LPN to RN bridge choice, good or not?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2016

I took the stair-step educational pathway...from LVN to ASN to BSN. Now I'm one year into a MSN program.

I was/am a nontraditional student who completed the LVN program at age 24. I was a single female with a mortgage and other obligations, so I could not be out of work for more than a year. The 12-month LVN program facilitated graduation in a year.

The stair-step educational route took longer, but it allowed a nontraditional student like me to quickly enter nursing when all other avenues seemed hopeless.

RBFNurse2b · Apr 22, 2016

I took the stair-step educational pathway...from LVN to ASN to BSN. Now I'm one year into a MSN program.
I was/am a nontraditional student who completed the LVN program at age 24. I was a single female with a mortgage and other obligations, so I could not be out of work for more than a year. The 12-month LVN program facilitated graduation in a year.
The stair-step educational route took longer, but it allowed a nontraditional student like me to quickly enter nursing when all other avenues seemed hopeless.

Wow, that's a great accomplishment that you were able to pull through all that. Thank you so much for the input.

Blue Robin · May 6, 2016

The reason why people say that is due to economic educational costs. Some people think it is not worth getting your LPN when the main goal is to become an RN. Most LPN eventually do become RN. You can get your RN out the way withing 2-3 years depending if you have taken pre-classes before clinicals.

The LPN is an option if you don't have time to wait around and you need to start working ASAP. LPN school you become part of the action and LPN programs depending takes about 9-10 months, each program is different. Another is that LPN is the best option if you don't want to be on no waitinglist. There have been students who have been on waiting list for about 1-2 years and most of of them took pr-requisite classes. If you don't have that kind of time then go the LPN route.

You will also have the advantage of being ahead the rest of the class if you are in a RN program, it will make the nursing school process easier. It also might be the better bet if you want to make some money working already as a nurse and put yourself through school. You don't have to go through university to become RN- you can go through community college. You can get your RN license and bridge to MSN. Most RN-BSN depending is about 9 months which is not bad.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · May 6, 2016

A number of people have been telling me that I should just go straight for the RN program instead of taking the LPN to RN bridge pathway. What are some pros and cons of taking the LPN to RN pathway? Has anyone experienced that route? I'm thinking that if I do take this LPN-RN bridge I can be certified as an LPN first, work and support myself while continuing to go to school for nursing. Any thoughts?

I didn't choose the stair step path. Rather, it chose me. I intended to go straight into the BSN program.

However, life and divorce and financial needs arose and by necessity, I did the stair step route to my RN, which I will complete in a few days.

My thoughts are as follows: my VN/PN license has served me well. I only used it for about a year prior to starting the RN bridge.

However, besides the financial benefits of earning enough money to comfortable support myself and my child during that time, I also was able to skip waiting lists to the RN program. This was not guaranteed, but I heard that there were fewer bridge applicants than traditional applicants. This proved true for me. I've asked my classmates and many waited a few yrs to get admitted to the RN program.

Furthermore, I'm about to graduate and need to earn money ASAP while waiting for my NCLEX-RN. I only put in applications this week and had 2 job offers this week. Therefore, I am glad that I have this VN/PN license to fall back on.

Nursing pursuit · May 7, 2016

I'm graduating LPN school in 2 weeks, I just finished my final for it. I would not recommend being an LPN to RN student because it may take longer than you expect to get accepted into RN school. Here are some examples. Some graduates of the LPN program who graduated in December 2015 couldn't attend the RN program in the same school because there isn't enough time to process the paperwork and the PN nclex so the graduates are forced to take a semester off. Another example is that I found a community college that had a bridge program but all of the requirements had to be submitted one year ahead of the time. I thought that was silly because one year ago I wasn't thinking about RN school, I was just in the beginning of the LPN program. Plus, this community college rejected my chemistry because it didn't have lab so I can't attend in the fall. It's funny because my school is private and they took my chemistry and they don't care if it's high school chemistry, a 3 credit chemistry or 4 credit chemistry. I can do the RN program in my school if I can pay for it. It's one of the only schools in my area that accepts last minute applications and I will be a last minute applicant since I can't apply until I pass my LPN nclex. I find that doing LPN first can really hold you up on being an RN. So many unexpected hold ups can happen and I don't know if I can attend next semester for my RN.

LPNtoRNin2016OH, LPN · May 10, 2016

The pros are pretty much what everyone already went over. The poster who mentioned that it can be easier to get into a bridge program instead of a traditional nursing program has been right in my experience. I just got accepted into my bridge program at a respected local college, I had a high GPA but I know LPNs that have been accepted with the bare minimum GPA of 2.8 because there weren't many more applicants than available spots. I got my LPN at 21, it allowed me to make decent money, buy a house with my husband, and now because we have done alright financially for our age, I am able to just work PRN while going through the program which is awesome because we also have three kids.

The cons are it costs more and it takes longer to do it the "stair-step way". I would not have been able to do this any other way but if I had the option I would have gone straight for RN.

KgreenLPN · May 10, 2016

It depends on what you want. If your young, no kids, no real bills then maybe you can take the time and go straight through RN. I became an LPN because I never had a career in health care, I wanted to make decent money, I had a child a husband and we had bills! I have been an LPN for 3 years and I am going into the third semester of my RN program. I was able to save money to where I work part time 2 days a week and I can focus on school as well! I don't regret going LPN to RN and if your pre req grades are good enough you will get into an RN program anyways!