LPN or RN?

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I am currently attending Thomas Nelson Community College and taking Principles of Psychology and Principles of Nutrition online. I am also expecting a baby girl in April 17th and Im trying to find a better place to live on top of planning my baby shower and making sure that bills get paid on time. I also work at Sentara Leigh Hospital as a Nursing Care Partner and I'm not happy, for those of you that do not know what a Care Partner is, they are like CNAs in the hospital setting, some care partners here are CNAs or Medical Assistants. I have really been thinking about going to LPN school first instead of spending my life doing prerequisites. I feel that I would have a better shot getting into an LPN program more so than an RN program. Yes, I know, people say that doing LPN is a complete waste of time but I look at it as a sacifice I have to make for my daughter. As bad as I would like to continue my prerequisites for RN, I just don't think I can do it anymore. Im tired of being strung along with so many prerequistes, just hearing that word makes me want to scream. Is there anyone that can give me some feedback on what I should do? If they think it is better for me and my daughter if I go to LPN school.

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So......I am pro LPN first. It is what I am doing and i will be finishing my LPN in 2 months and sitting for NCLEX.My CC has a two semester LPN program and they do advance placement into third block to finish with ADN ( associates in nursing) in block four.I am taking the LPN route to...avoid the 18 waitlist for RN. Financially i pay out of pocket...and its easier this way. I will take my LPN NCLEX in May, and go to third block in August. Hopefully i will work as an LPN while i finish RN. When i graduate RN i will NOT be considered a new grad but rather an experienced nurse.If God forbid anything happens during 3/4 block and i fail or cant continue....i dont have to start at block one ever again. I will always start block 3.At the VERY least you get experience.

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O and I am a single mom, early 20's, working two jobs and taking other classes on top of my nursing with no help from family. Its doable!

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I decided to do the LPN to RN route due to the insanely huge list of people trying to get into the community colleges nursing programs. I was in school, graduated, licensed and working as an LPN before any of the people I was in the CC with even got into the nursing programs.

That being said, I don't know about how your State runs their LPN to RN programs but here is how mine worked. There are only a handful of schools that have the bridge program (the State Community Colleges and two private not-for-profit colleges). Once you are admitted into the LPN to RN program, you take an online class thru the State and a class through your school. From there you then enter the 2nd year nursing classes of the ADN program. Don't think having your LPN will let you escape the dreaded 'pre-reqs'. Not at all. We still had to complete all the non-nursing classes for the ADN program. So those A&P's, chem, sociology, psych, Algebra etc..ALL had to be done. My school required the 1st year of the non-nursing classes be completed before you could start the RN classes. The 2nd year of the non-nursing classes could be done before or during the RN classes. I chose to do them all before the RN classes. Luckily I had many classes I could use to transfer and I didn't have to start from the beginning.

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So......I am pro LPN first. It is what I am doing and i will be finishing my LPN in 2 months and sitting for NCLEX.My CC has a two semester LPN program and they do advance placement into third block to finish with ADN ( associates in nursing) in block four.I am taking the LPN route to...avoid the 18 waitlist for RN. Financially i pay out of pocket...and its easier this way. I will take my LPN NCLEX in May, and go to third block in August. Hopefully i will work as an LPN while i finish RN. When i graduate RN i will NOT be considered a new grad but rather an experienced nurse.If God forbid anything happens during 3/4 block and i fail or cant continue....i dont have to start at block one ever again. I will always start block 3.At the VERY least you get experience.

Not always the case. You are STILL considered a new graduate RN but with LPN experience. I speak from experience. I am still looked upon as a new grad even with 5 yrs LPN exp. You will be considered an experienced LPN but a newly graduated RN, because, that's what you are/will be...a new grad RN.

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Not always the case. You are STILL considered a new graduate RN but with LPN experience. I speak from experience. I am still looked upon as a new grad even with 5 yrs LPN exp. You will be considered an experienced LPN but a newly graduated RN, because, that's what you are/will be...a new grad RN.

So ture pixie...im looked at the same way. But with 8yrs LPN experience. So i am constantly referred to as a "new grad with LPN experience" but treated as a "new grad RN" because most people dont know how extensive my LPN experience is...and when they find out...im still treated as a "new grad RN". Lol...it doesnt bother me though. Just a matter of my preceptor rehashing things again. It doesnt hurt to hear stuff or do stuff agaon no matter how many times i done it before.

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