Need help with Nursing Career Path

loriangel14, RN · Oct 21, 2010

RPN is a term used in Ontario and it stands for Registered Practical Nurse.I believe in Western Canada it stands for Registered Psychiatric Nurse, which is something else all together.In all the other provinces Practical Nurses are LPN/LVNs. The PN education is 2 years in Ontario but I think in some provinces it is only 1 year. The scope of practice varies from province to province.If you want to be an RN your only option in Canada is to get your BSN(4 year degree) Some people start out as a PN and then bridge to their BSN.If you want to be an NP you would need to get your BSN and at least 2 years of critical care nursing before you could apply to the Masters level NP prgram.

OttawaRPN · Oct 21, 2010

All the above is true, however just want to point out that in Quebec to be an RN you only need the 3 year college level diploma.

Fiona59 · Oct 21, 2010

You need to consider how old your children are and can your childcare provide round the clock care if necessary? Do you qualify for student loans?

Do you want to work every other weekend? Can you survive on casual hours as new grad?

First jobs can be hard to find and involve either working casual and picking up what regular staff don't want OR working a lot of night shifts.

Have you considered looking at health records management? The hours are more family friendly and in some provinces they are paid far better than LPNs for less responsiblity.

liz_1234 · Oct 21, 2010

I am in Ontario. I havent looked at student loans..yet. They do offer the Practical Nurse Diploma on a part-time basis, so i could take 3 classes at a time per semester. They give you up to 4 years to complete it. I could also do the BScN Collobrative program which still entails the 2 year Practical Nurse course, + 2 years at York U. which will be harder to juggle with kids. I would not have much childcare, which is why I would try to take classes while my kids are all in school.

I dont mind working weekends..when i was an Esthetician I did work EVERY weekend and nearly every Evening, and my children were all under the age of 4 !! (i dont even remember most of it ..)

What does a practical Nurse do? How does it differ from RN (BScN ) ?

Health Records Management.. is that something an Practical Nurse (2 yrs college) can do?

SM1031 · Oct 21, 2010

Hi everyone!

So I am trying to get my pre-reqs to get into nursing as of right now. I am really struggling with the biology. I am doing the acedemic upgrading offered at Durham College and hoping to be accepted into the Pratical Nursing program for Sept 2011 or Jan 2011. I know biology is pretty much memory. You need to remember. Chemisty (which I have not started yet) is going to be harder as I have heard.

So here's my question. Would it be in my best interest to do a pre-nursing program first to help with my sciences (and I know it does not guarentee a seat) but at least maybe be more helpful to have a good gpa since nursing is so competitive. Eventually I want to bridge to the BScN but that will be in time. Any suggestions? Has anyone been in my position? Btw, I reside in Ontario, Canada.

Thank you!!

CanuckLPN73 · Oct 24, 2010

You need to consider how old your children are and can your childcare provide round the clock care if necessary? Do you qualify for student loans?
Do you want to work every other weekend? Can you survive on casual hours as new grad?
First jobs can be hard to find and involve either working casual and picking up what regular staff don't want OR working a lot of night shifts.
Have you considered looking at health records management? The hours are more family friendly and in some provinces they are paid far better than LPNs for less responsiblity.

Im in the PN program, however I know many in school with really young children and I have to applaud them as I could not have done it when my kids were young. One mom I started school with is now graduating (I decided to go back to full time student rather than online/partime and feel more confident that way) and has a baby about a yr old and a 7 yr old, she started when the baby was only a couple of months old, she was a single mom to boot!

So anything is possible if you make your mind up to do so.....

I also work with a few PN's who have very young children, again some are single, some are married, its what one wants out of life. I couldn't have done it but some people can...and agreed the hours are long, 8-12 hour shifts, so one will need a sitter...so as long as bases are covered and its something wanted bad enough it can be done :)

Fiona59 · Oct 25, 2010

Yes, and the OP needs to know that there are other healthcare related positions out there that pay better for the same amount of education that are less physically demanding and have more social hours.

Anything can be done if you want it badly enough. For every student nurse with kids who flies through the course there is a student nurse who drops out. I remember several who felt they should get preferential placements, start times "because I'm a single parent", didn't go down well with the rest of the class. My husband was working overseas at the time and the logistics were a nightmare with childcare for early shifts and late evenings that were required as part of my placements. I blew the budget on childcare and most of my student loan was to cover the cost.

Life is a crapshoot and you don't know how it will turn out until you are in the programme.

liz_1234 · Oct 25, 2010

thank you for the input..i know it will certainly be something we will have to juggle around.

What are other positions that are better paying than Nurse with same education.

OttawaRPN · Oct 25, 2010

Hi everyone!
So I am trying to get my pre-reqs to get into nursing as of right now. I am really struggling with the biology. I am doing the acedemic upgrading offered at Durham College and hoping to be accepted into the Pratical Nursing program for Sept 2011 or Jan 2011. I know biology is pretty much memory. You need to remember. Chemisty (which I have not started yet) is going to be harder as I have heard.
So here's my question. Would it be in my best interest to do a pre-nursing program first to help with my sciences (and I know it does not guarentee a seat) but at least maybe be more helpful to have a good gpa since nursing is so competitive. Eventually I want to bridge to the BScN but that will be in time. Any suggestions? Has anyone been in my position? Btw, I reside in Ontario, Canada.
Thank you!!

In Ontario, the PN and BScN programs are very competitive meaning even if you have the necessary pre-req credits, if your marks weren't very high, you will be bumped in favour of someone else whose marks were higher. You're right it doesn't guarantee you a seat but at least it will move you up the list. Be sure to get a tutor for the bio, chem if you're struggling, and be prepared to potentially wait years for acceptance, depending on your school of choice. Now remember, all schools are different, so if you're willing to relocate (within Ontario) you may get into another program sooner.

Medica · Sep 23, 2011

Hey SM1031, I actually thinking about doing the ACE program at Durham College too. How was it? and how long did it take you? I basically need all the prereqs: Bio, Chem, Math and English. I know DC has a 22 week pre-health program that starts in february...what did you end up doing?

SM1031 · Sep 23, 2011

Hi Medica,

I actually dropped the ACE and applied for general arts and science health preparation and have started this fall. I found that the ACE, there wasn't much teaching. It's a kind of teach yourself and if you have a question, ask. So I did some research ( a lot on here!) and went for the GASH instead which I find much better so far! I have met some PN students in my psyc class that did the ACE route, but it just wasnt for me.

Good luck with what you decide!