Need some Advice

[mswobblybits]

Or more like reassurance I am doing the right thing.

So my ultimate goal is for a BSN.

Now I currently have to work full time and my job does not provide tuition reimbusment at all and is not all that stable.

There are no ASN programs near me. They are all BSN...and I really cannot wait that long to make a career change. I need to get out of where I am asap and I want to go into the healthcare field and not another office job.

There is a technical school and my choices are

1. LPN that I would have wait two whole terms before I can even start and it would be at a campus 45 min away.

or

2. Surgical Tech that I can start next term and at the campus 15 min away.

My plan is to be a Surgical Tech then do that maybe part time while I go for my BSN. I love people and patients and as long as I help people and learn I will be happy and who know I might love the OR and get a big heads up to be an OR RN? no?

Plus I did a Job Search in my area and there seems to be more jobs for Surgical techs than LPN's and the pay is about the same.

You guys seem to know your stuff realy well so I would like any ones opinion or reassurance. Thank you in advance.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Sounds like a good plan only because you are saying you need to get out of your current position ASAP.

Surgial tech school will throw you behind a year, and perhaps not many of those courses will be applicable to nursing, so it's probably not the absolute best idea for your long-term plans.

Getting the LPN will cut out a year of your BSN program right off the bat. Where as with a surgical tech degree you'll be starting from scratch.

Good luck in whatever you do.

[jjjoy, LPN]

If you're looking for reassurance that your plan is good one, it looks like it is. It looks like you've surveyed your options and weighed your needs and preferences and your plan seems to account for those. Surg tech would be a great experience and since you'd be starting right away you could start finding out sooner rather than later if clinical health care seems like good fit for you.

If you're counting on a certain income or ease of finding employment, you might want to check out the reality in regard to the local job market and pay for brand new surg techs as some schools will exaggerate what you can expect upon graduation. For example, they may give salary ranges that reflect specialized techs with years of experience, not what an inexperienced tech can expect right out of school.

Another possibility is to look into being a nursing assistant (CNA). Certification programs usually are only a few months long. The pay's generally lower, but it can vary a lot from facility to facility, with hospitals usually paying better than LTCs, and you would qualify for night and weekend differentials at most places. It gets you at the bedside working directly with patients right away.

Good luck with your plans!