Not sure what to do--please give advise if possible!

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i want to go to nursing school. at first, i thought i had it all figured out. i had lived in louisiana all of my life until my husband got a job in florida so we moved here a year ago. i was going to start the lpn program here in january which lasts 1 year. well, now we want to go home. we just signed a new lease on our apartment which means we will be here until at least september 2008. the lpn prgrm would be from january 2008 to january 2009. that would put us going home in march 2009. my mother in law suggested that if we wanted to come home in september, i start taking some pre reqs here in fl and then do the adn program at the community college at home. that would be a 2 year program. i really wanted to do the lpn to rn bridge program after i did lpn here and went home. the rn program at home would be just a little more in price than the lpn program here. i do want to be an rn someday. but if i do what my mother in law suggested, i wouldn't be out of school until around 2010. i don't know what to do. my husband said he will support me in what ever i choose to do. i just don't know what i want to do.

should i go to lpn school here for 1 year or should i start taking pre reqs here in fl for 1 year and still have 2 years of adn school when i get back to la? please, please tell me what you think.:uhoh3:

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Specializes in ED.

if the LPN program is what you want first, then why not do it and see if you can renew your lease for a short period of time. Maybe your landlord would be reasonable and let you do it.

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Specializes in LTC , SDC and MDS certified (3.0).

What is 4 more months in fl?

I say do the LPn in Fl(but make sure how La will accept it)

Good Luck!! I was LPN for 12 years before becomming a RN

and it gave me the confidence and expirence to make the transition.

(BTW La is hurting for nurses so it shouldn't be a problem getting a job even before you get back home and they may help with moving expenses)lets us know what you decide

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if it were me, i would do the rn program 1st, but in your sitution, i would say go for the lpn b/c it seems to be what you want.

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Follow your heart, not what someone else tells you to do.

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

Do what it is YOU want to do. Another thing to take into consideration though is financial aide. Will you need it and based on what your husband makes will you be eligible? One reason I didn't go for LPN first is that the increased wages would harm me when filling out FAFSA, but wouldn't be enough more to help me get through RN school.

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I would say to do the LPN program first, it will get you through faster than having to wait until 2010 before you see any results. It's like weight loss, when the results come so slow it can be hard to stay motivated and we all know life happens, most people can't say where they will be or what their circumstances will be in 1, 2, 3+ yrs. Becoming an LPN first sounds like an excellent way to go to me, and maybe the super/landlord might allow for an extension for a few months on the contract. If not, find a cheap efficiency apartment and stick it out that way.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

If it's time, remember that after you get your LPN, you'll probably spend a year on preqs for the LPN to RN Bridge and still wind up graduating in 2010 with your RN. Or you're like many of us, you "take a little time off because I'm so burned out from LPN school" and find yourself years later still not getting your RN.

The difference being you can work as an LPN in Louisiana while getting your pre-reqs and doing LPN to RN and the money saves. Plus there's no guarantee you'll get in the ADN program without spending time on a waiting list.

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i just wanted to thank everyone for their help. i decided that it would be best for me to stay here in fl and just do the lpn program for now. i will only have to stay here for 5 more months than if we go home in september of 2008 and in that time frame, i will be a nurse by the time i go home. my husband and i really want to go home but school is more important. don't get me wrong, i really want to be an rn someday and that is my main goal. i just think i feel more comfortable with becoming an lpn first and doing the rn bridge later because i will have experience with being a nurse and maybe the rn program will be a little bit easier for me. i am afraid to go straight to rn because i don't think i am ready. i need to take it one step at a time. i really want to be a nurse more than anything. i want to eventually be an l&d or nicu nurse. i was a nicu baby and that's what makes me want to work with mothers and their babies.

was anyone else afraid to become a nurse at first? i am so nervous that i will forget something important and a patient will die from my mistake. i am terrified of that. i know that i will be a good nurse though. i guess my worries are normal, i just need to be reassured i guess.

anyway, thank you everyone. your responses mean a lot to me and they really did make me think.

:balloons:

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Specializes in LTC.

It sounds like you are on the right track as to what want to do vs. what is best for you and your hubby. I just want to throw out my :twocents:. No matter how good your relationship is with your MIL, her number one priority is to get her son home so she can be close to him.

I've got a MIL and two boys of my own and I am speaking from experience.

Go to school now if you can, especially if your husband is supportive of your choice. It might now work out in the future.

Good luck.

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