lpn going for bsn wanting icu

[lovelpn]

Hi. I've been an LPN for 1.5 years. Spent the first year in long term care and now do home care. I am starting school in a year for my BSN. I'm starting from scratch (not doing a bridge program) because I'm young, I can, and I want to relearn everything plus more (Now that I've been through LPN school I know how seriously to take school and plan to obsess over the material). I love being a nurse and want to eventually work in an ICU. My question is this:

Does my being an LPN make me more likely to get hired as an LPN on a Med-Surg floor during my last year of nursing school? I figured that if this is possible, I might be more likely to get hired into the ICU as a new graduate. I am asking this on the basis of what it's like being an LPN in my area. Where I live, it is easy to get LTC and home care work, but getting into the hospital is nearly impossible. I don't know the exact reason for this. The only LPNs in the hospitals nearby are the ones who were hired years and years ago, or the ones that "know someone".

Other than this, can anyone give me some good advice on preparing for eventually working in the ICU given my circumstances?

[missnurse01, MSN, RN]

unless you get acute care experience, the hospitals will basically see you as a new grad.each hosp has diff theories, some really prefer new grads over those that have worked med surg as they feel they can train them a certain way, others feel that any experience is useful. I personally would move into the acute care asap. i did lpn first, worked tele and er, then moved to icu when i got my rn. good luck

[huetsm]

Hi, I became an LPN a year ago and went straight into an RN bridge program. I finish RN school this June. My LPN experience is similar to yours: I worked at a LTC facility and did pediatric homecare and in my area it is also almost impossible to get an LPN position in a hospital- mainly because we can't give blood. I applied and was offered a CVICU job to begin as soon as I finish school this June. I continued working (outside of this healthcare system) in my original LPN jobs weekends-only throughout school and was considered a "new graduate" nurse but they did appreciate the LPN experiece. I don't believe it is the LPN experience that got me the job because they considered me new graduate; I believe it was the hard work throughout school, always being sure to stand out in clinical and earning a preceptorship in the CVICU. That being said, I don't think it is necessary to try to get an LPN job in acute care. Focus on RN school. The LPN experience is appreciated, but not so much where it is at. Good Luck!