Should I go from CNA to LVN or CNA to RN - at a crossroads and really need advice

[hbladybug]

hi all,

i am really struggling right now and i'm not sure what step to take next. my goal is to get my rn. pursuing this goal has been more than challenging.

i'm older, i've already had a career that i've recently been laid off from and i have a bachelors degree in business. i decided to go back to school to become a nurse like my mom has been doing for over 30 years. i've hit some road blocks.

i've only been able to get my cna which was an 8 week program but i've been laid off for over a year now. the 3 science classes i need for prerequisites anatomy, physiology & microbiology are always full. i did some asking around and found out why i was never getting a better registration date at the community college. they told me since i have over 90 units that i was always going to have the last registration date for continuing students. they do offer a petition that i can fill out to over ride that - i was denied. explanation was that i've been to other schools and have had ample time to get my education.

now i'm trying to get into private programs. i'm on a waiting list for everest college in ontario which is an adn program. i'm going to a informational meeting at west coast university in ontario but i already know their 3 year program is over 100k and being older i don't want to die owing school loans - ya know?

i'm also looking into private schools for lvn programs such as concorde, uei, summit and american career college.

gathering all of this information - i just don't know what to do, what's the best route? cna to lvn, then rn? or cna to rn? looks like the only rn programs i have a chance to get into is the extremely expensive west coast university.

i'm stumped, any suggestions?

please help

thanks

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Hi, there. Based on some details in your post I can conclude you're in southern CA. The nursing job market is very bleak in southern CA, with many of the graduates from the classes of 2008 and 2009 unable to land their very first job in nursing. New grad RNs are having a rough time, and new grad LVNs are having an even rougher time. I would not attend a high-priced program at a private school because the possibility is very real that you will default on your student loans due to not finding a job in nursing.

It is very difficult to get hired as an LVN in southern California due to multiple reasons...

1. Southern CA has more than one hundred LVN programs. The vast majority of these are for-profit trade schools that accept new students all the time and churn out masses of new nurses into the local employment market when there are few, if any, jobs for new grads. Also, new LVN programs are opening up for business all the time, which is worsening the situation.

2. Since southern CA is a higher cost-of-living metro area, displaced workers enroll in these for-profit nursing programs because they assume that an LVN license is an automatic ticket to a guaranteed job, good income, and enough cash to maintain their standards of living. Everyone in southern California (and their mama) has been enrolling in these programs because they actually think there's a nursing shortage.

3. The economy is still crappy. We see less patients during rough economies because there's more unemployed people than ever. Unemployed people are unlikely to have health insurance. People without health insurance are unlikely to visit the doctor, go to a hospital, or schedule an elective surgery unless it is an absolute emergency. If less patients are seeking healthcare, then healthcare facilities can operate with less nurses.

4. Healthcare facilities are running a tight budget with what they already have. The people who oversee hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, clinics, etc., would rather work their current employees to the bone (and sometimes overwork them) than hire new grads who cost valuable time and a plenitude of money to train.

5. Many facilities would rather hire experienced nurses. The truth is that an experienced nurse can be up and running with minimal orientation, whereas the new grad needs time to get trained, costs money to train, and often quits before the facility can recoup any return on their human investment. This is why you see requests for nurses with at least 1 year of experience.

[hbladybug]

thank you for your insight, i appreciate your opinion.

yes, i am in southern california. i am aware of lvn's not being very employable, my mom's hospital doesn't have any lvn's at all. becoming a nurse is not the question, i will do this some way or another. it's just the route i take that's in question. i'm just looking for a means to an end. since there are so many lvn schools i was thinking maybe i can get my lvn because there may be more lvn to rn programs. since i'm having so many issues with the public school system the private schools might be my only route.

i just don't know.

anyone else have any ideas?