Difficulty difference between LVN and RN

[JosephRAdam]

Hello, I am all good to go for an LVN program set for jan 2016 - dec 2016 after which I want to go back to school to get my RN. I was just curious about how difficult the RN program is compared to a LVN program.

[mzrainydayz, BSN, RN]

It all depends on the the area where you live. Where I live all the hospitals no longer hire LPN's. The RN's with an associate degree now eventually will have to go back to get their BSN.

[vettechtoRN]

Hospitals in my area require a BSN.

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

The only location I saw an LPN in hospital was in hospice care and in wound care clinic. Both were "old school" nurses and in those days hospital took LPN's. I've never seen a new grad LPN in a hospital setting. Most are in nursing homes, but even there they are starting to want the charge nurse to have a BSN.

[Episteme]

To answer your question about how much more difficult is an RN program compared to an LVN program...

1. Daylight and dark

2. Orders of magnitude

3. Not in the same universe

Do you have a good reason for spending (I'm tempted to say even... squandering) a year of your life in a course of study that has limited available positions, low remuneration and does little to prepare you for your real goal of becoming a professional nurse? Also consider the remote possibility that you wouldn't pass the LVN boards and will have totally blown a year and who knows how much money for zip, nyet, nadda, zilch, nothing.

Bite the bullet man! Be bold! Go for it and do it right the first time.

[IThinkICan100]

In my area, LPNs are used for nursing homes, step-down units, home health, and other non-hospital/critical roles.

I almost went to LPN school, but I was accepted into a BSN program. Both learn the same information, but RNs learn more in-depth and have a little longer to go over the information. LPN school has a year to make you a fully competent nurse, so the information is quickly taught. Really, both can be difficult, but it depends on the rate in which you can learn information. Another thing to look at is the difficulty getting into each program. RN school has a lot of prereqs and gen-eds on top of cultural and nursing leadership courses. LPN school doesn't usually require college courses (some schools require basic sciences).

So, both are difficult, but in a different way. It really boils down to which suits your learning style. And, remember, you can always do a LPN to RN bridge program.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I believe in a 'big tent' philosophy... there is a place in nursing for all levels of workers. But it has become very evident that acute care is rapidly becoming BSN only due to the large amount of evidence this clearly shows that BSN staff produce better patient outcomes in acute care settings. The research has not been replicated in non-acute settings, so I am sure that there will still be plenty of opportunities for ADN nurses outside of acute care. "RN assist" roles will vary, depending on the practice model that is chosen. LP/VN scope of practice requires direct supervision by an RN or Physician, so jobs are possible in any setting as long as the practice model supports this.

Just for clarity - here is a helpful document that my BON developed which outlines the specific differences between various nursing levels. http://www.bon.texas.gov/pdfs/differentiated_essential_competencies-2010.pdf This only applies to Tx, but it is probably similar in other states.

[Alisonisayoshi, LVN]

Hi, I'm currently in a Lp/vn program. I did my program because of impaction in my state for RN programs. Bridge seats in my area are almost guaranteed, regular seats, yeah I know people who waited YEARS. I have, thus far, found my program challenging in terms of tasks to learn, but in terms of material, it has not been any harder than my RN prerequisites were. Also, in my area, the main hospital still hires Lp/vn's in the ER (for fast track stable patients).