CNA VS LPN

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I currently live in the Philadelphia area and have been thinking about becoming a CNA or LPN. I attended school to become a medical Assistant and completed the program but was never able to obtain a job due to lack of experience. The trade school I went to promised to help me find a job but once I was done the program they were no help at all. I really would like to get into the medical field but fearful of the job market as well. I would hate to put thousands of dollars into schooling to not get a job. If anyone has any suggestions on which program would be best I would greatly appreciate it. I am a single mom looking for a way to support my family and im tired of woring dead end jobs :(.

Try volunteering to get experience. That's what I did. Don't waste that qualification.

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Thank you for your response. I actually just called them as well. The school told me that they will be shutting down for good znd they will not be accepting anymore future students. Is this true? And if soo do you know why they are closing down?

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@nursecupcake9

Thanks for your post. After reading so much doom and gloom about LPNs, quite frankly I was afraid to go for an LPN program. You've given me hope.

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I'm a LPN grad from NewCourtland's School of Practical Nursing (Philly) after graduating in July 2012 and licensing in August I found a job in September that pays awesome in a sub acute/snf....sure it's stressful but it pays very well. I hang IVs and do extensive wound care in addition to electronic charting and med passes. I'll admit I was very diligent in following up and applying for jobs. But it paid off. It's a shortage in employment everywhere..not just for LPNs[/quote']

I thought about going to that school last year but wind up going to ghetto behind Lincoln Tech on 36th and market plus I did not feel like taking another teas test

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You could start out as a cna to gain experience and work your way up to nursing. You could make a pretty decent living doing cna in the Philadelphia area especially in the hospital. If you have 4-5 years to wait, you could go to CCP or DCCC, do your prereqs for your Rn and make great money OR you could do LPN for 1 year full time or 1 1/2-2 yrs, no prereqs and go back for your rn.

So far in Pa, LPN's arw only being phased out of hospitals. LPNs are phased out in some states and only work in home health and doctor offices.

I started out as a cna and went to community and did my prereqs for a bsn program but got tired of the waiting lists so I currently go to Lincoln Tech for lpn then doing my rn online. Good luck hun :)

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Specializes in Rehabilitation, Sub Acute, LTC.
Thank you for your response. I actually just called them as well. The school told me that they will be shutting down for good znd they will not be accepting anymore future students. Is this true? And if soo do you know why they are closing down?

I actually don't know the answer to that question! I guess they aren't making the money they wanted from the program...because the education I received was great! You spoke to Lezlie?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I have an answer: they are scaling BACK on LPN schools because of the dozen (and I do mean DOZENs) of hospitals that hire BSNs and are Magnet status...with new ADNs are going to rehab and skilled facilities, new LPNs have no where to go, but to bridge.

I was a new LPN when the move to not hire new LPNs into the hospitals; this was in 2005. I had to find another job because my Magnet hospital would not hire me because I was not a RN. When I realized with prereq's and nursing courses equal out to 4 years, I went to BSN route, while working as a LPN and instead of waiting longer than 18 months as a ADN, it took me 8 months; it was because of the BSN.

If you want to be a nurse, go for the gold standard in the Philly/South Jersey area, the BSN. Find ways to get into programs that can give you a co-OP chance, like , or if you need to work, part time programs like LaSalle or Holy Family or West Chester. Do the research, and make it work for you. Feel free to OP me for more options, or my experience in being a LPN to BSN in the Philly area. Good Luck!!! :)

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

CNA vs LPN

Alot of people do a bad job explaining this one on here so let me take a crack at it the best I can and see if the nurses can validate it or disagree. Theoretically in the old days of practical nursing there wasn't much in duties, LPNs did the personal direct care (bathing feeding vitals, changing, but they could also give enemas and assist RNs more. And on some career sites you will still see this as the primary job description of LPNs. Today the difference between LPn and CNA is much much greater. An LPN is a licensed nurse who can perform about 75 percent of skills that The RN can perform. But the RN has more medical knowledge and assessment skills. And another problem is that LPNs go through many different clinical rotations I hear like surgery, ER, OB ICU and fall in love with these areas but realize when they graduate that there chances of ever working in these areas are laughable in many parts of the country? And they end up in the nursing home unhappy and working just for money .

A CNA is not a nurse, but they are the Nurses aides and perform adls and basic nursing functions to assist

nurses.and that's about it. But in some areas like mine you do actually have a better chance of working in a hospital with CNA than LPN era but true.

Sources

Nursing Home CNA and my LPN co workers express there regrets to me alot at work lol

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

My advice to you would be if your absolutely certain that you love the nursing home setting, and can work there for 35 plus years and you can handle BM, vomit, bad odors, Ostomys, then go straight to LPN and get a job In LTC. (Moderately easily to get a job there) Some people love that. But if you wanna be an ER Nurse, or an OB Nurse, or a Ped Nurse, Surgical Nurse, ICU Nurse, or Even a Med Surg Nurse job today, get CNA certificate try nursing home, try Med Surg. If you feel your career lies in caring for the elderly then do LPN. If you feel that you want to work in different areas and have the full table available, go for a degree and become an RN, but don't become an LPN just so you can call yourself a Nurse quicker, and have to be miserable working in a nursing home. That would be like someone who has dreams of being a Cardiologist but does Podiatrist instead just because they can call themselves and practice as a doctor quicker but there miserable and regret there decision. Do what makes you happy and work in an area your comfortable In because remember with retirement and the economy worsening you may have to do it for 50 plus years. I can honestly say as a CNA who's worked Acute Care and Currently Long Term Care, and I will say that you love LTC when it's all you know. But once you meet acute care it brings a new kind of excitemet of real everyday people who have lives outside the facilty where the primary focus is getting in, getting better, and getting out. And it's much more refreshing than LTC. But so what makes you happy!! Goodluck to you!

And I'm an EMT and a CNA I work both jobs just to live somewhat comfortably but I will not do this until I'm 70 years old, nor would I do the job of an LPN on the floor in LTC til I'm 70.I wanna have a long career and experience many areas. I don't wanna go to school just to be called nurse and be done with it. I wanna become an RN and and be an ER Nurse, an OB Nurse, a Surgical Nurse and probly at the last 20 years of my career a nursing home Director of Nursing. Then when retirement roles around I wanna be an LTC Weekend RN Supervisor every other weekend and still earn 1500 dollars a month

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Specializes in psych,mental health.

im currently a student at new courtland and they are closing because of issues with germantown home and nc cant put more money into the school.. my education is great there and i went on a grant for half of it.hate that its closing in sept when im done... having all my bsn prereqs, except micro, being wait listed, or being told itll take me another 4 years for a bsn program i had to do something different... philly nursing market is over saturated no matter if the letters say lpn, bsn, adn, msn and so on... but persistence pays off.. follow your gut,thry even want cna to have experience!! people will always have their opinions... but as a person who has worked in homecare, rehab, snf, operating room and mental health, being a aide is what helped me to understand this is what i wanted vs. jumping into a high program that i wouldnt be perpared for... but the lpn program has helped my critical thinking and clinical strength.. best of luck to you in whatever you choose!!!

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Here in Massachusetts LPNs only work in the nursing homes, and people have a really difficult time getting a job as one. As a CNA its like they will hire you instantly because the need is so high. How about becoming an RN? I have been a CNA since 2004. I just got accepted into the RN program for fall 2013. CNA courses are like 8 weeks long with the american red cross, but LPN programs here you have to take pre reqs before you apply (which are the same for an RN). So I just went for RN.

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