Should I go for my LVN or RN?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I am planning on applying to nursing school next year. What are some important things to consider when deciding between LVN and RN career pathways (besides pay, length of schooling and type of workplace desired?)

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Dear Deciding,

LVNs and RNs both provide care. Both pass medications, change dressings, insert nasogastic tubes, and insert foley catheters.

Depending on what state you live in, LVNs can hang blood, start IVs and give IV fluid but not IV medications.

There are a lot of similar tasks but the responsibility is different. An RN must oversee the care provided by an LVN and retains accountability for the plan of care as well as for patient education.

An important consideration is career choices down the roads. As an LVN, your options are mostly limited to bedside care. As an RN with a BSN, you can stay at the bedside but you can choose to go into Infection Prevention, Case Management, and much more. A BSN prepares you to manage pt populations and effect change on a larger scale.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!