LVN or RN

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I'm applying for an LVN school now that starts in Fall. Since there are more applicants than spots I might not get

in. I'm also taking pre requisites to get into the JC for the RN program in addition to a CNA course this spring. My

total unit load now would be 16. Chem, Anatomy & CNA nursing classes. Thank goodness my work has slowed

down and I can study while my pre kindergardener is in school. There are so many LVN schools that are expensive,

I wonder also now if the job market will be tough for new grads. But I am always checking job listings and it seems

there are the same amount of positions available for LVNs and CNA's . Would others on the forum agree? There

are so many waiting list for RN schools here in Southern Cali....I was thinking to do LVN and transition into RN but... maybe it's better to go for RN... although maybe I would wait wait wait to get in! I am not particular as to

which school I go to, I just want to go! Can you apply at any number of Community Colleges?

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Do your research into all of the programs you're interested in. You should apply to as many schools at you want to. In my area community college programs give first preference to people living in their service area (I'm not in Cali). If I had to choose between being waitlisted for two years or getting into a lpn course this year then I'd definitely go with the lpn. In two years you could be finished your lpn program, working in field and maybe in a lpn to rn/bsn program rather than just starting out in a rn program.

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I live in Orange county, and decided to go with a one year,private LVN program, and then bridge my license afterward. I have all my pre-reqs completed, so I can apply to LVNtoRN programs as soon as I'm done. Of course, my first choice was to go directly to an RN program, but all of the CC programs either use a lottery [700 applicants for 64 spots] or have 2 year+ waiting lists. The way I see it, best case scenario is that I get accepted to an LVNtoRN program right after I graduate, in which case I effectively have my RN license in 2 years. Wost case, I have to wait a while to be accepted, but during that time I'll be making LVN wages, which are more than I'm currently making [not to mention gaining experience as a nurse]. Either way, I'm better off than if I waited around for an RN program to accept me, as I qualified for enough grant money to pay for about half of my LVN program, and my parents agreed to pay for the other half [then, once I'm working, I'll cover the rest of my education].

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Thanks to both of you. The program for the LVN has a long list as well, so I

enrolled in a CNA class because it is helpful if you are one. The drag is it's not

a sure thing to get in, because it's not private - and so I decided to start my

pre-reqs too. So far I enrolled in the 7 credit CNA class, Chem 20 (the easiest

chemistry) and I'm waitlisted for Anatomy. I think I am at the maximum load for

credits, I'm just hoping the CNA will have alot of Anatomy so I will be studying

the same stuff.

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