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.
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!
as always, your post is always informative & helpful pagandeva. thanks!!
Even the LPN program is probably not one year...more likely there is one year of pre-reqs then the one year of LPN courses. Go for the RN....more opportunities and believe me, your kids won't be little forever. You will be surprized at how they will grow seeing how much their mother values education. I went back to nursing school in my 30's with two sons and a husband who was often gone (military). Both of our boys consider education to be very important.
I think many LPN programs are 11 months. Mine was 11 months and you just needed to take a simple entrance test. My sister did school with me with 2 children under the age of 5. Yes it was a lot of stress but well worth it. We both have good jobs in busy doctors offices. I get to see plenty there. If your goal is to work in a hospital then you need to go for your RN. The only hospital that hires LPN's in my area is the VA hospital and they hire LPN's all the time . Another thing you can do is call your local hospitals and they can tell you what your chances are of being hired as a LPN. It all depends on what you want. I am going to go for my RN at my own pace now as I gain experience. I really do like working in a doctors office though and they mostly hire LPN's. Best wishes to you.
I managed an 11 month, full time PN program with 4 kids under the age of 15, (actually they were 15, 14, 10, and 3 when I graduated) and a husband. I took 2 semesters of part-time classes to get prereq's done, then didn't work while in nursing school. I also took out student loans to help cover costs. I started with a GED and nearly 7 years exp in an auto body shop, so I went in "cold". It was difficult due to the amount of information I needed to learn, not the content itself. We tested every Monday. Each class was 5 weeks, so there was not a lot of room for error. It was frequently do or die for some of our class, but I managed to maintain a "B" average throughout the program. It was very intense, and I did come home and cry some days. The stress can get overwhelming. In fact, when I graduated, I swore I would NEVER go back to school again. That was 7 months ago. The irony is I am signed up to get prereq's out of the way for the RN program! In my own round-about way, what I'm trying to say is it CAN be done. It IS stressful, difficult, out right MISERABLE at times, but it's the best gift I have ever given myself. And I'm going to do it all over again! Good luck to you whatever you choose. A little piece of my experience: If you should choose to go to nursing school, whether it be PN or RN, don't look too far ahead at how many classes you have left. Focus on getting through the class(es) you're in NOW, and look toward the big goal at the end (graduation!), but for-the-love-of-all-that's-good DO NOT look at the next X amount of classes you have left to graduate!! It becomes very overwhelming when you are stressed over the class you are in, and think "Oh geez I have 12 more classes like this?!!!". It's a bad idea. Trust me. :nuke:
You have useful skills. Have you thought about checking your local hospitals for a transcriptionists position? I was 40 when I did my PN course. Looking back I should have done the transcriptionists. Better working hours, own cubicle, better pay, very little risk of physical injury and they are never covered in bodily fluids.
Linzz is right the drop out rate in Canada is high. My intake was 72, we graduated 38.
You can do anything you want. But nursing isn't as rosie a career as I thought it would be.
:nuke:
shannahan
239 Posts
Very insightful post, pagandeva2000! What you have said so lines up with my own thinking. thank you