Need some wisdom and experienced perspectives...

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2011

anyone as well-spoken and intelligent as you will be bored ****less as an lpn, imho. if you can get the cna/tech job and save the money, go for the bsn as soon as you can. driving an hour to a lousy job is going to cost you more (in $ and in wear and tear on yourself) than the salary differential for the lpn job that might exist.

a friend of mine once started med school at 32. people ragged on her and said, "why are you doing that? you'll be forty by the time you finish." she said,"i'll be forty anyway."

do the right thing; do the bachelor's and be done with it. you may even be able to challenge some of the coursework based on your old schooling-- it's worth an ask.

and hey: when my kids were that age, i paid them their allowance to make dinners two nights a week each, including writing the ingredients on the grocery list and helping me shop -- we ate some crappy meals but they got to be really good cooks and it was worth it. they also did their own laundry from age 8 -- any idiot can do that with modern equipment and detergent products-- and cleaned their own rooms, or i just shut the door and learned not to worry about it. do it now before they really hit adolescence and you don't stand a prayer. teach them that you are doing what you are doing for the strength of the family, and they are doing it too. it works.

good luck!

Jenni811, RN · Jul 14, 2011

i am childless, as i am only 23, engaged and fairly new nurse....so i can't help you in that department but i can tell you this.

i am the youngest of 4, i was an oopsie baby too. my mom waited until my 3 oldest sibilings were in high school/college age before she went back. that left her with me...and i was 12 when she decided to go back.

so my mom went back to school, worked part time. i can tell you this....it did not affect me in anyway.

my mom was dedicated to everything she did, including being a mom. she involved me in everything. she studied alot...but she allowed me to do it with her (sounds crazy!) but i enjoyed looking through her nursing books, asking questions, looking at pictures, playing with medical equipment...everything. this is how i cam to love nursing.

my mom had a friend that was also in the program who was in the same boat with a son who was 8. they would often "practice" their assessments on us, and i loved it. so it wasn't like my mom was gone- she made sure to have dinner with me and my dad, she studied at home. she still did homework with me and best of all included me in everything!!! she graduated with honors in her class, obtained her bsn and passed nclex. she is now working as a flight nurse and is loving what she is doing.

so needless to say, it can be done without worrying about time taken away from your children. my dad really kinda had to step up to the plate a bit more, not that he didn't just moms seem to be the ones that can juggle everything. so it was a family effort. my brother helped out a lot too.

i honestly didn't know any different. when my mom did need quiet time before a test or while writing a paper she would have my brother take me out to do something fun, allow me to go to the neighbors (my best friend) on a school night after my homework was done.

looking back now...i'm very proud of my mom having done this with a 12 year old. i did it with no children and i was stressed to the max. i look up to my mom in that sense. so it can be done, and you would be surprised how many moms do it.

mom's are greater than superman!!! i vote you go back, you won't regret it and your children will be very proud of you.

Jenni811, RN · Jul 14, 2011

. we ate some crappy meals but they got to be really good cooks and it was worth it.

those are the memories you cherish :)

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2011

You have the drive to succeed. That's going to help no matter what.

I have worked with wonderful LVNs, and am not pleased at how much they've been cut back- but it's reality. I've been in the hospital a LOT, and the patient care techs (what they call them here) do a LOT (drawing blood will help with IV skills, doing EKGs, and the hands on patient care is invaluable for time management)....and if you're drawn to hospital nursing, I'd have to agree that the PCT/ hospital tech job might benefit you more in the long run.

BUT, as was also posted, going to school full time with your kids also being in school, they won't suffer any damage. The only thing to consider is the harsh attendance requirements in nursing school (at least back in the dark ages between 1983-1985) if we missed 2 days per quarter, we had to repeat the class if no make up days were offered....if your kids get sick, is there someone to step in for you?

:nurse:

ErinBSN · Jul 14, 2011

As PP's have said you have to WANT to succeed. I went to RN school with 3 kids. One was Autistic the other 2 were 5 and 2.

It was hands down the hardest thing I did. I was 35 and it put a drain on me. I however have gone on and gotten my BSN. I don't regret the work, effort and time I put into my nursing career (prior to this I was in accounting)

It really stems down to how bad do you want it? If you want it bad enough skip the LPN program and go straight to an RN. If your going that route anyway why prolong it? In addition than your paying for more school to be "slightly happier" why cause undue financial burdon by going to school for PN, than RN, than NP when you can just go RN, work and get the BSN or even to a RN-MSN bridge.

If you REALLY want it you find away. No one said it was easy but sometimes the best things in life are worth the effort.

radicalsenseofhope · Jul 14, 2011

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughtful replies. It is really helping me wrap my brain around this. I should clarify a few things that I didn't mention earlier.

We are currently homeschooling and my kids love it, especially my son who isn't a traditional learner (more of an engineering mind) who really needs hands on, experiential types of learning. I have no doubt that my daughter would be fine and flourish in public school, but I worry that my son would be bored and unchallenged and barely get by.

Another issue is that we eat a very special diet due to neurological/digestive issues that run in my family. (It is called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet if anyone is interested). My son is the worst and I'm not far behind. I cook 99% of everything we put in our mouths from scratch. We eat a very pure, very healthy diet that is labor intensive. On this diet we thrive and are extremely healthy and my son's chronic diarrhea is cured. My son was well on his way to an Asperger's diagnosis, but everything (both physical and behavioral issues) seemed to clear up once we started this diet. So it is certainly worth the time and effort in my book. Our doctor encourages us to stay on this diet because we have all become so incredibly healthy on it. If I let my son cheat, he almost immediately starts to flare again. My daughter and I can get away with a little more cheating, but over time have found ourselves needing sticking to the straight and narrow most of the time as well. We hardly ever get sick and when we do it is over fast and usually mild. (Before we used to get sick all the time and it would take us so long to fight stuff off). Not to mention I used to weigh almost 200 lbs and now I'm 120. I have kept the weight off for over 5 yrs now, as well as recovering from my own chronic health issues. My doctor is amazed by my bloodwork!

My husband is a firefighter/paramedic and works 24 hour shifts every third day. So he has a ton of time off really. If I went to school for 3 days a week, he would be off for 2 of them and could juggle the homeschooling and cooking, the third day we would have to find a friend to watch the kids or eventually the kids would be old enough to stay home alone. My kids both are fairly good cooks already, my daughter especially, and they do help out quite a bit with chores around the house. Everyone is expected to help mom out with the household so that mom can have a life too!

GrnTea, thank you so much for your kind words of wisdom. It kinda felt like a wake up call. You are right. I would be bored with the LPN. It might take a year or two, but then I would be hungry for more. I just feel the BSN is out of reach right now due to cost (would be upwards of $24,000 which I just can't justify given the current job market for new grads). The ADN would be in easier reach financially. Our local community college ADN program is really cheap (I could finish it for less than $9000), and is a stellar program. (Some in the local community even argue that it is better than the BSN available locally here; although that is highly rated as well and both have excellent pass rates). The ADN is very time hungry though because of extensive amounts of clinical hours. I just worry realistically about my ability to juggle all my responsibilities while the kids are still at home and pursue the RN degree.

Erin, you make some excellent points. I'm not really saving any money by doing LPN to RN to BSN to NP or LPN to BSN to NP or whatever long route I take. The ADN program is actually a bit cheaper than the LPN! Hey, btw, I'm currently 35 and I took a year of accounting classes. I liked the immediate challenge of the classes, but once the initial fun of learning it all was over, I could not see myself doing that long term. That is what initially attracted me to nursing--that I would never get bored because there is ALWAYS something new to learn!

But you've all given me so much to think about. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Right now I'm leaning towards working as a tech in the hospital, gaining experience, saving up my dough.... and who knows maybe I will get an employer who is willing to pay my way, maybe the kids will end up in public school for high school or middle school. Maybe we can find a way to juggle it all. I just know that I can't wait forever to pursue my dreams. I'm certainly not getting any younger!

Jenni811, RN · Jul 14, 2011

As a kid my fiance was "engineer mind" as well. He always has been...this is infact how we met haha. In high school he went to a small town public high school, i went to a very very large high school. He was in need of advanced classes so the schools worked it out where he attended Advanced placement classes at our school, and some other classes at his school such as gym, art, music etc. But all the math, science, english was done at my school- this is how we met :). We met in Advanced Statistics....how cute!!

Anyway, public school can actually be very good if you get the right one that can provide the right classes for him. Yea the advanced placement classes came a little easy for him even, but they were as challenging as they came without going into college level classes. he tested out a few of his college courses after taking some AP courses and was able to start college as a sophomore engineer. So it aint all bad :)

Not saying to send your kids to public school at all, home schooling can be great if you are able to provde what they need to learn which doesnt seem to be a problem. But I'm just saying that schools DO provide opportunites for kids who need a little bit more of a challenge.

radicalsenseofhope · Jul 14, 2011

If I went for my RN, would a part time job be an option as a new grad? I'm guessing since hospitals need to train new grads they will want them devoted to full time work? I really don't want to work full time. My husband's schedule allows us so much time together as a family and with juggling life.... I really just want to be able to make some extra money and pursue my nursing interests part time-- without being a slave to huge student loan debt (BSN) or having to work full time. Even if I suck it up and do a full time RN program, after graduating I would want part time work. Once the kids are out of the house I might work full time. Hmmm..... How to balance all these needs?

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2011

During orientation, you'd probably have several weeks of full-time to get checked off at the facility where you're working- after that, most places have varying numbers of hours available. :)

steelydanfan · Jul 14, 2011

My ultimate goal someday is BSN or maybe even NP (I'm talking about pursuing my BSN 5-10 yrs down the line once the kids are high school age or out of the house), but for now I'm trying to decide whether to pursue my LPN or work as a nursing assistant/patient care tech.
Thank you in advance for reading this. I know that in the end, the decision is my responsibility, I just need to get some experienced perspectives and advice on this. My head is spinning!
The story: Over 10 yrs ago I was a full time college student majoring in nursing with my target set on the BSN program. I was also working part time as a CNA in a nursing home. During this time my husband and I unexpectedly started our family! (i.e. oops, I got pregnant! We had been married for 7 yrs with no success in the baby dept. and actually thought maybe we just couldn't have them, LOL) I completed all my pre-nursing prereqs and support classes (with a GPA of 3.9) and was planning on applying to the nursing program after the baby was born, but..... well..... after she was born I just could not leave her. I became a stay at home mom. We had another child and life went on. But I always kept in the back of my mind the dream to finish my nursing degree.
Well fast forward 10+ years and I'm itching to become a nurse still. I've thought about it countless times over the years. Even after tons of hours spent reading here on allnurses, talking to nurse friends, and talking to my mom who is a LPN in a LTC (and has been for over 20 yrs now). My eyes are wide open to the struggles the nursing profession is facing, but I still want to do it. I just can't shake it. My kids are older now (almost 9 and almost 11) and I'm ready to do something part time and venture outside of stay-at-home-mom land.
But I know that I'm not ready just yet to jump back into a full time school schedule. I only want to work part time after I graduate and can't justify the student loan debt or the full time schedule for the BSN at this time (especially with the job market!). The ADN programs in my area are all full time and very very intense time wise. I'm still just too busy raising my kids for a full time program.
There is a part time (3 days a week; 22 months long) LPN program (with excellent reputation and moderate cost) very near my home and I'm considering it heavily as a way to start my nursing career without sacrificing too much time with my family. I can work part time after graduating and safe up money for my BSN and retake prereqs slowly (have to retake some due to their age). There is a LPN to BSN completion program at a highly reputed nursing school here locally and also ISU just across the border from me offers a LPN to BSN completion online (with clinicals arranged locally). So I know I have options to complete my BSN.
The hitch? ...most of the hospitals in my area only hire RNs. Getting a hospital job would mean a 45 min to 1 hour drive to more rural hospitals that still hire a few LPNs. The jobs available locally for LPNs are mostly LTC/Rehab/ and maybe hospice. I would not mind working in LTC, rehab, or hospice. I actually adore the geriatric population and am volunteering in social services at a LTC/Rehab facility currently. But I know that not all nursing homes are as nice as the one I worked in as an aid 10 yrs ago, or the one I am volunteering in now. As a new grad what if the only places that will hire me are the scary, fear-for-your-license short staffed joints? Oy. That scares the crap out of me.
The other option is to work as a patient care tech in a hospital and get some experience that way before one day just going straight for my BSN. There are tons of these jobs posted in my area for ob techs, er techs, med surge techs, tele techs, and oncology techs. The benefit to this is that there is almost no educational cost to this option and I can still save up money for my BSN someday. Although LPN would be a bit more in pay.
So experienced nurses, help me out please. What would provide the best foundation for my nursing career? I think I'm drawn towards hospice, oncology, ICU, PACU, or maybe l & d. Ultimately one day I might even like to work as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Will I regret spending money on a LPN degree when the job options are so limited?
As a straight A student and super over-achiever, will I go insane when some people assume I'm less of a nurse because I'm an LPN? Will I become frustrated as a "pill-pusher" in LTC? (not saying that is what they are, but rather that is often the mentality placed upon them, at least in my mom's case).
Will actually working as a nurse for so many years first give me more experience and make me an excellent RN someday?
Will I actually get more experience as a nursing assistant/patient care tech because I can work in the hospitals?
Will I wish I could do more than a patient care tech and regret not going for my LPN?
Okay, I know that no one can really answer these questions for me. I just really need some seasoned nurses to put things into perspective for me so that I can get my head on straight about this. I feel like I've just been going in circles over this decision!!!!

An LPN degree is a waste of your time. Actually. I think a nursing degree altogether might be a waste of your time, because I get the sense that you are not really committed to it at all. You are completely overthinking this thing.

What I get from your post is that you are a really happy mom who would like a part-time career doing something meaningful. By all means go and get a CNA/PCT and spend some time observing the milieu. THEN make a decision.

Don't spend anymore time talking to people. You know what they say about opinions; and from your letter, I think all that your "research " has done is paralyze you.

You are smart enough to make your own decision.

radicalsenseofhope · Jul 14, 2011

During orientation, you'd probably have several weeks of full-time to get checked off at the facility where you're working- after that, most places have varying numbers of hours available. :)

Thanks, good to know.