LPN vs. RN program difficulty

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Jun 27, 2014

I found the LPN harder. Being a LPN before becoming a RN made the RN program a piece of cake for me. I had experience working as a nurse already and a good educational background and I literally breezed through RN program and NCLEX.

I think you will get many different responses depending on the individual, school they attended and what is considered "hard" to them.

Why do you ask?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 28, 2014

I would think this would be a hard one to answer: only someone who was an LPN and then went through an RN program can comment on the difficulty of one over the other. Obviously if one has graduated from an RN program they aren't then going to attend an LPN program.

I would also think that anyone who is already an LPN would have an easier time in the RN program than one who hasn't already been through a nursing program....? I know the LPNs in my RN program definitely had an easier time than us newbies :)

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2014

I'm qualified to answer this question based on my personal experiences. I completed an LVN program in 2005 and graduated from an LPN-to-RN completion program with an ASN degree in 2010.

In my opinion, the LVN program was more challenging for me personally and academically. It was personally challenging because I had to be in school or clinical rotations five days per week all day. It was academically challenging because I was expected to attain mastery of a massive amount of material within a short time frame.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2014

I think also the school can make a difference.Any program can be made hard.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jun 30, 2014

I believe the first introduction to nursing is hard, regardless. It is a new language and culture and lots to remember in a short period. Having been involved with both programs, I can say the textbooks are written on a higher education level for RN's, but again, the content is new and intimidating regardless.

CLUVRN, MSN, RN · Jul 9, 2014

I completed an LPN program in 2009 and worked as an LPN for a couple of years prior to going back for my RN in 2013. For me, my LPN program was far easier than the RN program. In the LPN program, I literally got A's on everything and graduated valedictorian of my class. The RN program kicked my butt! I wasn't used to earning anything less than A's on tests; however in my RN bridge program B's and C's were my new norm. Perhaps the fact that I didn't work at all in my LPN program and worked fulltime in the RN program had something to with it. But at the end of the day, I graduated RN school and passed boards, so as difficult as the program is, it is doable.