Lpn to Rn Bridge question

[molamar07]

Hey! This site has been so helpful with answering the many questions that I have had about nursing school, but I still have one that has been bothering me. First off, I'm 20 and looking into going to college for the first time since my 11th grade year. I've always wanted to do something health related, but have doubted my ability many times. When I read about how competitive nursing programs are it scares me. I had to drop out of high school the last month of my senior year due to numerous personal and home problems, and I have an ACT score of 19 (I only took it one time my junior year.) I know that if I studied a bit more and took it again I could make higher, but a counselor at a nearby college told me that as of right now I have those two strikes against me. So I did a bit more research and I noticed that they had an LPN to RN bridge program. It interested me, because becoming an LPN was my second choice, and the RN program only accepts 12 applicants a year, and the LPN program accepts 24 in January and 24 in August, so I thought I would have a better shot at getting into it if I tried hard enough. My question is, should I TRY to go straight for RN, or would it be my best bet to do the LPN route, work for a while and gain experience, and then try the bridge program? I hope everyone can understand my question. I feel as if I jumbled it all together! lol

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

If you have the time and money try to get into a community college for nursing prerequisities and get kick-butt grades. Then go straight to RN.

[missbenny]

i have been an lpn for 8 years and have a 20 year old friend right now, much like yourself, who is having much difficulty getting into rn school. i never recommended lpn to her until she began to have so much of a problem with her grades affecting her application status. when i got into mobility and she got yet another denial letter for rn school i pointed out the positives of lpn to her. they include that yes it is much easier to get into and she could be working at a higher rate of pay as an lpn vs a nursing assistant when she did bridge over. most schools now have what is called a track ii, which is similar to lpn mobility except that you must have graduated as an lpn within the last 2 years. what this means is that once you finish lpn you can go right into rn with only 1 "wasted" semester. a small price to pay but it would keep you moving instead of wasting time trying to get into rn and being disappointed every application. i don't recommend going to lpn at all but for some of us it is the best option. if you absolutely do not want to go to lpn, the best option is to retake you basics with all a's. good luck. i know you will make the best choice for you!

[Jessy17d]

I am having a similar problem, im in a four year school for my rn but thinking about transferring to a 2 year school to get my lpn so i can get work faster.

I think u should go into lpn and then work hard to get into an RN school it shouldnt be that bad.

[Perpetual Student]

Hi. You don't seem like the idiot you make yourself out to be. Your writing skills seem a lot better than some of the RNs I know. I'm reasonably sure that you can do this if you want to badly enough and are willing/able to study enough. My guess is that math and/or sciences are your weakness(es), which will require you to work your butt off during your pre-reqs.

Becoming an LPN and then doing an LPN to RN program is an especially good way to go for younger folks like us (I was 20 when I began my LPN program, and had just finished a general transfer AA). It allows us to get relevant experience, and, more importantly, make sure it's something we want to do before spending too much time and money on school. Also, working as an LPN beats the heck out of just about anything I could've done prior to being licensed as one.

You might want to take the pre-reqs for both the ADN program and LPN program, then just apply to both and see where you get in. If you get into the LPN program but not the ADN program, just do it first and do the LPN to RN program afterward.

Anyway, good luck in doing whatever you want to do.