Going straight for my RN

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Pediatric, Group Homes, Hospice.

Ok so i made my final decision and I am definitely going for my RN. Right now I am starting to look at my old anatomy books and nursing books, because @ one point i was going for my LPN. Are there any groups online that help you be more involved with Nursing, and helps you understand the fundamentals of it? Or what can I do to get myself more familiarize with Nursing. LPN was not easy for me, but I decided to give myself the challenge and go straight for my RN, because that is truly what I want to be. So any tips?

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Specializes in geriatrics/long term care.

Yeah, get your LPN first. I am an LPN to RN bridge and feel that I am just as qualified and knowledgeable(if not more) than my 4 year degree or 3 year diploma counterparts. I say if not more only because it only took a little over a year to get that LPN. Once I had it I was able to hit the floor and start developing autonomy, critical thinking and prioritization skills immediately. By the time I went to RN school(which, I grant, was about 7 years later) I had a definite leg up over the other students whom had never worked a floor, never interacted with patients as a nurse, never administered meds, never had to assess a patient and make a judgement call on their status, etc. I will also say that getting through school on an LPN paycheck is much easier than it would be on, say, a Patient care tech paycheck. I was able to work a couple 12's a week and make respectable cash while in school( i did quit working altogether for the last year to focus on grades). I had classmates working fulltime as waitresses and CNA's while also attending a full load of classes PLUS working clinicals.

Also, I have heard a hundred horror stories from people that started RN school and were unable to finish and came out with nothing but student loans. It's not always that they lacked the drive. Sometimes they got sick, family member got sick or died, they had babies, ran out of money, etc. These things could happen to anyone. RN school is very intensive(most programs). THey have a low tolerance for BS. You are not allowed to say "oops, I'm having personal issues...I get a do over." If you take off because you lose a loved one(such as a mother or child) it seems that many times, you won't come back.

Worst RN school horror story was a classmate of mine. She was a Patient care tech, not an LPN, so by the time I started the program she had already been in school for a year. Fast forward 2 years later. She struggled with her grades through most of the program. She had problems with prioritization and your basic ABC's(airway breathing circulation). She studied her but off, but in the end, she flunked the exit exam, therefore flunking the program, therefore not authorized to even SIT for boards. OUCH!!! Her student loan was bigger than mine, but she didn't even get an RN out of the deal. I feel like, some people(myself included) benefit from taking it one step at a time. When you get your LPN YOU ARE A NURSE! You can always go back and move up from there. If you go straight for your RN, there are no second chances, and you have to invest alot more time and money before there are any rewards.

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Yeah...I'm going to go ahead and disagree with everything in the post above me.

Get your RN.

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Specializes in Pediatric, Group Homes, Hospice.

Misschiata - thank you for your advice but I have decided to go straight for my RN.

Fribblet - Yeah i definitely am, i am just nervous because I am not sure how this is going to work out... I know its intense and everything but oh well ima go for it.

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I'd suggest you work towards a good understanding of anatomy and physiology, and also look for a position as a patient care tech (or PCA or CNA, whatever) if it's feasible for you to do so. It's one of the things I wished I had done while I was in nursing school. Having that experience would not only make clinical easier, I would have gotten more out of it.

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Specializes in Pediatric, Group Homes, Hospice.

But can i definitely work as a PCA or CNA without me being certified in either? No right? So i should look over anatomy and physiology before entering my nursing clinical classes?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

I agree with Fribblet. I'm a career changer and almost went down the wrong path of going for an LPN.

I took great advice from a few LPNs and some RNs who told me I would be wasting my time going for the LPN. The LPNs I spoke too said if they could do it all over again they would have done the RN because for them going back to school to bridge to RN is not an option as family is their priority.

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Go for the RN...loans are easier to pay off when you have a 70k in income.

LPN just prolongs the inevitable if you want the RN.

BTW the whole bit about LPNs being "so far ahead" when they begin RN program? Not buying it. BSN programs offer hundreds of clinical hours and we arent sitting around.

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Specializes in Pediatric, Group Homes, Hospice.

Mzchas - so ur currently going for your RN or you already an RN?

RNYC- yuup at first i was planning to become an LPn just so i can finish faster the RN program but its basically the same thing. Its better off RN.

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Yeah, get your LPN first. I am an LPN to RN bridge and feel that I am just as qualified and knowledgeable(if not more) than my 4 year degree or 3 year diploma counterparts. I say if not more only because it only took a little over a year to get that LPN. Once I had it I was able to hit the floor and start developing autonomy, critical thinking and prioritization skills immediately. By the time I went to RN school(which, I grant, was about 7 years later) I had a definite leg up over the other students whom had never worked a floor, never interacted with patients as a nurse, never administered meds, never had to assess a patient and make a judgement call on their status, etc. I will also say that getting through school on an LPN paycheck is much easier than it would be on, say, a Patient care tech paycheck. I was able to work a couple 12's a week and make respectable cash while in school( i did quit working altogether for the last year to focus on grades). I had classmates working fulltime as waitresses and CNA's while also attending a full load of classes PLUS working clinicals.

Also, I have heard a hundred horror stories from people that started RN school and were unable to finish and came out with nothing but student loans. It's not always that they lacked the drive. Sometimes they got sick, family member got sick or died, they had babies, ran out of money, etc. These things could happen to anyone. RN school is very intensive(most programs). THey have a low tolerance for BS. You are not allowed to say "oops, I'm having personal issues...I get a do over." If you take off because you lose a loved one(such as a mother or child) it seems that many times, you won't come back.

Worst RN school horror story was a classmate of mine. She was a Patient care tech, not an LPN, so by the time I started the program she had already been in school for a year. Fast forward 2 years later. She struggled with her grades through most of the program. She had problems with prioritization and your basic ABC's(airway breathing circulation). She studied her but off, but in the end, she flunked the exit exam, therefore flunking the program, therefore not authorized to even SIT for boards. OUCH!!! Her student loan was bigger than mine, but she didn't even get an RN out of the deal. I feel like, some people(myself included) benefit from taking it one step at a time. When you get your LPN YOU ARE A NURSE! You can always go back and move up from there. If you go straight for your RN, there are no second chances, and you have to invest alot more time and money before there are any rewards.

LPN-RN bridge is no longer available in my state. So, if someone is an LPN, their only option is to either: start all over in an RN program or go to another state.

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But can i definitely work as a PCA or CNA without me being certified in either? No right? So i should look over anatomy and physiology before entering my nursing clinical classes?

I don't know about PCA but usually CNA does require certification. In my state, they are VERY strict about this.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.
Mzchas - so ur currently going for your RN or you already an RN?

RNYC- yuup at first i was planning to become an LPn just so i can finish faster the RN program but its basically the same thing. Its better off RN.

Yes, I will by applying to an Accelerated BSN program at the end of this month for the Fall semester. I was initially going to go into an LPN school and went to the Dr.'s to get my immunization for the school I was interested in. I happened to start up a conversation with one of the LPNs there about my exciting new plan. She said "good for you" until I mentioned to her I had a B.A. in another field. Then she told I shouldn't be going for the LPN.

I spoke to my Dr. about it as well and he flat out told me don't do it and instead do the RN. I again spoke to my aunt who is an NP and she told me to please do the RN because the LPNs are not being hired at her hospital. They in fact let go of all the recent LPNs there. The only remaining LPNs at her hospital are the ones who've been there for 15 years or more.

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