Anyone take LPN program just to make it easier to become RN?

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I really want to take an ADN program but it is several years waiting list and very competitive in my area. However the LPN program has openings for August and it is only 12 months. There's not many LPN openings here but I've seen a lot of LPN to ADN programs with no wait-even online courses. Is this a good idea? Anyone else have any experience with this? Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

Specializes in Ortho/Neurosurgical.

I don't know of any online LPN programs. Unless your asking about LPN-RN online...then Indiana is the only one.

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i have found the online lpn program that i was looking for ,well everyone were telling me that their were no such program,but i never give up and now it pay off ,well if anyone are interested and want to do the online lpn program u can link northland community college ,then u r on your way ,well best of luck to all.

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well it is such a nice experience chatting here,everybody here are so helpful and i am just here for a few days on the site and i felt so comfortable ,i am so glad i found this site.

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If you have made sure that is your option and dont want to wait it does make a big difference to be a LPN/LVN first while waiting for the right time to go to a RN program because you get valuable experience, at many facilities in my state you are the one with the most time doing direct care and med administration, and when you are an RN I believe you get more respect and have the ability to relate more to those you supervise because you have been there. Being a LPN was perfect for me and I wouldn't change anything other than I would not have chosen to wait 15 years before going back I would have gone maybe in 5 to ten years just because it changed my life and boosted my self esteeme to know I could be a new grad again but know almost as much as my peers at work.

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I'm doing the LPN to RN thing because I have small children and I couldn't stand to work as a CNA any longer especially for 2-3 years while going to RN school. This way I can earn LPN wages while getting a ASN degree and the hospital I plan to work at will pay for it. I graduate on January 11, 2007. I can't wait! Good luck in whichever route you choose to persue

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I'm a male student. LPN to RN is the best route I find. A classmate of mine is pursuing NP And BSN at University Of Northern Colorado this year (As Undergrad). I was also in the same path he was. Both of us took the same classes we did at the community college we went to. We're both are working as CNAs. Somewhere along the process before I move to Greeley (UNC) my conclusion changed. I spoke to one of the counselor there and she said, "It won't matter if you have 4.0 GPA, we accept students based on different aspect. So, if you don't get accepted you will have to wait another year." What am I going to do if I was one of the students who failed? I know being a male is a plus but that alone won't add up enough points.

I think I want to stay away to risk my time on a plan that seemed to make its future so skeptic. I don't like the feel of gambling my time and energy. I want results for my effort. So, I moved to (CA) and now accepted into the LVN program at a local vocational school (No waiting list, a short pre-reqs course, less than $3000 full tuition, 15 months program, living expense may be expensive but I have been working as a CNA that's enough to get me food and rent, and friends let me stay for very cheap). I now have the assurance that once I show the license to the university, they will not put me on LONG WAITING LISTS, or fear of not getting accepted. I just know this by gut feeling and some facts, and from all of you, the best route for me is LPN to RN. If my friend stumbled along his way there, I wouldn't be surprised. If you have a similar story please do share. Did you make the same choice I did? Thank you!

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Specializes in TELEMETRY.

Well, i have been on the adn waiting list since 2004 at a junior college, just last week I got another rejection letter stating that my application would be considered again for the fall 2007 class. Happy to say though, in September 2005 I enrolled in a 1 year LVN program where i graduated and just passed boards!! I will be starting in a hospital in a med/surg unit at 19 dollars an hour. I found out about a private school that is 9 months if u already have pre-reqs and 18 months without pre-prereqs.

~~~~~so now i will be very confident entering RN school, I have been exposed to the setting, lingo, normal procedure and stuff like that. Of couse being a LVN will make 100 times easier going to RN school. Hey but make sure u do it, dont get money happy and into so much debt that u have to work extra days and can't take time to finish school/

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How long did excelsior take you? I was told I would only need the core nursing classes, and I'm hoping for less than a year.

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LPN is definately my stepping stone to move on to the next level!!

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Specializes in Various.

I began an LPN Program last year. I started the self study for AP and Med Term last May and tested out of those classes by going to the school to take tests over each chapter. Last August 6 we started full time classes and in November we started clinicals 2 full days per week. I graduate in 2 weeks and have recently been accepted into an accelerated LPN to RN bridge. This time next year I will have my ADN/RN. Eventually I will likely get my BSN. This was not at all what I intended when I started the LPN Program. I started the LPN Program to become a nurse. I looked into ADN programs, but did not like the waiting lists. Because of those waiting lists, I only applied to schools that based the way they chose the students they accepted on test scores alone. They did not have any waiting lists...you just had to do well on the tests. When I was accepted, I thought "it's less than a year, and I can test the waters and see if this is a job I might like". As the year progressed, we were told about some bridge programs. One did not require pre-req's other than your LPN Diploma w/the stipulation you pass your NCLEX-PN and have the license to the nursing office w/in 90 days of your LPN Graduation. You take 5 intense tests, submit 3 letters of reference, an application, and some other forms, and you wait. Over 200+ applied, and I was one of the 40 they accept per year. I am thrilled, excited, nervous...and a myriad of other emotions. I like nursing. It makes me feel good to help others and I feel like I am learning SOO much in LPN school. It is a tremendous load. The classes are long, packed with information, and the homework is never ending...as ready as I am to see this program come to an end, and begin the next leg of my journey, I am nervous to begin another program so soon. However, I am sure it will be for the best in the end. Good luck in whatever you decide. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith. :heartbeat

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hi everyone who posted comments about the lpn vs rn dilemma!!! i posted the following information about one year ago in this forum and hoped that during this time there would have been programs like the following in many more places than it appears to be.

i am a nurse practitioner and physician assistant, nationally certified in both fields with a master's in education focused on curriculum design and development and am currently pursuing a second master's in nursing education, focused on teaching nursing. i am the mother of seven children and the grandmother of 15 (god's gift to me for not killing my kids (; -}....) i am currently employed by a private two-year college in new york state. i was hired to design, create, and also teach, an lpn program specifically focused on encouraging folks to begin at the lpn level, and when completed and pass nclex-pn, there are college credits, equivalent to the first year of the adn program, that transfer into the second year of the adn program.

the pn program is 15-months, weekends only, to accomodate folks who work and/or have families...you can keep your job...hopefully child care is easier on weekends.... the first class graduated this past august, received a certificate of completion and are about to take the nclex-pn exam. the folks who said in their postings that their lpn experience was valuable are right, and those folks do better in rn programs than many "newbies" going directly into an rn program. our college is now exploring the addition of the bsn which would allow that credential to follow the rn. it takes 4 years to do that in a traditional college without a license to practice until the four years are complete. this new "series will also take 4 years but goes 1+1+2...lpn to rn to bsn. the pn students loved the program, even though giving up weekends for 15 months is hard...but are finding it worht the time. several are in the adn program, several are working for a year before going on, some wanted the lpn and are happy doing that level of nursing. i'd encourage anyone who wants nursing as a profession to sign up for an rn program that will accept lpn's as advanced placement students, and then take the lpn courses while you are on the rn "waiting list".

ps last year, after my first posting, a young woman came from alaska to this college and is now in the pn program, heading for the rn in a year...good luck everyone!!!

i'm in nyc, can you tell me where this wonderful college is? are there other programs besides weekends? that sounds pretty darn awesome! i would even be able to do weekdays......i wonder how long that would take.can you please email me? thanks so much for all of your information. :typing

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well, i have been on the adn waiting list since 2004 at a junior college, just last week i got another rejection letter stating that my application would be considered again for the fall 2007 class. happy to say though, in september 2005 i enrolled in a 1 year lvn program where i graduated and just passed boards!! i will be starting in a hospital in a med/surg unit at 19 dollars an hour. i found out about a private school that is 9 months if u already have pre-reqs and 18 months without pre-prereqs.

~~~~~so now i will be very confident entering rn school, i have been exposed to the setting, lingo, normal procedure and stuff like that. of couse being a lvn will make 100 times easier going to rn school. hey but make sure u do it, dont get money happy and into so much debt that u have to work extra days and can't take time to finish school/

:yeah:that's awesome! good for you! what city and state are you working in? that sounds like a pretty fair wage considering you are just getting your foot in the door and doing something that you love. i am thrilled to have found this site and read all of the posts from everyone! :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeatgod bless you all for being so helpful! :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

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