RainaLuzon

American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Frequently Asked Questions they've been planning this since '02 apparently. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_practitioner in the 'education requirements section' it mentions it as well. (Even though we all know Wikipedia is just SO reliable!) My mother is also an NP, and teaches Med Surg at a university, and they're already starting to phase out their Masters' Program for NP in preparation for the change; they're taking their last cohort in Fall of '18. The consensus seems to be that it'll almost certainly happen in the foreseeable future. She's been encouraging me to 'hurry up' and get through school so that I won't have to get a DNP. People who get their NP before this change will of course be 'grandfathered in'. The same thing is happening to the OT field, which only required a Bachelor's up until 2006. They're now steamrolling ahead to make it a doctorate program. I think it's about keeping people in school for as long as they can and getting that federa loan money.

I honestly think you'll be fine. Background checks run by schools and employers check to see if you have had any sort of run in with the law in the past, not who you have worked for. In fact, that information isn't even available to them.

It's almost a wash in regards to opportunities and scope of practice. HOWEVER, The nursing profession is moving quickly and swiftly away from a master's degree being the entry level for practice; you will need to get a DNP if you decide to enter within the next two years or so. That's something to consider in regards to the rate of return on investment, as the PA profession will probably NEVER move to a doctorate program. People would just go to med school! Want to move to another country or do aid work? No one outside of the US knows what a PA is. Well, they may, but they aren't recognized. NP's are, and can practice from Brazil to Australia. You just have to decide what model you want to learn under.: NP: *to primary care patient presenting with depression* Have you had any sort of stressful situations happen lately? ? That's unfortunate. You know, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy works wonders with depression, and I know a great therapist that I love to refer people to. We can try that first, and then maybe we can talk about some medication options. PA: *to same patient* How long has this been happening? Is it accompanied with any shortness of breath or pain? Okay, I'm going to start you on some Buspirone in conjunction with Citalopram. We'll see if this will help, and if your symptoms don't improve in a month or two we will try another medication. At least, that's been my experience having had both NP's and PA's treat me (prefer NP's ) . But that's not to say that there aren't some awesomely holistic PA's, and some NP's that are just focused on treating the disease. Either way, they're both great professions with amazing opportunities....and both seem happier than doctors all around!!

I was in the process of taking pre-requisites for Occupational Therapy before I switched to nursing. I know people who are both, and I can definitely say that, hands down, OT's that *I* know are MUCH happier than the nurses I know. I was strongly drawn to OT for a couple of reasons: 1.) For the most part, OT's tend to work 9-5 type jobs, M-F. They don't tend to work holidays, either. 2.) More one on one time with patients, and case loads that aren't as insane as nurses. 5 patients per nurse may not seem like a lot, but according to studies, nurses should have no more than two, at max three, patients in order to successfully care for them all. Hospitals don't seem to have gotten the memo! 3.) Less bodily fluid contact, but certainly not eliminated entirely. 4.) After shadowing both, OT seemed to be a lot easier on the body. 5.) It requires a masters degree, and programs can get pretty darn competitive. This keeps them in demand so that there isn't a huge over saturation, which is happening for nursing. Despite this, I ultimately decided to try for an Accelerated BSN program because of THESE reasons: 1.) Cost. For me, it makes more financial sense to just get another bachelor's degree. It would take me quite a bit of time (another 4 years or so) to get a Masters because of pre-requisites and all of the shadowing required. Then after all of the debt incurred, I would have a much slower return on investment. Now that I'm on the other side of 25, I'm also kind of fighting against my biological clock etc. Husband and I want to have a child by at least 34, but have our finances in order and time before to be selfish etc. 2.) Much more opportunities in Nursing. After your first year or two, the world is your oyster. There are so, so so sososososo many avenues to go into with nursing. OT is arguably more limited. 3.) Upward mobility. I would love love love to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I love psychiatry and helping those with mental illnesses. the salary can top out at 6 figures, which can help tremendously with paying off student loan debt, traveling, and giving back to the community which is important to me. 4.) I'm fond of disease processes and the human body! I loved my A&P class. 5.) The 3 day a week nursing schedule. I know, I know. I mentioned OT's work schedules as being a positive, but here's the thing about working 3 days a week. Being off on WEEKDAYS. Being able to get groceries, go out to eat, get a pedicure, go to the doctor, the dentist, etc on the weekday is DIVINE. I worked a job where my schedule was three 12 hour days friday-Sunday, and I hated it at first. But I honestly prefer it now after going back to a M-F job. I never realized how much more time I had. My advice to you would be to decide what is most important to you in your life, and how your career will help you foster that. Is it financial security? Being able to travel? A sense of fulfillment? I'll tell you right now that you're making an excellent decision in getting into the healthcare field regardless of what you want to do. I'll be 26 in december, and If I could go back to that naive 21 year old in college majoring in psychology I'd bop her on the head. I learned so much, but bachelor's degrees in the social sciences or humanities amount to $11 an hour salaries, and grad degrees in these areas will keep you in debt forever

bumping again. I'd really like more experiences!

Honestly, I wouldn't fret too much about references. It's always best if you can get a professor/instructor to vouch for you. If not.... Then use friends you went through your LPN/LVN program with. Give them a heads up first! When I've been used as a reference for jobs (most were non nursing, but one was) they just ask basic questions in regards to a person's character and how you know them (I usually said through volunteer work). Sometimes applications will specifically tell you -Not- to use friends, but I can't even count the number of times that I've pretended to have only known my teacher best friend for about a year and only through the context of work. In truth we've been friends for over 10 years and we've never worked together.

Thank you sooooo much for your reply! was it worth it to you? Do you feel like you received a quality education for what you paid?

bumpity bump bump

I have a BA, not a BSN.

As a new LPN with no experience, do you think you make a livable wage? Becoming an LPN is something I've been considering in Lieu of an accelerated BSN (I have a bachelor's degree already). What's scared me away from it is the rumored poor pay directly out of school. I've been hearing about 12-13 right out of school. hmmm. That actually sounds better than the 11.00 bucks I'm making now!

I've found some threads on the program, but there isn't anything regarding people who graduated from the program and their experience. I'm considering doing the program because it's not a matter of "if" you get in but "when". I don't have time to go to school part time and slowly slog away at my pre-requisites. I tried it this semester, and it was honestly just too much! I either need to work or go to school. Marian seems to fit this for me, as I'll only be out of work for about a year. This is OK, as my husband is willing to pick up more hours etc. I wouldn't ask him to do it longer than that, as his job is very physically and mentally demanding. If anyone has started last year or this year, what do you think so far? Are you liking the online-clinical 1 day a week format? For those that graduated, was the debt load ridiculous or manageable? Thank you all!

If you want to work as a nurse, I would definitely consider moving. Either farther north to the sacramento area or completely out of state. Texas seems to be a hot spot for LPN's, as well as Florida. My sister graduated in May with her BSN from California State and finally decided to move back here (Virginia) in the beginning of August because she could NOT find a job. She had a job within two weeks. Does she miss cali? Yes. but she wanted a job and steady paycheck a lot more! It's rough for nurses in california.

I have a cousin who's an LPN that lives about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta, but she commutes to work there in the city. She makes about $22 before taxes, and this is with 6 years of experience. If you don't live directly -in- Atlanta, you can make a decent middle class life if you live a little below your means. She has two children and a spouse that also earns a bit more than her, so that helps. They also have 0 debt aside from their house (they're HUGE Dave Ramsey fans haha).

Thanks for that information. It's definitely something that I had planned on doing!

Good Morning! I graduated in 2013 with a degree in human services. To put it simply, it's gotten me nowhere and I have struggled ever since. My mother is a nursing clinical instructor at a university, and told me several times to get into nursing due to my personality. However, young, silly naive me didn't want to stick people or be on my feet for 12-14 hours like I had watched her do when I was younger, despite being fascinated by nursing. After shadowing a few of her friends and speaking to others, I've decided that nursing is indeed for me. I just wished I hadn't ignored my instincts for this long! Anyway, I have a dilemma: Because I have yet to find a decent paying position (decent to me being above $13 an hour) My husband (who has no degree and is a 'musician' and waiter at a restaurant :***:) and I have had financial issues pretty much as soon as we got married last year. Unfortunately, this has lead us to have about 40k in debt all together. My undergrad was paid for, thankfully. I was thinking recently that it might be a smarter idea to pursue my LPN license and work for a year or two to lessen my debt before I decide to apply for the program that I REALLY want to get into at a top private university near me. It's a three year program that leads first to an RN license and then to NP within a specific specialty. My ultimate goal is to be a nurse practitioner. I've looked into accelerated BSN programs, but the soonest I'd be able to get in is fall of 2017 Versus January '16 for the 12 month LPN program near me. I'm currently taking one pre-requisite class at a time, because frankly I don't want to rush. But at the same time, I'm sick of barely making it and having more month than money. I know LPNs salaries aren't glamorous......but $15 an hour looks absolutely fabulous at this point, and would help out TREMENDOUSLY. What are your thoughts? Does this seem silly to do? Also, can LPN's live decently on their salaries with a second income from a spouse? Something that also concerns me is that when I did a mock job search in my state, only about 400 positions came up. That seems incredibly tiny to me! Is this the norm? I live in a large metropolitan area in the south for some perspective. Thank you!