New to nursing, advice?

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Hi all-

I am hoping for a little advice as I am new to nursing.

I have a Bachelor's degree in art, and little surprise, I can't find work. I am hoping to get into nursing because it interests me and I know there is great demand for it.

I would like to avoid going back to school for 3 or more years and would like to start working sooner rather than later.

It doesn't look like Nurse Assistants do so well financially, so I'm looking at LPN programs. Is this the best way to go for someone who wants to earn a decent wage without going back to school for as long as the 2-3 year RN programs?

Also, does anyone know of an LPN program in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/ St Paul) that offers a 1 or 1.5 year program? I am moving in a year and a half and would like to finish classes before that.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE, I AM A LITTLE OVERWHELMED!

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I don't know about LPN's or LPN's in your area, but there is almost NO WORK right now for new graduate RN's. The "great demnand" is a myth, no longer true, at least for RN's.

Absolutely before you do anything more to get into LPN school, check with potential employers to see if there is any work for LPN's. Hey, good luck with whatever you choose.

P.S. Art is far cry from giving baths, emptying bedpans, changing bandages, giving tons of pills and meds in other forms, doing a mountain of paperwork, and working weekends, nights, holidays, and evenings (missing out on your kids' activities), being in a seriously high stress environment and I wonder if you have a true understanding of what nursing is like. How did you choose it other than thinking there is still plenty of work for nurses?

Take a little more time, explore a few more options. As long as you can afford to go back to school, you might explore other fields that really might have better chances of you finding work afterwards.

Or maybe you can go into a line of work that will train you on the job and skip more school debt and school time?

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I am from the Twin Cities and, to the best of my knowledge, there are not a lot of LPN jobs around here. I know three LPNs who had lots of CNA experience but still couldn't find a job around here. All of them moved to AZ and were able to find work there, but I don't know if that's still true. Nursing jobs are drying up all around the country. If you're considering nursing I would strongly recommend starting as a CNA, not only will it help you get into school but it will give you a little taste as to what nursing is like. The Red Cross has CNA class that are held in both St. Paul and Minneapolis and they're only a month or two long.

Good luck!

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Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

I completely agree that:

1) the "great demand" for nurses (at least for new grads) is a myth at this point. Look around just this site -- there are kazillions of new grads who can't find jobs. That's not likely to change in the near future.

2) It would be a good idea to do more research into what nursing entails besides having an idea that there's plenty of employment available. While I'm not a member of the "nursing as a religious (or near-religious) calling" school, it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. A CNA program and job would at least be a fairly quick & cheap way to get a "foot in the door" and explore whether you want to go further in healthcare (or cut your losses and move on, as the case may be).

Best wishes for your journey!

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Specializes in CVICU.

2) It would be a good idea to do more research into what nursing entails besides having an idea that there's plenty of employment available. While I'm not a member of the "nursing as a religious (or near-religious) calling" school, it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. A CNA program and job would at least be a fairly quick & cheap way to get a "foot in the door" and explore whether you want to go further in healthcare (or cut your losses and move on, as the case may be).

I sort of agree and sort of disagree. I also am not a member of the "nursing is a calling" gang, and yet in my 3 years of nursing I have found things I love about it and I'm happy that I went into this profession. Still, there are nights when I think of my old desk job (I too, have a BA, in film and video post production - about as far from nursing as you can get!)

The part I kind of disagree with is that you can tell from CNA work whether you want to go further in healthcare. I was required to train as a CNA prior to getting admitted to a nursing program. I hated it. I loathed it so much that I actually wondered if I should continue in nursing school. I don't think you can gauge your future success/happiness in healthcare from a CNA stint, because generally you're still so new at it that it's overwhelming enough to turn you off nursing, and I'd hate to see that happen to you.

I understand the theory that if CNA stuff is ok with you, you'll probably be ok to move on, but I don't think anyone should give up if they hate being a CNA. My best friend and I both HATED it, and we're both very happy nurses now.

Good luck.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

I was a CNA while in nursing school. That gave me a real good taste of nursing. I knew it was the right job for me. BUt I know nurses who went for their BSN who after 4 years were absolutely shell-shocked. And most of them have left the field, with huge student debt I might add. If you aren't SURE that nursing is for you, consider being CNA. The program won't take too much time (less than a year,I think.) As a CNA you will learn very quickly whether this line of work is for you. Or go straight for the LPN. It takes about 18 months. LPNs around here mostly work in home health,clinic settings, hospice, and long term care(nursing homes.) Very few are employed in hospitals. Idon't know what their pay is, but it's a lot less than RNs.

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I sort of agree and sort of disagree. I also am not a member of the "nursing is a calling" gang, and yet in my 3 years of nursing I have found things I love about it and I'm happy that I went into this profession. Still, there are nights when I think of my old desk job (I too, have a BA, in film and video post production - about as far from nursing as you can get!)

The part I kind of disagree with is that you can tell from CNA work whether you want to go further in healthcare. I was required to train as a CNA prior to getting admitted to a nursing program. I hated it. I loathed it so much that I actually wondered if I should continue in nursing school. I don't think you can gauge your future success/happiness in healthcare from a CNA stint, because generally you're still so new at it that it's overwhelming enough to turn you off nursing, and I'd hate to see that happen to you.

I understand the theory that if CNA stuff is ok with you, you'll probably be ok to move on, but I don't think anyone should give up if they hate being a CNA. My best friend and I both HATED it, and we're both very happy nurses now.

Good luck.

:D Yes, I often have days where I wonder, "What was it, again, that was so bad about being a secretary?????" (And ended up doing secretarial work, in the first place, because it turns out you can't support yourself as a classical musician (most of us can't, anyway :)). But, in general, over time, I've found my nursing career (of 25 years and counting) v. satisfying and enjoyable.

My point was not really that the CNA role, by itself, will give you any idea about a future in healthcare, but that working as a CNA will give you the opportunity to observe the larger healthcare environment and the roles/activities of other healthcare providers, ask questions, etc. For someone with no previous experience in healthcare who is curious, it's a way to get a first-hand look at working in healthcare (in the larger sense, not just the CNA role) without the investment of time, $$$, and effort required to go directly into nursing or another healthcare occupation -- while getting paid for doing so. I can certainly see hating being a CNA but deciding that nursing would be a good choice -- I'm sure that would have been my experience if I had ever been in that situation -- but it would help clarify the issues involved in making that decision. :)

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Thanks for the advice!

I keep hearing the demand for nurses is at an all time high, hospitals have to turn people away due to lack of nurses, the baby boomers entering their retirement and needing health care over the next few decades, so you all are telling me that this is false? Perhaps hospitals/ doctor's offices don't have the means to support a full nursing staff?

Online it looks like there are jobs for LPNs around the twincities, is there just too much competition for these jobs or what?

I will look into the CNA classes, I just want to have a goal beyond that.

Sorry to those of you who may feel I'm only interested in it b/c it's in demand. I don't know how to go about learning about different health-care professions because recruiters at schools just tell you what you want to hear, and the internet is full of false info. I really do want to do something philanthropic but at the same time earn a salary that I can support a family on. If anyone has advice on how to go about finding which job is a good fit, please let me know, I'd really appreciate the advice.

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first of all, a shout out to a fellow art person ;-) CNA course is a good recommendation, but I'd like to put my two cents in and say that volunteering is also a good place to start, and unlike CNA courses, won't cost you a dime. Just make sure you actually get to shadow the nurses--some hospitals (like the one I volunteered at for my last year of college) are very grateful to have volunteers, and will allow you to have a good bit of supervised hands-on experience with the patients. Others, well, you might not learn so much...I would definitely recommend trying one of the larger teaching hospitals in your area--they're usually if not always associated with a local university's med school and nursing programs. Good luck!

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Oh, also if anyone has advice on Denver, that is where I am moving in 1.5 years.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

There isn't much demand for new nurses in general. Getting your LPN will limit you further as most hospitals will not employ LPN's or will phase them out. So taking longer might be a good thing since there aren't jobs waiting. I would double check the adds you are looking at and see if they require experience, or if they are at places you would want to work in. Plus I don't think LPN's can make much more than 20-25 an hour.

However if you want to get out to get started getting your LPN might be a good idea, if you can land a job. They are hired mostly for long term care or rehabilitation. Then you could get your RN and open up your opportunities.

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Specializes in L&D.

What you should really look for are accelerated BSN programs. They take people who already have Bachelors' degrees in other areas and get them a Bachelors' of Science in Nursing in about 15 months (a little longer if you have to take science pre-reqs).

With a Bachelor's in nursing you may have an easier time finding a job than an LPN and your salary would be higher. Some hospitals only hire nurses with BSNs. My impression is that a lot of the jobs for LPNs are in nursing homes or long-term facilities. You also need the BSN degree if you ever want to go on and get a master's degree and become a nurse practitioner or go into management.

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