Any Advice Would Be Helpful- Need Direction

cpnegrad07 · Mar 2, 2008

do you like math and science? those are core needs. critical/linear thinking? that is a plus. dealing with human beings? necessary for most of nursing.

definitely get some experience with what you will be doing before investing too much. That is my advice.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Apr 17, 2008

Hi,
I am currently in school pursuing a bachelors degree in political science. However, I have decided to take a new direction in life and go into nursing. I have a few friends that took this route and they are doing very well.
I am planning to go to a LPN school beginning at the end of the summer and lasting throughout the year. I have went to college for over 2 and a half years and just don't want to leave that behind, so I am changing my degree to the Regents Bachelor of Arts. In this degree I can earn credits for the LPN license toward my bachelors degree and be able to graduate.
I would like to excel nursing, but I feel completely lost in this field, and clueless on what to do next to go further. If anyone would be willing to offer me advice on what they think is the best course of action and how to further my nursing education, I would be greatly appreciative.
Thanks a lot!

Sorry to be so long answering this post, but it isn't so easy to advise. A couple of thoughts, though: it might pay to sit down with a financial aid advisor and see whether it would be beneficial to graduate. What I mean is, I wonder whether completing a Board of Regents degree might limit your options for financial aid while pursuing a BSN.

I do think there's a lot to be said for entering nursing as an LPN. My classmates with LPN experience were miles ahead of the rest of us. But the opportunities, and pay, for LPNs are a bit limited. It might pay to look into going straight into a BSN program. I guess it depends a lot on your individual circumstances. If you go for your LPN and discover you hate everything about nursing, you've only "wasted" a year, and it isn't really wasted, because at least some of what you learn will probably help you in any field you might later choose. Or, you might love it so much you can't wait to further your education.

I was working in healthcare in an unlicensed position even before I decided to become a nurse, so I had a little bit of a preview of what to expect. Not as much of a preview as I imagined, though. Nursing school was an eye-opener (Lord, I do hope none of my instructors are reading this!) and working as a nurse has been even more of a rude awakening, at times. Still, I think a part-time job in healthcare, or even volunteering over the summer, can be of some advantage to a prospective nurse. Sometimes facilities like to hire nursing or prenursing students as a way of recruiting future nurses.

Good luck, and welcome to allnurses, albeit belatedly. I hope you'll keep us posted on how it's going.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Apr 17, 2008

Agree with Mike. Good luck.

P.S. I do know that once you have that Regents degree completed it is difficult to get aid for a BSN. (Happened to a friend of mine.)

Jessie21 · May 24, 2008

Hello again,

Thanks to everyone who replied to my posting for all of your great advice! I have been accepted in a LPN program, and it will begin this June!

Although, I believe I made a mistake in how I presented a statement/question when I said that "I feel completely lost in this field, and clueless on what to do next to go further."

To better explain myself... I meant that I do not know the necessary steps to take to further my position as a nurse. For example, after completion of the LPN program, what's next? How do I further my nursing carrer? I find with nursing that you have many options, and I am unsure or unaware of some of them and I am just trying to decide what would be the best for me. I would be interested in knowing your suggestions.

Just to answer a few of the posts, I do like math and science and did exceptionally well in high-school and college. I love to work and interact with people. However, I do agree that I need more experience in health care. I am taking your advice and filling out some paperwork to become a volunteer at a local hospital.

Thank you so much everyone!

elkpark · May 24, 2008

To better explain myself... I meant that I do not know the necessary steps to take to further my position as a nurse. For example, after completion of the LPN program, what's next? How do I further my nursing carrer? I find with nursing that you have many options, and I am unsure or unaware of some of them and I am just trying to decide what would be the best for me. I would be interested in knowing your suggestions.

Well, the way you "further your career" after you become an LPN is by returning to school and becoming an RN. The reality is that you will have very limited professional opportunities as an LPN. The "many options" that you're interested in entering nursing in order to have are primarily available to RNs.

I second everything Mike said, and would encourage you strongly to investigate in more depth whether nursing is something you really want to pursue before committing to any educational program. If you do decide that nursing is definitely for you, I would encourage you to look into getting into a BSN program rather than an LPN program, esp. since you already have much of a baccalaureate degree completed.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · May 24, 2008

Once you complete your LPN classes and pass the boards, you can apply to work for a facility that will help with tuition for RN bridge classes. It can be hard to work and attempt to go to school but its done everyday. Good luck.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · May 24, 2008

I do agree with elkpark, the BSN is the way to go as you already have many classes under your belt. Good luck in whatever you decide.

nursemike, ASN, RN · May 24, 2008

It sounds like you've pretty well settled on entering the field through an LPN program. That isn't the route I took--I went through an ASN program in two years. I've often thought that if a person had enough time, CNA--LPN--RN would not be a bad route, because one could be gaining practical experience as one pursued one's education. As I mentioned, when I was in school, several of my classmates had a year or more of working as LPNs, and it showed, especially in clinicals. If I ever get off my butt and go back for my BSN, I'll be a lot more confident than I was during my first two years.

While you are studying, I recommend talking to your instructors, advisors, and working nurses where you do your clinicals, about the opportunities available. As an LPN, you can make decent (not great) money working in Long-term care, but you'll earn every dime. In a hospital setting, the pay is less (at my facility, I saw an entry-level painter's job posted for a few cents an hour more than entry LPN). The lower pay reflects the more limited scope-of-practice, but in terms of practical nursing, you'll be doing almost the same work as an RN, for about half the money. (This varies by facility, somewhat, but in general, LPNs don't get a very good deal, so there's a lot of incentive to get the RN ASAP.)

There are several ways to go from LPN to RN. Some of my coworkers are going through online distance-learning programs and seem to be doing well with it. It ain't cheap, but there's a good deal of flexibility. My LPN classmates were doing a "bridge program" at my community college. At the time, they got to skip the first semester, "Fundamentals of Nursing." So it was a 1.5 year program, instead of 2. I hear it has been streamlined even more, so you can do LPN-to-RN in a year, but I haven't really investigated that. At any rate, that path led to an Associates Degree, which qualifies you for an RN, but is a bit more limited in terms of future opportunities than a BSN. Some jobs in nursing require, or at least highly prefer, a bachelor's degree. I am interested in pursuing a BSN in part because I value the education for it's own sake, and in part because I'm coming to think I may not be able to do bedside nursing forever. At the moment, I have no interest in a desk job, but I can see I may feel differently in ten years.

Beyond a BSN, there are several Master's degree possibilities. CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) is one that is hard to get into, hard to get through, and pays pretty well (six figures, usually) to those whop succeed. Family Nurse Practicioner is another option. An FNP has many of the same reponsibilities as an MD, with somewhat less autonomy (and less pay--but less loans to pay back, too.) CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) is another Master's level nursing degree that fills a lot of the role of an MD, in this case an obstetrician. Midwifes seem to love their work, which is good, because the few I've met aren't making a lot more than a bedside nurse. Still, money isn't everything. I have no plans to pursue either, but I think I'd enjoy being a midwife more than being a CRNA.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of options, and I don't guarantee it's accuracy. For all I know, there may be CNM's making a hundred thousand a year--I just haven't met any. But maybe it's a place to start. You might look around some of the Nursing Specialties forums, or just Google anything that sounds interesting. One of the courses in my ASN program discussed the various opportunities open to nurses, and I imagine your program will at least touch on it, too. But you can also research a lot on your own. I suspect that once you are firmly grounded in practical, bedside nursing, you'll have a better idea where you want to go from there.