RN vs. LPN: Need lot's of help, please. LONG!

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dear nurses aqnd nursing students,

i am emotionally and psychologically sick trying to decide what to do re. a ns. i posted before, briefly, but this is my situation, and i would appreciate any info or support:

i need to choose between an lpn 2 year program in billings, where i live, at montana state university, and a 2 year asn program in miles city, which is 148 miles from me, and it's an rn program. i work ft, and want/need to keep working. i really want to go to the rn program, but the more i research, the more i think it's going to be very expensive (meals, lodging, gas!) plus, working ft in billings, how the heck am i going to make it to 5 a.m. clinicals in miles city. plus, the communication is difficult: when i have a question i can't just make an appointment, i have to email, or call, and wait for the miles city college to respond. here in billings, i can drive to the advisor, sit down and talk. i am married, and don't want to move to miles city alone, we have a house here, a business, family, friends.

should i just choose the lpn, and then transition into rn? or should i try rn, despite the expenses, distance etc. what would you do?

i am just very anxious, i want to start school already, start something, but with the rn prog. i just wait and wait. nln is in october, application deadline is april 08, and the actual school starts in september 08.

finances are alo a big consideration: will i be able to make decent money as an lpn, or will it be considerably less? will i be able to work in er/icu setting (my dream)

;) thanks for letting me vent. thanks for listening. ;)

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Honey, if you try to drive 300 miles a day on top of nursing school and full time work you won't have to worry about RN vs. LPN because you'll be dead.

Does Montana accept www.excelsior.edu? If they do then that, I think, is your plan.

:)

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Can you find a Nursing program that is closer to home? Billings is a pretty big city and I would think it would have more to offer.

In addition, have you considered out of state Nursing programs? Sheridan Wyoming has a 2 year program, and it is only about 120 miles away. This would cut 28 miles from your commute.

Edit: I would check the entry requirements to the Excelsior program. As I understand, you must be a licensed/certified clinician to enter. (Paramedic, LPN, Military Medic, PA, RT, etc.) If you do not have any clinical background, Excelsior may not be an option. Check the link following this statement.

https://www.excelsior.edu/portal/page?_pageid=57,53286&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

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haha :)

my thought exactly :)

i don't know if mt accepts excelsior. will check. i am driving my husband crazy with my thinking aloud and talking to myself about nursing schools. i have to make a decision, i feel like i am stuck right now. sent all the paperwork to the rn program, accepted into the school, but so far only found 1 class offered online. urghhh...

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billings also has a 4 year bsn program, but again, you have to go to bozeman for the last 2 years. that's pretty much it: msu bsn and the college of technology 2 year lpn program.

i don't want to do the 4 year program because i feel that i don't need to start from scratch. i have a masters in a different field, and don't need to take all the general studies.

good news for this week: got my cna certificate. yey! :)

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i don't want to do the 4 year program because i feel that i don't need to start from scratch. i have a masters in a different field, and don't need to take all the general studies.

good news for this week: got my cna certificate. yey! :)

congrats!

find out, for the 2 year lpn program, if they'll let you clep out of some classes. if you already have a masters it will be really easy for you to segue into a bsn in time, a class at a time. and again, you can do the rn on-line.

but honestly, nursing school is (deliberately and unnecessarily) wicked hard, and i can't imagine doing it with f/t work and that kind of drive time on top of it. just impossible.

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I was in a situation like yours and chose the RN program you know more $$ etc. but had to withdrawn too far could not meet with the study group, car maintenance and even cost me my marriage I did the LPN close to home 7 yr now I am doing RN on line. With LPN you have good choices depending on where you apply you can work in the ER but no usually in ICU. If you chose the RN path the drive eventually get to you tired can even study or focus, rush to get home, stress and financially can be a problem. As LPN you can then work on you RN later of course the choice is yours. Good luck with your decision.

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i am sorry about all the barriers :( that's one thing that is stopping me....out of 60 students at that rn program only one lives in billings, but she is moving to miles soon. i am a hardworking student, but with 300 miles round trips and the cost of gas....and i would love to see my husband once in a while...:)

......i am 27. maybe i should just hit the lpn route, and see how it goes?!

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i am a hardworking student, but with 300 miles round trips and the cost of gas....and i would love to see my husband once in a while...:)

......i am 27. maybe i should just hit the lpn route, and see how it goes?!

yup. because the rn route is impossible for now.

and you're young. you can even become a nurse practitioner on-line.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I'd take the LPN route.

While LPN pay isn't as much as RN pay, for the most part, it's more than CNA pay. Become an LPN and make that money while you continue on into an RN program. You can probably find one of those which will work for you on-line.

I think the commute alone would be too much for you eventually, much less the commute plus work.

If you were able to rent a small apartment or park an RV near the school that has the RN program and then go home on weekends or the occasional night, it might be doable, but that doesn't sound like what you're saying.

Also, even if you can't work ER or ICU as an LPN (and that varies from hospital to hospital), you aren't planning on being an LPN forever.

That's the route I'd take. In fact, it's the route I took.

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Agree with others, if I were you I would first complete the LPN program (although I first thought: why become an LPN if you have to study as long - 2 years - as for some RN programs? However, your individual circumstances are more important, and because of the extra time this is probably an excellent LPN program).

There are many options for getting your RN once you're an LPN. You're very young and have lots of time. Some LPN positions (notably in LTC) pay nearly as much as some hospital RN positions in my area.

Best of luck to you,

DeLana

P.S. Some of the best RNs I know are former LPNs.

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hi guys, i just found out that the lpn program is actually 3 semesters, instead of four, as i thought.

thanks for all your thoughts. will appreciate any other responses also. thanks :)

also, found out today that the cna job that i am starting pt will pay 10.62/hr, and 11.62/hr for nocs. is that pretty much what you have in other states?

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