Is LPN school easier than RN?

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Aug 16, 2005

I can't tell you exactly since I am not even a nurse yet. However, I do work 40 hours a week and go to school full-time at night and have excellent grades. I know many who don't work and have poor grades......so I would think that they are both hard but doable. You have to keep in mind also that what may be easy for you may be nearly impossible to another person.

You really can't listen to what others say. The real way to know exactly is to try it out. Some classes are easier than others (To me), while to other people they may all be difficult or easy.

I personally don't take what "people tell me or say" to the heart, and rather go find out for myself. I think that either LPN or RN are great, so ultimately the one that needs to decide what you want is you. Good luck to you. :)

lisamc1RN, LPN · Aug 16, 2005

Harder and easier are relative terms according to who is speaking and what school they attend. I think that LPN school is plenty hard enough, but manageable. I haven't been to RN school yet but I am going to enter it with the attitude that it will also be hard enough but manageable. Try not to let people discourage you from entering LPN school if that is what you feel will work best for you. I have heard some of the same things but I ignore it, too. Going to LPN school is the best way for me to achieve my goals right now and that's ok. I am very proud of my accomplishments in the program and value my experiences through it! :)

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 17, 2005

So many people have told me that I am crazy to go to LPN school that I should go to RN school. I will be working full-time while going to school. I chose the LPN program because I will be done in 11 months. I don't think I could handle school and working full-time for 2 years. I too am hoping that LPN school will be easier than RN. Has anyone here worked full-time while going to school? Also, can anyone who has been thru LPN & RN school tell me if one is easier than the other?

The LPNs in my RN program have told me it was easier than the program we're in now. I imagine there might be some who could become defensive of the LPN program they are/were in, and say it was harder, but I'd have a hard time believing that myself, not with what we're expected to do for this degree.

It's a personal choice you need to make. Weigh the pros and cons. Don't choose the LPN because you think it will be easier; you have to look at all the factors involved. It might be easier but not get you where you want to be; it might be easier and be exactly what you need. Best of luck to you in figuring it all out, THAT isn't easy for anyone!

aegirl · Aug 17, 2005

I'm in an LPN program now. I will say this...the first semester RN students are learning the skills in the lab that I learned in 1st semester plus they are doing atleast one of the skills i'm learning now in 3rd semester. I think it just depends on the programs. The LPN program i'm in is a lot of work...but I know the RN program is a lot of work too. There are some things we do that they don't and some things they do that we don't. We don't pass meds til last semester....RN students pass meds first semester. The lpn program is 3 semesters....the first year of RN school is only 2 semesters and we learn the same things to get us ready for being a 2nd year RN student.

ashemson · Aug 19, 2005

I am in LPN school right now. I also have three children, ages 11,8,and 5, and work FT. So it is definitely do-able! I go to school two night/week and every other weekend, so that is the main reason I did the LPN instead of RN. Where I live, there wasn't that option for RN school. I thought that I would have more time to devote to studying if I wasn't in school all day, working FT and trying to take care of the kids. I plan to bridge as soon as I can, and I am looking into an online LPN to RN program. Good luck!

Sassylvn · Aug 20, 2005

I am a Lvn and I am proud of that, I am going to school to get my RN and Im proud of that too. I think there is not a degree of difficulty but a degree of comfort. If you have never drawn blood before of course you will be nervous, and then add a instructor watching you and yeah, it would seem more difficult. I think both types of degrees have there own level of difficulty. Its all based on the person. :nono:

Saved_by_Grace · Aug 20, 2005

While I'm sure there's nothing "easy" about RN school, I can assure that there is nothing "easy" about LPN school either. Any type of nursing program is competitive to get into, and the schools only accept the cream of the crop to enter into these nursing programs. Both are intense programs of study. That being said, it depends on your situation to say which program is better suited for you. For me LPN is better because I'm a mother and wife, and I need to be in the working force soon. So the career ladder option is better for me. I can work as an LPN while getting my RN degree later on. :) Good luck to you on whichever path you choose. The sky's the limit!

Nurseismade RN · Aug 22, 2005

So many people have told me that I am crazy to go to LPN school that I should go to RN school. I will be working full-time while going to school. I chose the LPN program because I will be done in 11 months. I don't think I could handle school and working full-time for 2 years. I too am hoping that LPN school will be easier than RN. Has anyone here worked full-time while going to school? Also, can anyone who has been thru LPN & RN school tell me if one is easier than the other?

I will be starting ADN class in September........But I originally was assigned to the LPN program...but was told that I could switch since I scored fairly well on nursing entrance exam In addition the admissions officer told me that the LPN program was very intense due to the fact that it is completed in 3 semester without a break, and that the ADN program, although difficult is spread out over four semesters with a summer break. So it is not as crammed.

She felt that is was better suited for me since I have a family.

just as side note....upon observing both ADN and LPN students at the school that I will be attending during my prereqs...I must say the AdN's always seemed happy, smiling. The LPN"s always look pressured, and serious. :confused:

Hope this helps.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2005

I was a LPN for 8 years, then went back to finish Rn. I can say for a fact one is not "easier" than the other.

LPN is hard because it is usually your first course that you have to study all the nursing components, normal/abnormal/treatments,, etc etc. You learn.

Rn is also hard not because you are learning a whole lot of different things, but that you are learning a differnt WAY of thinking of it. Your whole thinking process is different than an LPN. LPN's think of the here and now more,, and the Rn is thinking what was,, why it is now,, and what can i do/teach to ensure the patient reaches their optimal potential for health now and keep it later.

So one isnt really harder than the other, they both are difficult in their own way.

Hope that clears things a little.

BETSRN · Aug 22, 2005

So many people have told me that I am crazy to go to LPN school that I should go to RN school. I will be working full-time while going to school. I chose the LPN program because I will be done in 11 months. I don't think I could handle school and working full-time for 2 years. I too am hoping that LPN school will be easier than RN. Has anyone here worked full-time while going to school? Also, can anyone who has been thru LPN & RN school tell me if one is easier than the other?

Look at your own personal goals. Ultimately, what do you want to do? Don't choose one or the other because you perceive one to be easier!

LPN's and RN have totally different scopes of practice.

sbic56, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2005

So many people have told me that I am crazy to go to LPN school that I should go to RN school. I will be working full-time while going to school. I chose the LPN program because I will be done in 11 months. I don't think I could handle school and working full-time for 2 years. I too am hoping that LPN school will be easier than RN. Has anyone here worked full-time while going to school? Also, can anyone who has been thru LPN & RN school tell me if one is easier than the other?

It's not a matter of which is harder. They are both tough. I did both at different times. For me, the RN was much easier, probably cuz I was an LPN for 13 years first. The perk about the RN over the LPN is $$. I can't beleive I worked so many years as an LPN, doing the work of the RN next to me. My 401K would be much more attractive with more years as an RN. If I had it to do over, I would have gone for the RN in the first place and the extra $5/hr (minimum) that goes with it.