Work or go for RN (Need your advice)

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi Everyone!

I was wondering if I should start working and get my needed nursing experience or continue to get my RN and get my experience later.

Here is my background.

I graduated from LPN school 5 months ago. I passed the board last November. I have been looking for job for several months now. I have no health care experience whatsoever, other than my school clinical experience in various hospital facilities and nursing home where I was exposed to different units such as Peds, Maternity, Psych, and MedSurge floors. I have been applying for LPN jobs to no avail probably due to my lack of health care experience. When I could not find a job, no offers and no calls I started applying to nursing schools to pursue RN. I got accepted in a school. However, I have not gotten accepted into their RN school yet. The criteria for each school is for me to take at least a couple of classes there before I could apply in the RN program and there is no guarantee but I know I will get in the RN program. As I got accepted in school, low and behold I got called by a facility I applied for and they had offered me a job. Now I am at a dilemma. The schedule of the job will interfere with my schooling otherwise I will do both.

Should I hold my plan to pursue RN now and just work to get my needed nursing experience? Any input and advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance

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Specializes in PACU.

That's a tough call that depends on your financial situation. Can you afford not to work? Can you get enough financial aid and loans? If you can live off of a spouse or other family member for a while it might be best to just go along with school, but if you're going to end up homeless and hungry due to not working you'd better take the job.

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Specializes in LTC, rehab, medical review.

I agree with OP. I graduated LPN school last June, got my license in September, got a job the beginning of November. It was in a nursing home. I worked there for a few months and got to a point where I realized that the nursing home isnt for me. I want to continue in school to get my RN and work toward my goal of being a midwife. Now luckily, my husband got a raise at his job so that it is possible for me to not work and just go to school to take the pre-req's for RN school, but I still have my LPN to fall back on if he ever loses his job. If you can afford to not work and go with school, then go with school and work toward your RN, but if you need the income, then work for the facility. There are just so many more opportunities open for RN's. LPN's are pretty much limited to LTC and clinics. Is there any way you could go to night school or take classes in the morning if you worked? Or on-line classes? Good luck!

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Perhaps if you take the job and prove yourself to be a valuable employee they will be willing to work with you on making your schedule so that you can go to school. Ask to transfer to night shift as soon as possible. Then you can go to school on your off time and you will be able to do both. Good luck.

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Specializes in Psych.

I'd be seriously tempted to take the job, but it depends on your area. Where I am, RN graduates are having a terrible time getting that all important first job. If you have experience as an LPN, you're going to be a better candidate than an RN with no experience. And it sounds like you have some options for different RN schools, so the fact that this job's schedule doesn't work with the school you *might* get into seems unimportant. Besides, schedules can change.

As you can see, I'm a "bird in the hand" girl -- good luck with your decision!

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Specializes in Emergency/Triage.

I think that you should take the job and persue your education at the same time. I was a LPN in 1999 and recieved my RN in 2001 and my BSN in 2009. I believe that yu can do anything that you set your mind on. When I started school last year for my BSN I had/still do have a fulltime job, 2 kids and a husband. There are alot of educational oppurtunities that you should check into. You can still take a lot of classes on line. My LPN schooling was the hardest thing I ever obtained. The rest was a piece of cake. I am currently enrolled in two University's Family Nurse Pratitioner program. I think yu should do it. If you would like to know the names of the online colleges email me back. I have a couple of friends that took the LPN to RN online. I live in Wisconsin and we still have alot of LPN jobs were are you from?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Why can't you do both?

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Specializes in Women's Health, currently mother/infant,.

So much depends on your current financial and family situation. If you can afford to go to school and not work, by all means go to school. Once you are working, it becomes difficult to carve out the needed time and energy for classes and homework. It becomes easier to procrastinate and not get back to school. When I became an RN, my instructors encouraged me to continue with school to get a BSN and MSN or Nurse Practioner, but that wasn't an option. Now 15 years later, I am plugging away, working full-time nights, trying to complete a BSN. I don't know if I can muster the energy and determination to continue with the MSN. Hang in there and good luck.

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