at another job, not the one I was offered at 4 shifts monthly. Except in Summer, when I work between 3 and 5 shifts per week, as a student nurse.

This RN program is full-time only, and even its "non-RN" courses are part of it, I.e. tinted with RN notions, such as Ethics. All courses are mandatory.

Since I already have several diplomas, the university level courses are actually less stressful to me than the strictly RN courses! I am nervous in the clinical and job settings because I am observed...

We're all different, right? Thanks again for your inputs!

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Hello Miss.Jersey, thanks for your August 26 (2018) advices, sorry about my very late answer, I had forgotten about AllNurses!

I started the RN program at university in Fall 2018.

I work about 2 shifts per month at another job, not the one I was offered at 4 shifts monthly. Except in Summer, when I work between 3 and 5 shifts per week, as a student nurse.

Your home pediatric nursing job is a terrific idea! Since I'm a mother and that I might have a very busy semester next Fall (tons of courses), I'll keep my current arrangements, but if my circumstances change, I'll keep your suggestion in mind!

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