Help me sort this out please!

[shannahan]

A little background...I'm 45 with 3 young children. In my distant past I want to Apollo College for medical asst and did that for maybe a year before getting into more business-oriented jobs. I've spent the past 16 years operating a medical transcription service from my home and helping my husband get his genearl contracting business off the ground, also from home. I have decided that for my remaining working years, I want to spend them out of the house, helping people, and making the best salary I can to fund a 401K, and supply the benefits for our family. I've always wanted to work in a hospital in some capacity. So nursing seems to be the logical choice to fulfil my goals.

I keep going back and forth in my mind about an RN program or LPN. I'm working on getting on the 1 yr waiting list at a local CC for a 1 yr LPN program. So in 2 years at age 47 I could be an LPN then working on testing for RN.

The other possibility is a new 2-yr RN program at a private school in my area that sounds good according to someone on this board. So in the same 2 years I could be 47 with an RN (and also way, way in debt with the large tuition).

The choice may seem clear, but after reading a thread on this board about how touch nursing school is I'm afraid to even try it. It's already a stretch for me to leave my home office - I haven't been out in the real world working for 15 years!! On one hand though, I think I'm tough enough to handle becauce of my age and experience in business, including construction. I'm used to hard work. But after reading NS after NS saying how much they hated it, cried every day, etc, I would hate to start and then not be able to hack it and have to drop out. So I'm thinking it would be best to play it safe and do the LPN program first, get some experience under my belt before going for RN. But then I won't be an RN until around age 50!

What I really want to be sure of - is it true that after LPN you can test out for RN? Or do a "bridge" program then test out for RN? And if so, is an RN obtained this way viewed the same way as someone who went through an actual RN school program?

Thanks for any advice. I'm driving myself crazy going back and forth in my mind as to what to do.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I've always wanted to work in a hospital in some capacity. So nursing seems to be the logical choice to fulfil my goals.

Pursue your RN licensure if your goal is to work in a hospital. While many hospitals in the US still utilize LPNs, many more hospitals have stopped hiring us altogether. You may want to telephone the human resource departments of the local hospitals in your area to see if they hire LPNs.

What I really want to be sure of - is it true that after LPN you can test out for RN?

LPNs cannot "test out" to become RNs. If that was the case, many of today's LPNs would have already taken this test to become RNs. The major way for an LPN to become an RN is to graduate from a state approved LPN-to-RN bridge program, which typically adds an additional 1 to 2 years onto your schooling. LPNs must take and pass the NCLEX-PN before they can legally use the title of 'LPN,' and RNs must take and pass the NCLEX-RN in order to legally use the title of 'RN.'

And if so, is an RN obtained this way viewed the same way as someone who went through an actual RN school program?

Many employers do not care where, when, or how you earned your RN licensure. To many of them, you are simply a warm body with a nursing license who is willing to fill the empty shifts. If you want to work in a hospital as a bedside nurse, you will not have any problems if you earn your RN license in this manner.

[shannahan]

Thanks so much for clearing up the testing out thing. I think I've read (or misread) in many places that an LPN can take the NCLEX-RN. This didn't seem right to me. I must have been reading NCLEX-PN back before I knew the difference.

I still wonder if I handle 2 years of NS. If I didn't have kids I wouldn't hesitate but they take so much of my energy.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Thanks so much for clearing up the testing out thing. I think I've read (or misread) in many places that an LPN can take the NCLEX-RN. This didn't seem right to me. I must have been reading NCLEX-PN back before I knew the difference.

I still wonder if I handle 2 years of NS. If I didn't have kids I wouldn't hesitate but they take so much of my energy.

If nursing is what you really want to do, you'll find a way to reach your goal. All of my female classmates who had young children excelled in the LPN program.

[shannahan]

Yeah, I think I can do the LPN program. It's the RN program that I'm afraid of after reading the horror stories on here! lol

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Yeah, I think I can do the LPN program. It's the RN program that I'm afraid of after reading the horror stories on here! lol

Don't be fooled...both programs possess a high level of difficulty, based on responses from people who have done both.

[shannahan]

No doubt. I guess what it will boil down to is can I go through hell for 2 years? I don't know. Can I do it for 1 year, pretty sure I can. Hopefully I'll get some more opinions that will help convince me what's best. thanks.

[linzz]

In Canada, the failure rate for the LPN program is higher than it is for the RN program. Our LPN program is now 2.5 years long and it is a lot of material crammed into a short time. If your LPN programs are anything like ours, you will get lots of bedside training but you will not be able to use a lot of your skills unless you get hired at a hospital. I would take the commuter's advice and do the RN even if it means being on a wait list. JMO.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I think you should stay out of nursing since you already have something good going for you. It's a rough road through nursing school, then a rough road working at the bedside. It's going to get rougher because of increasingly complex regulations and patients.

If I were in your shoes I would stick to what I was doing.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

Whether to enter NS is a personal decision that nobody can make for you. Only you know what you are capable of handling. Personally, for me, NS is so all consuming that I don't think I could have done it when my kids were young. I especially couldn't have done it while married to my ex-husband. But many of my classmates have young children and are doing just fine. Many of my classmates have spouses who don't help out much and are doing just fine. It's really up to YOU to decide what is right for YOU.

[shannahan]

You're right, NancyNurse, I know I need to make this decision myself. It's such a big decision that I am trying to gather as much info as I can to make the decision. It's all of you in the trenches who know it best so I value your opinions.

JLSRn, I was in agreement with your opinion for many years, while I had my transcription business, but I sold it in 2005 and am now doing working for someone else, which isn't such a good thing. At this age, after stay home all these years for my kids, I am in a new stage and want to go back into the world. The only thing I can envision for myself is nursing. I thrive on starting new, big projects and I know I can handle quite a bit of work and pressure. I will think hard about what you said, it being a rough road all the way around.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I agree with NancyNurse; it is really up to you. But, nursing is not per se the job where you will really help each person you encounter. In fact, with so many insane policies, you may spend more time ensuring that the documentation can cover you more than you will have time to really care for each and every patient you will encounter. I find that in nursing, you have to give YOURSELF accolades, because many times, the patient or administation may not. This is not to say that nursing is not rewarding; you have to set yourself to have the frame of mind that no matter what insane circumstances surround you, that you have done your very best.

For me, I do my best in my clinic by trying to empower the patients with education that they can understand. If they can understand the disease process and what possibilities to expect, they can better advocate for themselves. It seems to me that most times, they are trying to fashion nursing to take care of their every need, from pain, language barriers, etc.. While it is true that we are their advocates, they have the responsibility to speak and care for themselves, because we cannot do everything. What I have been doing lately, is reading material that gets straight to the point of what needs to be emphasized the most, so, that I can explain to them. Those that have a higher ability to comprehend, I suggest that they purchase books on medications, their specific diseases, web sites for further information and maybe groups that they can meet with that share the same situations. Some appreciate it, some don't. I arm them with facts and what they do is up to them. Those that need more help, I do what I can, but I also have to see an interest. You'd be surprized at how much many of them will leave to you. While I understand, I also know that I am only one person.

Both, LPN and RN programs are very intense. It takes a high tolerance level to complete either of these programs. I kept my eye on the prize, which, for me, was versitility, and the ability to seek a position that does not lock me into a certain facility, because that LPN license has offered me choices. Good luck!