Becoming a LPN

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I want to become a nurse, specifically a registered nurse, but unfortunately i won't be able to take the right high school prerequisites to be qualified for RN programs, therefore i will be taking a LPN program in collage. What is the difference between a LPN and a RN.. any pros and cons?

You should be able to take the right high school prerequisites if you're looking for the right ones.

Before you can take nursing classes toward a RN / BSN, you're going to need a ton of Gen-eds which I'm pretty sure you can take. A few of the students I tutor have done so.

I recommend that you speak to an advisor at your school about this because I think you're a little confused about how to become a nurse.

If you go the LPN/bridge route, it's going to take you longer & cost you more money. If you tailor your Gen-Eds to suit a nursing program you can start after high school, then you're looking at subjects like (but not limited to):

  • Anatomy & physiology 1 & 2
  • Microbiology
  • DIET1030 or equivalent (Principles of nutrition)
  • English composition 1, 2, & a literature credit
  • Math1530 - probability & statistics (or equivalent)
  • POSSIBLE: Pre-calc, algebra II, or Algebra & trigenometry
  • plus many more...~

To get an exact list of subjects you're going to want to speak to a counselor/adviser at your school and maybe even the college you wish to attend after.

It's highly unlikely that you'll be able to go straight from high school to a nursing program, just because of the amount of Gen Eds that you will need to get out of the way - this is normal.

To answer your question about the difference between LPN and RN though - pay grade, scope of practice to name two.

You may be happy being a LPN if you want to work in a doctor's office, nursing home, memory care facility, etc.. but from what I've been told if you want to work in a hospital setting you pretty much have to get your RN/BSN. At least in Oregon anyways.

Specializes in Pedi.

You are very confused. You don't have to take a number of pre-requisites in high school to be accepted into a pre-licensure 4 year BSN program. The courses which are considered pre-reqs for ADN RN programs are built into the curriculum of BSN programs in many schools or in other schools, you spend your first 2 years taking those courses then the nursing program is the final 2 years of the program.

You are eligible to apply for traditional 4 year BSN programs next year as a high school senior and it is your best route, as everyone on your other thread told you as well. You should spend this summer attending some information sessions at local universities that offer BSN programs because someone has given you a plethora of misinformation.

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