What do you Bridgers think?

Nursing Students LPN-RN

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Hi all,

I am due to start my LPN course on July 1st, then bridge to RN. My question is: Do you find that LPN school was beneficial to you in the nursing courses you are taking now? I know that in a clinical setting it surely has to be helpful. Its just that I'm 25, married, 2 kids and it seems like its so long to wait before entering RN school as it is. The RN program is so competitive, and small and that. I am freaking out, I think. If you had it to do over would you still have went to LPN school or went straight through for RN? Thanks :jester:

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Interesting! I went the same route that you are about to start. Well, my advice now & depending on the person is to go straight to RN school. I only say this because most people that become LPNs get stuck and never move on. Depending on where you are located and where you work, there might not be a big difference in pay scale when you transition from LPN-RN, so some people say why bother and can not afford to go back, because they have beel living according to their income as most of us do. I do think that being an LPN can provide you enough experience that the bridge will be like a ride in the park, and when you graduate you might have a better advantage over the traditional student, in that you have been working in the field as a nurse for a period of time. Also being an LPN pursuing your RN, does make life a bit financially easier. In my opinion, the majority of CNAs and LPNs had intentions of becoming and RN, but didnt for some reason or another.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I thought my LPN education was very helpful. I actually knew most of the material that we covered when I got to RN school but they were just adding more detail. The confidence I felt from knowing that I had my LPN no matter what happened was nice also as I watched people fail out in the final year with nothing more than their CNA.

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I also went your route. I got my LPN with the full intention of pursuing my RN. While I was getting my LPN I was on the RN waiting list so didn't have much of a wait after finishing my LPN. So it worked well for me. It would not have been an option for me to stay at that level. In my area LPN's are not paid well and mostly in nursing homes. I transitioned into the RN and not am working on my BSN which was my end goal. But now who knows maybe even a Masters down the road. The nice thing about layering is the opportunity to work in areas that otherwise I would not have had. I learned things in the nursing home environment that has been helpful to my current practice. A lot of RN's don't do well with bowel care and digital stimulation and since I am a Neuro Nurse this background is invaluable. Since my employer is providing financial assistance to get my BSN it seems like a win win situation. I don't regret my background and the bottom line is that by the time I have my BSN completed sometime next year I will have had a far more advanced number of nursing courses that those that pursued a RN or BSN right from the start. Out of the 15 classes post RN for my BSN 13 of them are nursing classes on top of 2 years of nursing classes for my ADN. The other 2 classes are the dreaded Statistics and Pathophysiology which I plan to take this fall. Good luck to you as you move forward!!!

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Thanks so much for all the honest replies. I am def. going to go ahead and attend LPN school. After my hubby gets out of basics and his individualized training, and I finish this LPN course, we will be moving and I know I will be able to use this wherever I go. There are a lot of schools that offer bridge programs as well. If he gets sent to war or something *God Forbid* I will need a job while going to school. I do have my cna but the pay isn't enough to support the girls with.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Thanks so much for all the honest replies. I am def. going to go ahead and attend LPN school. After my hubby gets out of basics and his individualized training, and I finish this LPN course, we will be moving and I know I will be able to use this wherever I go. There are a lot of schools that offer bridge programs as well. If he gets sent to war or something *God Forbid* I will need a job while going to school. I do have my cna but the pay isn't enough to support the girls with.

Sounds like a great plan. Keep us posted!

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thank you for posting this, and for the great responses.

I am in LPN school atm and also already applied to the bridge program once I finish. I cant help but wish it was faster, but I know that the money from being an LPN will be invaluable to me in continuing on.

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