LPN or BSN

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I am a 22 year old student who just decided to become nurse. I am about to complete my pre requisites. I have been told to go to a 4 year university to pursue a BSN and I have also been told to go get my LPN. I don't know which would be more beneficial and faster for me to become a nurse. I want the degree that is more worth my money and worth my while. I do not want to get a degree that is pointless for me to have. I want to make sure that I get the best experience so that I can be the best nurse.

Any ideas?

Specializes in ER.
I don't regret becoming an Lpn as I love the bedside care and the pay is actually decent where I live. I was beginning an RN program and got very sick. I needed money and health insurance fast. So I went the Lpn route and I've gotten lots of experience. When I go back for my rn I'll already have my foot in the door. But if I hadn't gotten sick I would have went straight for bsn.

To be fair, some places do pay LPNs really, really well. In my current area, the pay difference is significant. A new RN usually makes 9-12 dollars more an hour. In my old area, RNs usually made only 3-6 dollars more.

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Specializes in LTC.

Are you in any rush to enter the job market? Do you need a solid paycheck to support yourself while in school? If not, then buckle down and do the BSN. If yes, then perhaps the LPN can be a stepping stone to the RN/BSN. If you go the LPN route first, be realistic and realize starting off working in a hospital will likely not happen as a LPN. In my LTC facility I know many LPN nurses who are working on their RN/BSN and avoiding going into debt which IMO is admirable. Do what works best for your circumstances but I don't agree that becoming a LPN is a waste.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Given your age I would suggest going directly for the BSN. It will give you much more flexibility in your career and will greatly increase your options for management roles if you decide at some point that you would like to go in that direction.

There are many areas that are trending toward a BSN minimum for nurses in acute care so depending on where you live or where you may move to later in life even an ADN may limit your options.

Of course by suggesting this route I am making assumptions that may not be true. I am basing my advice on the thought that at 22 you are not married and are not responsible for supporting a family. I am also assuming that your transcripts are good enough to easily get you into a BSN program. I am further assuming that there are affordable schools, read public universities here, in your area that don't have long wait lists to start. My last assumption is that you will be eligible for enough financial aid to make the BSN the best option for you financially.

If any of these assumptions are not true it very well might be easier, cheaper or faster to go for either an LPN or ADN first and then a bridge program to complete the BSN. There are advantages either way, but in most areas the ADN to BSN bridge will still give you more options for employment while you are bridging than the LPN option is likely to.

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I just got done with my LPN last month. The reason why I didn't go the BSN route is because there is not a program for that where I live. I am furthering my education to get my associate RN and then may get my BSN depending on how sick of school I am by then haha. In my opinion a BSN or Associate RN degree is the way to go. LPN's, where I live don't get paid barely anything and an RN gets paid well over $8 more an hour and you can do so much more with an RN degree. Also where I live an RN with a BSN degree and an RN with just an associate degree don't get paid any differently. The only thing you would want your BSN for is if you eventually wanted to go into management or something. But that is just in our state too, I think in other states there is a difference in pay between the two. Hope this helps! In my opinion though I wouldn't just get your LPN, you can get your LPN and then further your education instead of going to a university for your BSN. That way you also figure out that, that is for sure what you want to do.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
I'm looking into LPN then bridge to RN. I have no desire to be apart of management which is why I'm not interested in BSN. You have to start somewhere right?

Most management jobs now require MSN. BSN is entry level for most jobs

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

becoming an LPN is the fastest way to Nursing, then you can bridge. As for LPNs being phased out, this is a myth.:sarcastic:

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I am an LVN and I wouldn't recommend it IF you want to be an RN. It has ended up taking me a lot longer and in the long run costing more money.

If you want to work in LTC go for LVN

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then you can bridge.

Depends on where one lives. Where I live we have TONS of bridge programs but very FEW seats. The school closets to me had 1 bridge seat last year. California is so impacted that even people trying to bridge are having to move to get a seat.

If I had it to do over I would just go for my ADN or BSN

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becoming an LPN is the fastest way to Nursing, then you can bridge. As for LPNs being phased out, this is a myth.:sarcastic:

Where I live they only want RN. So it's only a myth in certain locations I guess

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

it's most likely the places that one is looking to be employed rather than state one resides in.

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Specializes in ER.
becoming an LPN is the fastest way to Nursing, then you can bridge. As for LPNs being phased out, this is a myth.:sarcastic:

It really, really depends on where you live. LPNs are not being phased out but my area has too many nursing schools to really sustain the constant flow of new graduates.

We have 3 BSN schools, 5 ADN schools, and countless LPN schools (I think the last number I was aware of was 10 but some schools closed or opened up since then). It is a lot harder to get a job as a LPN in my immediate area.

On the flip side, if they go north they can make almost as much as an RN. There is a shortage of any level of nursing up north. They pay really, really well up there.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
It really, really depends on where you live. LPNs are not being phased out but my area has too many nursing schools to really sustain the constant flow of new graduates.

We have 3 BSN schools, 5 ADN schools, and countless LPN schools (I think the last number I was aware of was 10 but some schools closed or opened up since then). It is a lot harder to get a job as a LPN in my immediate area.

On the flip side, if they go north they can make almost as much as an RN. There is a shortage of any level of nursing up north. They pay really, really well up there.

I agree :yes:

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