LPN

Editorial Team / Admin · May 21

Hello Tiffy Love,

It's great you're reaching out to the AllNurses community to ask for their advice. Do you happen to have a degree already? There are many programs that offer an accelerated BSN if they already have a degree, or a portion of their post-secondary school completed. I recommend you taking a look at that.

However, you're looking to get into LPN first, I recommend you review this article on AllNurses. Best of luck!

DallasRN · May 29

If at all possible, I'd pass on the LPN program and work on the ADN. If like most students you will need to work while going to school, you might as well work while obtaining your ultimate goal rather than working through the LPN portion and again working as an LPN during the ADN portion. Another concern...once you are working as an LPN and earning a salary, it may be difficult to go back to PT and earn less. Or you may lose motivation. I did that...got my BSN right off the bat, went back for MSN after a couple of years working with all those "new' nurse pressures, but after a year of working and school, I was exhausted physically and mentally. Quit, planned to return but here I am all these years later - never returned for that MSN and that is probably my biggest nursing career regret. The ADN program is not easy but neither is the LPN program. However the salary difference can be considerable. Might as well go for the gold. Study your options carefully before making a decision. And good luck!

jennygRN2000, MSN · May 29

Hi Tiffy Love

I feel like I learned the absolute most going the LPN route first. I did this thru a vocational school. It was 10 months long. However, it is a demand on time. I was in school 5 days a week, 7 hours a day. When clinicals started, 2 days were devoted to that and the other 3 were still in class.
Going the RN route does give a more flexible schedule however I (personally) feel like getting my LPN first gave me a better foundation. I'm sure many will disagree with me, but this is my take.
I worked a couple years as an LPN and then went back for one more year of school and obtained my associate degree RN. (All the prerequisites take about another year of school but you may already have these...?)

Good luck in your decision making!

Jenny, APRN

SuzanneRNLA · May 29

I faced the same decision when deciding to further my education when my kids were all in school. Tough decision. But, I decided to just go for the ADN rather than the LPN because I knew that time would go by, regardless of which I had. Also, at that time, there were way more job opportunities for RNs than LPNs. What helped was that for my ADN, I could get most of my pre-requisites completed on a M-W-F schedule, which helped my family. And the Nursing classes usually were 3-4 days/wk. Took me three years, instead of two, but I was able to work summers at what they called a Nurse Aide Student (RN students only.) Got my Bachelor's degree five years later (college had an evening class schedule for working adults.) Then my Master's ten years after that. Good luck with your decision.

FaeNurse · May 29

Try finding an associate degree RN program that also allows you to get your LPN/LVN while you're getting your RN. That way you can work part time as an LPN/LVN while you're getting your RN.

One way to keep down student loan debt and have valuable nursing experience once you get your RN.

Also, God for bid, if something were to happen while you're working on your RN and you can't finish right then you'd have a way of earning the living until you could come back and get your RN.

MoroccanFirefighter05 · Aug 8

FaeNurse said:

Try finding an associate degree RN program that also allows you to get your LPN/LVN while you're getting your RN. That way you can work part time as an LPN/LVN while you're getting your RN.

One way to keep down student loan debt and have valuable nursing experience once you get your RN.

Also, God for bid, if something were to happen while you're working on your RN and you can't finish right then you'd have a way of earning the living until you could come back and get your RN.

Some programs also allow you to do a "dual degree" RN BSN program, you get your RN the third year and after the fourth year you get your BSN, so you can work during the last year.