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Discussion

LVN????

I was wondering if you guys can give me some advice! I was thinking about becoming an LVN but I'm confused! I'm 20 I have a 1 year old daughter and I didn't wanna go to school for a long time but I started to look at other fields in the medical field and I think I would love to do radiology or ultrasound tech I even thought about working in a dermatologist office. I am scared because of how long school might be for that or how much it would cost and I do know that as an LVN I could further my career in the future but I'm still confused lol I would appreciate any advice let me know your experiences or what you guys think thanks !

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    • Expert

    Welcome to Allnurses.com!

    I can tell you are located in either CA or TX as evidenced by your use of the 'LVN' title as opposed to 'LPN.' If you are located in TX, I'd advise you to go for it.

    However, if you are in CA, be cognizant that the nursing employment market has been glutted for the past five or six years. This is due to several reasons:

    1. 200+ LVN programs exist in the state. These schools crank out new LVNs into an already saturated job market every few months.

    2. Internationally educated nurses are being rejected by the California BRN due to deficiencies in their foreign degree programs. As a result, they challenge the board to become LVNs and are usually successful in their efforts.

    3. Employers (skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, clinics, home health companies, hospices) are simply doing more with less, so they are not hiring as robustly as they did in the past. In addition, many of these workplaces are demanding one year of recent nursing work experience.

    To minimize the risk, I suggest you obtain your education at a community college, regional occupational program (ROP) or adult education center. Please try to avoid the places that charge $30,000+.

    As for other careers, the demand for ultrasound technicians is weak. In addition, you need the right type of certification to get hired. Good luck with whatever you choose.

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    Definitely avoid a tech school if you choose to go this route. Do some research to find out the difference, educationally, between LVN, ADN and BSN where you are. It might be worth it to spend an extra year or so getting a higher degree that opens you up for more. In CA (I can't speak for other states), it's getting harder and harder for nurses to find work with anything less than a BSN, and even then, the market is incredibly saturated. Hospitals rarely hire LVNs or even ADNs anymore. You might be able to find work in a SNF or home health.

    Contact your local hospital's HR department, and ask about job shadowing and an informational interview. Explain your situation. They can be good resources for you.

    Take a look at job listings in your area. Hospital websites, Craigslist, Indeed.com, and other sites are good, and you can see what's required, how many positions are listed, etc. Also, be aware that not all listings are posted because they seek candidates. Many are posted as a formality, with no intention of filling the posting, or having already filled the position internally and posting it for legal purposes.

    Good luck!

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    • Author

    Thankyou so much for the advice and information! I am from california so I will be looking at the jobs in my area. I'm definately going to look into our community college I was also going to try west med college has anyone heard of this school?

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    From a quick Google search, that looks to be one of the types of tech schools we're talking about. You'll incur a lot of debt and get a degree that doesn't transfer anywhere (like if you try to get your RN later). Stick with the community college. It might take a little longer, but you'll be able to transfer that, and it'll cost significantly less than the tech school.

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