LPN employment in NJ?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Oct 8, 2011

There is definitely no nursing shortage in NJ. A friend of mine is a recruiter for a NJ healthcare system, they are having no issue whatsoever filling open nursing positions with BSN and/or experienced nurses. She said for some positions they have over 100 applications.

Between private/for-profit schools and the public vocational schools there are hundreds of new LPN graduates each year (some schools multiple times per year). Hospitals haven't been hiring LPN's in NJ for 10+ years. Since there are many RN graduates in NJ, many hospital/healthcare facilities are preferring to hire BSN graduates rather than ASN graduates simply because they can.

LPN salaries vary too from $18/hr (~$37,000 yr) to significantly higher depending on the job setting, location (say Monmouth County vs. Hunterdon or Salem County) and experience.

IMHO, if you are going to pay $20K for an LPN program (my program was $6K) you might want to reconsider and look into an ASN or even an accelerated BSN program (with your present bachelor's degree you could likely get by with only a few prerequisite courses) (The ASN program at many county colleges are significantly less than $20K. The caveat is the potential wait list)

There are no guaranteed jobs whether you go for LPN or even a RN/MSN advanced practice nurse. I wouldn't consider LPN/RN or nursing an education scam. I do think some of the propaganda promoted by some agencies touting a major nursing shortage is pure assumption (and perhaps wishful thinking to line their pockets) based upon theoretical population projections and assumed retirement of currently employed nurses.

agldragonRN · Oct 8, 2011

is there really a nursing shortage? or is this another education scam? i know it depends on the state, so i am specifically talking about nj. i have done research in the state of nurses in nj and it seems like there is a true shortage. but i have been burned before with useless degrees (law).
my undergrad is pretty useless for nursing (psychology major), meaning i did not take any science classes. i read that getting a lpn is doable in a year and their starting salary is around 40k. the program would cost me 20k, so not too shabby. the lpn would be just a step before getting the rn. the money from being a lpn would help pay down my undergrad debt. or i could go for an associate degree in nursing (adn) to be an rn in 2 years. but i know i will be competing against rns who have a bsn and years of experience. so would being a rn having only an adn be that big of a disadvantage?
so would getting a lpn be a good start or should i go for the adn?
i am mainly just scared of once again investing in a degree (lpn) that will not get me a job. i already owe 30k from undergrad, so i am wary of education scams.

they usually mean experienced rns when they say "nursing shortage". they don't hire lpns in nj hospitals. i am from central new jersey and i cannot even get a hospital job as an rn with adn. yes hospitals around here prefer bsn nurses. new grad lpns and rns are having a tough time finding jobs here in jersey.

i graduated lpn school in 2008 and made $60,000 my first year. $20,000 for lpn school is too much. i only paid $3,500 for my lpn program. check out my school here: http://www.mcvts.net/mcvts-adult-education.aspx?id=1161

it is in piscataway, nj and an excellent program.

rn programs here are very competitive but you should aim for your rn first (adn or bsn) then only use lpn school as a back up. that's what happened to me. i was on a waiting list for an rn program and got tired of waiting so i did lpn.

your undergrad is a bachelor degree, right? if so, are you aware that there are many accelerated bsn (absn) programs here in jersey? you do the program in less than 2 years and they award you a bsn. but they are pretty expensive so definitely do your research.

good luck!

ruesq · Oct 11, 2011

Thanks for the ideas.

I did not realize the LPN program I was looking at was unnecessarily expensive. I will definitely look at the programs you listed. It is kind of a hard time for me right now because I am still in law school. So I have to manage my law school load while looking to see if a career in nursing is for me. Very confusing times for me.

6-10k for a LPN program with a projected salary of 30-50k sounds pretty good. I want to pay off some of my loans so that can help. Of course, the issue is whether I can get a job as a LPN. I have read that hospitals in NJ do not hire LPNs but other places like homes do.

My bachelor's degree is in psychology and I have not taken a science class since high school. So I think this means if I want to do an accelerated BSN program I would have to probably take like a year or more of pre-req classes before doing the accelerated BSN program.

Based on some research I have done it seems even new RNs with a BSN are not getting a job. This situation kind of pushes me towards not doing the accelerated BSN program because I would have to be in school for another 3 years and get into even more debt to not get a job when I graduate. I am not sure if the market fares the same for LPNs but the risks are certainly less (6-10k in debt and only a year of school) when compared to the BSN.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Oct 11, 2011

Just be aware that the $30,000/yr is more likely to be a starting salary as a new grad LPN $50,000/yr is more likely an experienced LPN and is relative to where they are working (environment as well as demographics). There are definitively more job opportunities as well as opportunities for growth with an RN-BSN than as an LPN. With the current market many nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities are hiring RN's over LPN's simply because they can.

Most counties have a public LPN program (generally in the county vocational-technical school but some are based in the county college) in the $6-10K range. Start looking now as some programs applications start 6-10 months in advance of program start.