Lpn or rn? What to do?

It's 9 months to get your LPN (here, unless you go part time-then it's 4 semesters/2 years). I think it's easier to bridge LPN-RN than to deal with applying & wait lists for a normal RN program. Plus, you can work as LPN while you are waiting/working towards your RN.

I am in a LPN program because it's what is available here. Then I will do LPN-RN, and can work at the same time. To go straight to a RN program would be too far/too long, where I am.

My suggestion-go where you can get in quickest, get your foot in the door.

I would suggest going to LPN school and at least get into the field. Its less than a year and you can work for a while and see how you like everything. There's numerous LPN to RN transition courses and schools available that let you transfer in and become an RN. I've also seen situations were an individual becomes an LPN, gets employed at a hospital, and the hospital helps fund the student through the rest of nursing school because they need RNs.

So I highly recommend LPN school then transfering into a LPN-RN. But whatever your decision is I wish you luck :)

I took the LPN route first because I wanted a career in healthcare but I didn't want to immediately commit to 4 years of schooling full-time at the university level. What made the decision even easier was that there were waiting lists into the RN programs everywhere that I applied to. The LPN program took 9 months and covered 95% of the prerequsites I needed for the RN program anyways.

Once I completed the LPN program and started working, I applied into a BSN program and was immediately accepted! The LPN job allowed me to support myself with tons of money to tuck into savings while my other friends were making just the minimum wage. While I was gaining nursing experience and becoming a competent nurse, my nursing student friends were panicking about not being able to "test" their skills on actual patients.

Some RN's say that they wouldn't waste time with an LPN program because it's costly and in the end, you will wind up wanting to become an RN. But when you have to support yourself financially and you can't spend 2 years waiting on a waiting list, it is an option. Some options are better than no options. Either way, do what's right for you.

I personally wouldn't waste the time or money. So it depends on if you want to or not. However...at my school, if you're an LPN, you get to test out of doing nursing 1. So that's a plus. Anyway good luck with your decision!

thanks to the ones that have replied to my posting. I agree with you all. Im going to look into the LPN instead of Rn for now.