Guidance towards RN

LM NY · Nov 30, 2012

Hello! I really don't mean to sound harsh, but you shouldn't pursue a career that you were talked into. I've always known I wanted to be a nurse, I have just had too many obstacles getting in my way. Having said that, you will be required to take anatomy & physiology courses, as well as microbiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, math specifically for health professionals and other social science courses. Good luck with everything :)

LM NY · Nov 30, 2012

I am very sorry, I just realized I didn't answer half of your questions. I was typing the first message while trying to put my two year old to sleep(terrible twos are killing me). Hopefully someone else can chime in or I will answer the rest when I get a chance.

Micro life · Dec 1, 2012

Hi there LM NY thanks for replying. i know that it sounds like people talked me into nursing but i feel like i didn't express myself correctly. i was originally going to go as a bio major, end up doing med school and becoming a physician but felt like it would take forever! so you can say that my sister helped me reinforce my thoughts together and go back to pursue a career in the medical field. I have spent my summers doing my volunteer work at a hospital. I'm just so use to the ambiance there. I'v always wanted to become a doctor or anything near it since i was little lol. i was just trying out BME to see if i can do something different than my sister, you know bring something new to the table but feel like its not working out.

ok at least now i know what classes i should be taking soon :) aww don't worry be strong lol, you know that your child will get out of that stage soon. they just want to explore the world like we all did. God bless you and your family.

Don't worry, reply whenever you get the chance but it would also be good if someone else would comment too :)

LM NY · Dec 1, 2012

Thanks for clarifying that, because I would hate to think someone chose nursing without having that genuine intention of helping and caring for people. If you can get into a bachelors program it is way more beneficial to you than an associates. To get a job as an RN with an associates will take you much longer, especially if you have no experience as an lpn or cna, etc. If you have a friend or a relative that can get you an interview then you can go the associates route.Thanks for the encouraging words. The terrible twos will come to an end sooner or later, but her stubborn personality like her father probably won't ever go away.

Micro life · Dec 5, 2012

Alright cool. Im going to start with my lpn first and work my way up to an associates and, god willing, all the way to my bachelors :)

sorry for commenting soo late. i got caught up this whole week studying for finals which is next week :banghead:

you should make him take care of your daughter so that he can see how stubborn he can get at times :laugh:

DoGoodThenGo · Dec 9, 2012

Hello everyone im new to this site and forum. I don't know if anybody can help guide me on what to do in order to becoming an RN. Along with this i have a few questions. so i am currently going to ccny as a BME major but i don't feel like i want to keep on pursuing this major anymore so i was talked into pursuing a career as an RN by my sister along with other people. Now i decided to go for my LPN first to see if i am really up for the job basically. I was looking into getting my LPN first from Southern Westchester Boces.
Now my question is that if i do get into this program and get my certificate, will i have to take any prerequisite like English, math, chem, anatomy before getting accepted into RN because in ccny it wasn't necessary for me to take all levels of English nor chem. As for my bio class i don't think that it would transfer or have much use towards going for my RN. My next question is if i should get my LPN in Boces or in some other institution like a community college instead. I was looking at Hostos but i have seen that it is not an accredited school so i don't want to go and get my LPN from there and then realize that i will have to start from scratch once i go for my RN just because the classes won’t be able to transfer. And also will the Boces classes transfer towards a regular college or another institution towards RN?
My last question would be to know what is the difference between an associates and a bachelor's in RN. and if its possible to get a bachelor's RN if you first got an associates RN from any institution either being a community college or a technical school/trade school of some sort.
If you have taken the time to read this i thank you and welcome any and all responses or advice. I know that pursuing a career as a nurse isn't anything easy but with a little bit of focus and dedication, nothing is impossible to accomplish. I wish you all good luck on your paths towards becoming successful nurses :)

First as another poster stated (and IIRC you responded) it is not wise to choose nursing or any other career based upon others recommendations/being pushed. For ages nursing, teaching and even convents were full of women that ended up there other than reasons for truly wanting to be. Not only were they miserable, but tended to make those around them feel the same as well.

As for LPN vs RN the two have different scopes of practice and you should consider what type of nurse you want to be and where you wish to work. Not many if any major hospitals IIRC in NYC hire LPNs anymore. There are things that a LPN cannot do but a RN can, while a RN can do everything a LPN can.

If you truly are interested in a nursing career I'd go for becoming a CNA (certified Nursing Assistant) first. Yes, you will not be a nurse but you'll be able to see what nurses do and more importantly if you are cut out for patient care. Not everyone can deal with the places nurses must put their hands and the things they must deal with on a daily basis. There are areas of professional nursing practice that are removed from patient contact but it takes some years of experience before you can land one of those gigs.

LPNs like RN do not get a "certificate" but rather upon graduation from a NYS accredited program you are eligible to take the national board licensing exam. Should you pass and meet the other qualifications set down by NYS you will be issued a license to practice as a practical nurse.

As for going from a LPN to RN, there are some "bridge" LPN to RN programs, but often you may have to start from basically scratch and attend either an ADN (two year) or BSN (four year) nursing program. However since you already have some college work under your belt you could apply those credits as "transfers" to whatever program accepts you. However beware, some programs have time limit cut offs as to how far back certain classes can have been taken. Usually this applies to the sciences and perhaps math.

Regarding ADN to RN bridge programs, yes there are plenty at both private and public (CUNY or SUNY) nursing schools. There are even ADN to MSN (graduate) programs (you get your BSN somewhere through the program). It is even possible to get a MSN without even having a BSN or ADN first but that is a whole other topic.

The differences between ADN and BSN nurses for the most part obviously is their education (two years versus four), but there are others as well. You can search through this group to find that matter discussed ad nauseum.

Though a bulk of the nursing programs in the NYC area are ADN, currently hospitals seem to be favouring BSN new grads. However that isn't written in stone now or in future. For various reasons hiring of nurses both new and experienced has slowed in the NYC area. Quite simply there are too many nurses chasing too few open hospital jobs. However in the three, four or more years it would take you to get into and graduate from nursing school allot can change.

Getting into nursing school is very competitive at the moment, especially at the CUNY programs. Without a solid 3.0 or better 3.5 GPA at the minimum you could find your chances of getting in anywhere slim. Once you've gotten in the trick is then staying there, which is where the rubber meets the road.

Nursing school is hard work and will require dedication and determination, without them you will quickly drown then crash and burn.