How many LPN's Don't Plan To Pursue the RN Title?

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I have been an LPN going on a year now and am quite frankly happy with the way my career has progressed so far...I started out doing private duty cases and agency work which I still do. I recently got hired by the VNA to be a crisis care/hospice nurse. I am IV and phelbotomy certified. I plan to obtain certification in hospice/palliative care since this will be my nursing specialty. I thrown around the idea of pursuing an RN degree, but I realized my heart isn't into it, that I would be doing it under societal/family pressure. Just wondering if I am the only one that is content being an LPN, or are there others that feel the same?

Specializes in LTC, Neurology, Rehab, Pain Management,.

I have been an LPN for 18 years. Made a couple of attempts at working on some pre-requisite classes for the RN program, however, after much thought I will stay an LPN. Although the RN looks nice, I have been sorely mistreated by so many RN's that I choose not to become one myself. It's all about power and control. My nurse manager runs our unit with an iron fist and I can't wait to finish my time to get the hell out of there. I am 47 years old and want to work normal hours someday. I am suffering from sleep deprivation for the sake of my family, and seem to work my life around everyone else's needs. I realize I am fortunate to be employed, but have stated here that it feels like I'm "walking the Green Mile."

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Not to rain on anyone's parade (and I sincerely mean that).

I went to nursing school in 1990, became an LPN in 1992. Even then (during a REAL nursing shortage), I saw the writing on the wall: keep going.....

So....I did an LPN to ADN bridge and went from there.

However, in today's consumer-driven environment and with more changes right around the corner, the role of the LPN will soon be outside the hospital. Even now, in my area (central IL) there are NO LPNs in hospitals even the LTACH (long term acute care hospital) is RN only.

We as nurses (both LPN and RN) must be fully aware of our educational choices and make the ones right for them.

Although I fully endorse those LPNs who have been LPNs for a long time not wanting to go back to school, in this day and age, never say never.

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Specializes in LT, skilled, IV, pediatrics.

Becoming an LVN is my 3rd career change and the final one. I have no desire to go back to school and all the stress it causes. I work side by side with RNs who do exactly the same stuff I'm doing, so why bother. Yeah, they may make a bigger paycheck, but I'm happy with what I'm doing and that's the most important thing.

If you're happy and satisfied with yourself, then just be happy and satisfied. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Believe me, been there, done that!

And, when people ask me if I'm going to pursue an RN, I just say, "Why? I'm already a nurse!" It cracks me up to see the look on their faces!

Good luck with whatever you do.

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with the federal mandate on electronic medical records, that is another arena that lpns can get in on. most agencies hired by large facilities to find competant emr staff want people with medical backgrounds, to better understand the workflows and what the staff needs as far as specific additions to the emr programs. i have been doing this for 2 1/2 years...the pay is double, sometimes triple what i made as a staff nurse. if you are able to travel, you will have more opportunities presented to you than you ever thought possible. just my additional :twocents:.

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Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

I am a returning LPN and at 60 I have NO desire to get my RN. I had done all my pre-reqs at one time but moved because of spouse to an area where there were no schools and now my pre-reqs are too old anyway. I do not want incur the debt at this stage in my life of additional schooling. I've read enough threads on this board to KNOW I do not want the added stress - I'll take less responsibility along with a lesser paycheck for peace of mind.

I recently became a certified phlebotomy technician and hope to one day work at a blood bank - as an LPN in most states we can be supervisors. The EMR interests me as during my hiatus from nursing I became very computer savy and can design databases etc.

I find there are wealth of opportunities still for LPN's - just not in hospitals at this time. I am saddened that a whole generation of RN's have never worked with LPN's in a hospital setting.

My fav job was working as a clinic nurse in a teaching hospital, pay was OK but the learning experiences were fantastic.

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It is very easy for life to get in the way of attempting to get to RN or any other goal. Frankly, I am growing tired of always feeding the RN nursing programs Jabba the Hut and never getting anything in return. One of these days, out of anger, I just may write a letter to the head of the BSN program I was in until eight weeks before graduation, and tell that person what a poor preparation for an LVN career that program was.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
It is very easy for life to get in the way of attempting to get to RN or any other goal. Frankly, I am growing tired of always feeding the RN nursing programs Jabba the Hut and never getting anything in return. One of these days, out of anger, I just may write a letter to the head of the BSN program I was in until eight weeks before graduation, and tell that person what a poor preparation for an LVN career that program was.

I'm a bit confused on what you mean and need clarity: when you say you have been feeding the RN programs and not getting anything in return, are you saying that the BSN program was poorly set up for an LPN/LVN?

I know that the tide is shifting these days...I have witnessed both side of the pendulum. Sometimes, the flavor of the day is pro RN, other times, they decide less RNs, but have more LPNs work under their auspice. It is evident that sometimes, they don't know what to do with this LPN creation. The only thing I can say for sure is that I don't want to become one. If I do get caught in the tide that drowns LPNs at my hospital, I can only hope that I can go someplace that is, in fact, LPN friendly. Becoming an RN out of pressure is worse to me, because it would not have been done out of desire or increased growth, it would feel like I was forced. I don't function well that way.

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My BSN program was a crappy program period. Nurses on the floor made plenty of comments to me along those lines as I did clinicals and I am intelligent enough to have made that distinction even as I attended. Had I been fortunate enough to have made it through, I still would have the same opinion.

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And it is ludricous, in my opinion, that when this program changed their policy on letting the students take the RN boards early that they "encouraged" those same students to take the LVN boards. What were they saying about their own program with this action?

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
And it is ludricous, in my opinion, that when this program changed their policy on letting the students take the RN boards early that they "encouraged" those same students to take the LVN boards. What were they saying about their own program with this action?

Wait a minute...the school encouraged their graduates to take BOTH the LPN and RN boards?? It sounds to me that they expected failures. And, if that is the case, maybe the message is that "Oh, well, at least you're a nurse...not the one you attended school for, but you are a nurse...". Insane.

I'm sorry to hear that things didn't pan out as planned. Do you plan to try again in a different program or take Excelsior?

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No. Their longstanding policy was that a student could take the RN boards when 75% of the program was completed because that was more than equivalent to an ADN program. Then they changed the policy to take the LVN exam "early" instead of the RN exam, not both. The problem was that this new policy was applied here and there to people who were already in the program, instead of applying it to new students entering. And my point is that they were telling everyone that going to that school was equivalent to getting an LVN education, not equivalent to getting an RN education.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
No. Their longstanding policy was that a student could take the RN boards when 75% of the program was completed because that was more than equivalent to an ADN program. Then they changed the policy to take the LVN exam "early" instead of the RN exam, not both. The problem was that this new policy was applied here and there to people who were already in the program, instead of applying it to new students entering. And my point is that they were telling everyone that going to that school was equivalent to getting an LVN education, not equivalent to getting an RN education.

Thanks for the clarity. That still sucks. But I am a bit confused...don't they miss out on some of the necessary courses such as Med Surg II, or is the rest of the program geared towards leadership classes or community health? If they pass NCLEX-RN, then, can they still return to complete the BSN program?

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