The intended purpose of this article is to briefly introduce the steps that a licensed practical nurse (LPN) would take in order to become a registered nurse (RN).
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Licensed practical nurses (LPN) have the ability to reinforce their current skill set, acquire new skills, learn additional theory, earn a higher income, and prepare for enhanced career mobility by continuing their educations to become registered nurses (RN).
Bridge programs have been formulated to enable LPNs to complete an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) plus training at the professional registered nursing level.
Both educational pathways will result in eligibility to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), and applicants who pass this exam will attain state licensure as RNs. These programs are sometimes known as RN bridge programs, RN mobility programs, RN fast-track programs, and RN completion programs.
To get admitted into an LPN-to-RN or LPN-to-BSN program, the candidate must already hold state licensure as an LPN. Depending on the bridge program, admission requirements might also include an entrance exam, the completion of prerequisite courses, basic life support CPR certification, criminal background check, reference letters, work experience, negative tuberculin skin test or chest x-ray, and evidence of immunity against specific diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella.
A typical LPN-to-RN program that results in an associate degree might be one year long after all prerequisite classes have been completed, whereas an LPN-to-BSN program might take anywhere from two to three years after all prerequisite courses have been satisfactorily completed.
RN bridge programs cover clinical nursing skills as well as educate students on a variety of topics. After graduating from a bridge program, most graduates will be able to either work as RNs or continue their educations to train for advanced practice specialties that require masters degrees, such as the family nurse practitioner role, midwifery, or certified registered nurse anesthetist.
The coursework in a typical RN bridge program includes classes on subjects such as leadership, nursing management, advanced patient care, nursing ethics, health assessment, advanced medical/surgical nursing, mental health nursing, OB nursing, research nursing, community health, and more. In addition, RN bridge programs usually incorporate a component that consists of hands-on clinical rotations for a specific number of hours.
So many bridge programs are in existence today that offer LPNs the flexibility to continue their educations. Returning to school to pursue higher education might appear to be too much to handle for an LPN who works full-time in the nursing profession and juggles other responsibilities. However, the benefits of becoming an RN are definitely worth considering, especially if the LPN has many years until he or she reaches retirement age.
