Nursing education step-by-step. LPN, ADN,BSN

[na-na]

So, I know there are many nurses out there that decided to do their nursing education step-by-step. First starting with LPN, then ADN, and later BSN. This is the route that I have decided to take for myself not because I feel that it might be easier but because, I feel that LPN school will lay out the foundation for me when I am in ADN or BSN program. Also, because I am not sure I understand how to study yet without memorizing what I read in the book.

A little history about myself, I did start out trying to get my BSN first. I am 20 years old and many of my family and friends were telling me to just get my BSN, You're still young. Well, I completed all my core classes and pre-reqs, only to be an alternate to the only school I applied to. I did not meet the g.p.a requirements for my school. It was a 3.6. I felt like maybe this was a blessing in disguise because, I do have a lot of self-esteem issues and I was in fear that I would fail the program. The LPN program I was looking into is 18 months long, and I do believe all my credits will transfer from the university that I started with. This might be less stressful for me since I have all those classes out of the way.

Alright, back to my main question. For those nurses that decided to complete their nursing education step-by-step, what were your reasoning behind this.

[Kimynurse]

I am doing this, I really am I happy I'm doing this way.

Reasons

1) never went to college, and had 0 pre-recs

2) could be done in a year

3) if I hated nursing, I didn't spend all this time doing pre-recs

I live being a LPN!

I'm in a traditional non bridge RN ADN program right now.

I'm going right into a BSN program then masters.

I love the layers of information I'm getting, and will be able to give this to my patients.

Everyone's path is different.

[azizia]

Greetings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, i support the step by step nursing education because it helps you to gain information at a very little point to a high point this helps to see what level you are in nursing education and what you can manage for e.g if u pass the LPN stage you can manage ADN and if u pass ADN u can manage BSN but if can't pass LPN you can't manage the whole nursing career because the LPN program is the basic of the nursing career.

[azizia]

Hey my little nursing friend my advise it's never too late to do what you love despite not going to college and so fort am so happy for you because determination and hard work made u an LPN up till this day :). and much as how things did not work out professionally for u i would love for you to guide me through this profession as i too pursue my LPN :)

[Mrsladysoul83]

Well i started out in a RN program & flunked out! Not because the rest were hard it was because i wasnt studying & putting in the time & just NOT READY! When i failed the 2nd time in 2011 @ 1st i didnt want to do Lpn because i like others looked down on them & with my ignorance didnt believe you arent a nurse unless your an RN & let me tell you that by talking to others ESPECIALLY RN's WHO WERE LPN's 1st, humbled the mess out of me! This summer is my last semester in LPN school & im # 2 in my class & will be graduating with HONORS! If i had asked around waaaaaayyyyyyy back when i was fresh out of high school i would have gone the LPN route along time ago! Now at the age of 30 i dont regret going this way, i will gave a firm solid foundation to build upon! I have 1 more science to take for a Bsn & will apply & hopefully get into a Lpn-BSN program fall 2014! To me if i had done the step by step back then i would have gotten a taste of how nursing school works. The decision is yours & yours only & dont let people make you feel silly for going YOUR ROUTE. Where i live the hospital where i'll be starting at next week as a nurse/pct still hires LPNs & my manager told me once i finish, take my boards & pass them she will hire me. I like to start at the bottom & make my way up! Started from the bottom now im here!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I did NA>>LPN>>AAS>>(30 year gap) >>BSN>>MSN

My reasoning was so that I could pay cash for my education with an assist from employer tuition assistance. So I now have a master's degree and have never incurred a single penny of debt.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

PPs are all providing really good advice & insight into how the step-by-step approach worked for them. Count me in! I came into nursing as a second career... and more than a bit unsettled because I had invested so much (time, energy, etc) into that degree only to realize that I just couldn't see myself doing it long-term. (I was only 23 at that time - LOL).

When I decided to transition into nursing, I was determined not to make the same mistake twice. So I did a (college hour) LVN program first. It was an 18 month program; part of a career ladder consortium, which meant that everything was transferable to either an ADN or BSN program in schools that were also members of the consortium. I LOVED it!!!

Over the next 20 years, I went on to my BSN -> MSN -> EdD (allied health education admin) without ever looking back..... so, you could say it all worked out very well for me.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

I floundered around in college for nearly seven years before I found nursing. By that point my GPA was in the hole so the local technical college offered me a solution: ADN. I got my ADN in 2006 then practiced until I started my RN-MSN in 2010. I just finished up my MSN-Ed. I really enjoyed my path because it allowed me to work, maintain my life, which at this point was of a 24ish old, and gave me time to really love nursing before I dove in for another chunk of student loans.

My experience also made it easier to do well in the bridge program because it was so much more applicable at that point to my practice. I finished summa cum laude in my MSN (3.96) something I never thought I would see, and it wasn't really that hard because I was so invested in the information!

Do what works for you!

Tait