Lpn & asn are are being phased out.

roser13, ASN, RN · May 14, 2016

I live in the midwest and I've been seeing that schools have discontinued the LPN and ASN programs. Will the entry level for a nurse be BSN or MSN??? What will happen to nurses that only has an ASN?? I'm more concerned about people that are okay with just being an ASN and not wanting to go to school for 4 years(like myself) & knowing you'll never pay off your student loans. Can somebody tell me why???

I'm really curious as to what schools OP has "been seeing" that have discontinued the ASN & LPN programs. Perhaps we exaggerate just a tad?

westieluv · May 14, 2016

If anything, now that the federal government has wormed its way even more deeply into the healthcare industry and Medicare reimbursements are so much more conditional and precarious than ever before, the demand for LPNs seems to be growing, at least where I live. I see a lot of positions posted for LPNs now that used to be the domain of RNs, such as SNF management positions and hospice triage positions, just to name a few. It is less expensive to pay LPNs to do the same work that RNs used to do, so why not?

Personally, as I mentioned before, some of the best nurses I have ever known were seasoned LPNs who really new their stuff. Experience is hands on education when it comes to nursing, even if it doesn't culminate in a particular degree.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · May 14, 2016

Personally, as I mentioned before, some of the best nurses I have ever known were seasoned LPNs who really new their stuff. Experience is hands on education when it comes to nursing, even if it doesn't culminate in a particular degree.

Experience doesn't trump education with regard to scope of practice, however, with the exception of ADN RNs vs. BSN RNs. Obviously the scope is the same there.

The OP is making generalizations which simply aren't true. They may be true in select markets, but no, LPNs and ADNs are not being universally "phased out." That's a pretty absurd declaration to make. As with most things, it just depends.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 14, 2016

LPNs and ADNs are the backbones of specialties such as long term care, home health, corrections, private duty, hospice, developmental disabilities, and skilled physical rehab.

I think many people seem to forget that the exalted acute care hospital is not the only employer of nurses. The wave of the future is non-hospital employment.

moretonel · May 14, 2016

As was previously stated, it depends. A big hospital in my area hires only BSN, while the other hospitals state in their online job postings "BSN preferred".

ASN programs in the community colleges are alive and well.

The future of the state run LPN programs (located in the adult ed departments of the tech/vocational high schools) is uncertain, but do to state budget problems - the LPN programs were closed before, then re-opened when money became available.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · May 14, 2016

I live in New England, where the vast majority of hospitals are BSN only. ADNs and LPNs are found in corrections, clinics, LTC, and home health.

anchorRN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · May 14, 2016

First off, I have my BSN but I completely disagree with the OP. This "phasing out" is very geographically dependent. In the big cities, sure hospitals can pick and choose what credentials they want, they have a large population of trained individuals to choose from. But, in the more rural isolated areas (like my hometown in Eastern Kentucky) where they are desperate for bedside nurses, i can assure you they don't care what degree you have, they just want a license! As others have stated on this thread, if LPNs or ADNs go away healthcare is in big trouble (especially at SNFs and LTACs!).

Marisette, BSN, RN · May 14, 2016

I live in the midwest and I've been seeing that schools have discontinued the LPN and ASN programs. Will the entry level for a nurse be BSN or MSN??? What will happen to nurses that only has an ASN?? I'm more concerned about people that are okay with just being an ASN and not wanting to go to school for 4 years(like myself) & knowing you'll never pay off your student loans. Can somebody tell me why???

I'm in the midwest and there are numerous schools for LPN's and RN's in my neck of the woods. I think you can remain or obtain employment with an LPN or RN education. It may limit mobility because some of the university hospitals are requesting BSN entry. In the inner city areas, there are numerous opportunities for RN education, and in over supply of nurses which makes finding employment extremely challenging. Consequently, employers can ask for whatever they want. They can pick and choose. Sometimes, education is used as a qualifier to certain jobs. That does not always mean they are getting the best candidate. Some employers hire RN's with the condition they obtain their BSN within 24-30 months.

I believe the over supply of nurses has also given rise to the ladder programs, requirements for certifications in specialties, and advanced CPR. When I graduated nursing in 1987, there there was a nursing shortage and few requirement for entry in nursing practice other than a basic license. If your trying to advance your career, or move around, then it's probably in your favor to pursue more education to remain competitive. If your near retirement or happy in your current role, I would not worry about it.

geek, BSN · May 14, 2016

I'm "just" an ASN and I have no student loans at all. BSNs make the same as ASN nurses in my city.

Where are you!? My 2009 class got completely screed over. The economy crashed and no one was hiring grad nurses in the entire Philadelphia region. A few lucky ones who had been unit secretaries had an in. The next year we all kept applying and I found out that even though the hospitals said bsn preferred they were only taking bsn for new hires. Mind you every student in the class before us got jobs, many of them hospital jobs. To this day day I get so angry when I see them on Facebook about their jobs. Most of us were adult second career people with prior bs degrees. The people that wound up getting good hospital jobs were the ones were young and could relocate or who could go on and get a bsn. The rest got nursing home or office jobs. I personally couldn't take them because I had a mortgage and they paid less than I was making. I just now 8 years later got a prn job in nursing in addition to my other career. Thanks to an old classmate.

Sometimes I feel I could have sued the program for not being more forthright about this. They didn't know the economy would rank but they knew hospitals were staring to want bsn only. I'm still paying off my adn loans. It really sucks. I am an intelligent person who had a 3.8 for my bs and 3.7 for my adn and they won't even consider me.

geek, BSN · May 14, 2016

I also live in the Midwest and ASN and LPN programs are going strong where I live. "Just" being an ASN isn't such a dumb idea either, if you think about it. You graduate, pass the exact same NCLEX that BSNs take, start working as an RN, and then let your employer pay part of your tuition while you take an online RN to BSN program which is still less expensive than a four year university who can charge any amount they want to for tuition because they are being funded by the government through student loans. I think that option sounds pretty smart, actually.
Also, some of the best nurses that I have ever known (I am neithe one, BTW) were LPNs and ASNs. Experience counts for much of a nurse's overall education and development of clinical skills.

I am thinking of relocating to the Midwest or Florida after my daughter graduates college in three years for this very reason. I'd prefer Florida though

geek, BSN · May 14, 2016

Most hospitals require a BSN degree upon hire now. Especially magnet hospitals. It's becoming a baseline necessity for RN's. Would be smart to acquire one. I started out with my ADN then did ADN to BSN. Now doing BSN to MSN.

Were you lucky enough to have a job with tuition reimbursement though? Those of us from 09 have to get out bsn while still paying off adn loans

geek, BSN · May 14, 2016

What exactly do you think ASN/ADN nurses are incapable of caring for based solely on our education?

Especially since my class was mostly people with prior bs degrees. Mine was I health administration for goodness sake