Any Reasons To Choose LPN over RN?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello,

where i'm at the school that would be easiest to go to has an LPN program and an ADN program, aside from pre reqs of which id have to take a few, they both are 2 years long, im wondering if there would be any reasons to do LPN over RN?

Though I'm not sure what I'll do, thats up to God :), but my main interest is in going abroad and while being an RN would be useful here in the states and provide nice income, and a flexible schedule, and opportunity for a job any time im in the States, it sounds like being an RN wouldnt really allow me to help much abroad if not in a medical/hopsital setting, which is where i feel i am most likely to be, out away from large hospitals, and am not likely to mostly be in specific medical missions, i did a post on volunteer nursing and will wait for more responses, but so far i was told the onlything a nurse can do in this situation is clean water, which i can probably figure out how to boil water without the time and money involved in nursing school...

thanks - jason

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The quickest answer: if you have the opportunity, choose RN over LPN. Reason: employability. Go to any employment website (even your own local newspaper), check the listings, and you will find almost every listing is for RN rather than LPN. If you check carefully on this site, you will find a very large number of persons who are LPNs (new or recent grads too) and are taking pre reqs for RN school. If you interact with them you will find that a big reason is because they encountered so much difficulty finding jobs as LPNs. Hope this helps and good luck with your nrsg career.

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With the LPN you have tons of options, but i think you mean you would have more options with an RN. i read a few posts on the LPn forum a while back that basically said that you need and RN to be able to work abroad, i think it had something to do with there not being LPN's in every country or something to that effect.

In your post you have it that LPN role would provide more oppurtunities, and im not sure if you just wrote it wrong or if you are confused, but to clarify the RN role would provide the most job opportunites, although LPN in ( in the US at least im not sure of abroad) have tons of opportunities.

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.

Go ADN if you can.

LPN's get paid less. Some places don't hire them at all. ADN is an RN program, with doors open to higher levels of education.

Having said that, I sit for my LPN boards Tuesday, before going on to an ADN or BSN program. I did this strictly for family-related reasons.

Best of luck to you.

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Specializes in geriatric, hospice, med/surg.

Most definitely, RN rather than LPN. Broadens your senses of what/how A&P/procedures allowed/salary better/more understanding of processes and how they affect/outcomes of treatments and not just "how to do a nursing task" if you will. Good luck. If time is of the essence, of course, LPN would be approx. a year of education timewise. RN, approx. a 2 yr. span of time.

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Forgot to mention this example: I was looking on an employment website and reading job descriptions. One very thorough description for a LPN position in an acute care hosp stated that LPNs hired in must be in an approved RN school or at the minimum taking pre req classes for entry to an RN program. In other words this is one of the hospitals that is phasing out its LPN workforce in favor of RNs. Many hosp have already done so and many more will be doing so in the future. This is one of the most visible signs of the shrinking job opportunities for LPNs.

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Specializes in L&D.
Go ADN if you can.

LPN's get paid less. Some places don't hire them at all. ADN is an RN program, with doors open to higher levels of education.

Having said that, I sit for my LPN boards Tuesday, before going on to an ADN or BSN program. I did this strictly for family-related reasons.

Best of luck to you.

Hey! Good luck on your boards! I'll be thinking of you!

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Specializes in LTC/Skilled Care/Rehab.

The LPN program by my house is about half as long as the RN program. I was thinking about becoming an LPN and then continuing school to become a RN. It all depends on if I get accepted at the school I want.

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The quickest answer: if you have the opportunity, choose RN over LPN. Reason: employability. Go to any employment website (even your own local newspaper), check the listings, and you will find almost every listing is for RN rather than LPN. If you interact with them you will find that a big reason is because they encountered so much difficulty finding jobs as LPNs. Hope this helps and good luck with your nrsg career.

In the local papers around here, there are actually more openings for LPNs than RNs. It may be because there are more nursing homes than hospitals in the area. I know that the LPNs I work with have told me that although hospitals may not be hiring LPNs as they used to, most nursing homes need LPNs, and that the pay rate is usually higher than what hospitals pay. For what I'm personally choosing, I am going to take the entrance exam for the LPN next month because I don't feel like spending the next 3 years on the waiting list for the RN program. If I get in, I will be working as a nurse next year, instead of continuing to be a CNA who only has two more years on a waiting list for the RN program. If I become a RN, I can always bridge into a program. This is the best decision for me. JBirdAngel, I wish you the best in your decision.

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Go for the RN, I say as a new LPN. For many reasons I chose to continue on-line but, if you need two years in attendance for either, definitely get the RN. Lots more opportunity. And those nursing homes advertising for LPN's will gladly hire more RN's. Not so the positions advertising for RN's.

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