LPN VS Associates in Nursing

fifi9857 · Aug 20, 2005

DO NOT BECOME AN LPN. I do not want to make LPN's angry and goodness knows they are the backbone of my hospital BUT in my facility in northeast Alabama, an LPN carries the same patient load, does the same charting, is just as responsible for her patients as an RN. An LPN does not do pushes (although non-narcotic pushes are being considered by my state board of nursing) or hang blood. Otherwise, the responsibilities are the same--for HALF of the salary.

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Aug 20, 2005

If you have children and want to spend more time with them, I recommend the RN Program. It will take you longer to finish, but you will get out of school earlier than the LPN. In my school LPN Classes are every day from 8-5 and half the Summers also. The RN Classes are Tue-Fr 8-1 and you get all Summers off.

Fun2, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2005

I would go straight for the RN. I can see reasoning for going for an ADN instead of a BSN, due to time and money, but not LPN vs. RN.

If it's like the other posters have said, it wouldn't be worth it. If you are thinking about going for RN, go for it!

Plus, you can always try to get a patient care tech job after your first semester to help with fianances.

Good luck to you in your decision, and welcome to Allnurses.com! :)

RN34TX · Aug 20, 2005

DO NOT BECOME AN LPN. I do not want to make LPN's angry and goodness knows they are the backbone of my hospital BUT in my facility in northeast Alabama, an LPN carries the same patient load, does the same charting, is just as responsible for her patients as an RN. An LPN does not do pushes (although non-narcotic pushes are being considered by my state board of nursing) or hang blood. Otherwise, the responsibilities are the same--for HALF of the salary.

Everyone needs to consider the route that will work best for them but I can't help but to agree with these statements...and I was an LPN for nearly 7 years and it's all true.

That whole "RN has the ultimate responsibility/accountability" thing is a load of crap.

In all my LPN years, not one RN ever took any responsibility or shared any accountability with any of my patients unless it was a specific task that only RN's could perform like hanging blood. Big deal. They would often repeat the phrase about being accountable for my work but I failed to ever see it while they collected a bigger paycheck for doing the same job with very few exceptions.

Trust me, you will work just as hard for a LOT less money in most cases in any work setting. Plus becoming an LPN will limit your options for a work setting, many specialty areas do not utilize LPN's and most work Med/Surg or LTC although I know some that do ER and ICU but these jobs for LPN's are far few and between.

If LPN is what you need to do first for personal/family reasons, I think it's an ok place to start but remember that in most cases you will end up being in school longer and have more classes with some overlapping and repetitive material if you do LPN and then go back for your RN rather than just going straight through an RN program.

I had to repeat some classes like A&P because my LPN A&P didn't have a lab component so I had to pay for and take it again for my RN even though it was the same course material.

lisamc1RN, LPN · Aug 20, 2005

Wow. I guess I'm going to have to disagree (sort of) with everyone else and say that only YOU can make this decision. Doing your LPN first has a lot of benefits that have to be weighed when making a decision. For instance, with one year of schooling down you can make a decent living while working on your RN. You can also find a hospital that may agree to help pay for your RN. Do you need to get into the work field as soon as possible? The LPN may be the way to go. And despite what people are saying about the horrors of being an LPN, many people have chosen this route without regret! Choose what works best for your family. Definitely, if it would be a strain on your family to stay longer in school, then you need to consider that. Yes, it may take you longer to get to your ultimate goal, but you may save your sanity and your family life in the meantime. :) I know for myself, I have chosen the LPN to RN route because we need the income and it would be nice to find a hospital that will help me achieve my RN without so much debt. :) Good luck and best wishes in whatever you choose! :)

Saved_by_Grace · Aug 20, 2005

At my school you have to do the LPN first, then re-test and be admitted to the RN program the second year, if you CHOOSE to go on. But I like that I will be an LPN first. Like Lisamc1 said I can work while obtaining my RN degree which will help my family bring in some income while I'm still in school. Only you can know what's best for your particular situation. Good luck to you :)

RN34TX · Aug 20, 2005

At my school you have to do the LPN first, then re-test and be admitted to the RN program the second year, if you CHOOSE to go on. But I like that I will be an LPN first. Like Lisamc1 said I can work while obtaining my RN degree which will help my family bring in some income while I'm still in school. Only you can know what's best for your particular situation. Good luck to you :)

I wish my LPN program was like that, I would have just kept going on and that would have been fine. My experience has been that when you "bridge over" there is material to be repeated that you've already been through and you end up being in school longer than if you'd just done the RN to begin with.

Not only that, once I finished LPN school, after mounds of prereq's, I had to sit on even more waiting lists to get in even though I sat on one to get into LPN school.

lisamc1RN, LPN · Aug 20, 2005

I wish my LPN program was like that, I would have just kept going on and that would have been fine. My experience has been that when you "bridge over" there is material to be repeated that you've already been through and you end up being in school longer than if you'd just done the RN to begin with.
Not only that, once I finished LPN school, after mounds of prereq's, I had to sit on even more waiting lists to get in even though I sat on one to get into LPN school.

My school has a relationship with an RN school nearby. The RN school accepts everything that we have already done at my school and in just 18 months part time, we can get our RN. That is definitely something else that should be considered when looking for a bridge plan. I know there are plenty of schools with long waiting lists and that would make a bridge program much less attractive to some.