Starting on my path to become an RN and need help!

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Specializes in No Nursing Specialities yet.

Hello everyone :), I have a question for everyone:

I'm becoming 19 years old and this past year, I have been working. I have decided that I wanted to become an RN, but not sure which path; either a LPN first or a CNA. What would bee the best choice possible for me to become a RN? Thanks :).

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

becoming an lpn is too much of a waste of time and money. the two jobs, lpn and rn, are not the same. lpns do not generally get work in hospitals these days. you can get training as a cna in a few weeks and begin working doing basic nursing care. some nursing programs are requiring that rn students obtain their cna before beginning rn classes. with a cna you can work and take college classes as you work toward getting your rn. there has been talk for years and years of phasing out lpns and i imagine it will happen eventually. lpns are primarily employed in nursing homes as are cnas although more and more hospitals are hiring cnas to assist the rns and that will probably continue because of the economy.

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

i think you should go straight for your RN. daytonite is right , LPN's are not being utlized in hospitals as much now. LPN's do work in nursing homes and home health and hospice. it's a shame LPN's do almost the same work but the pay is vastly different then RNs. please keep us posted on how your schooling is going . take care!!

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You can make good money as an Lpn in nursing homes, assisted livings, and hopsice. Also, Lpn's can get a lot of certifications that can greatly increase their responsibilty and pay rate as well

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Specializes in No Nursing Specialities yet.

Thank you for all your replies everyone :). I am taking CNA Classes during the summer and it would take me about 8 weeks to complete and take the test. I will keep up on how my schooling is, since I am new to allnurses.com and I know this forum will be a great reliable source for me! Once agai, Thanks everyone for your replys, I appreciate them!

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Go ahead with your plans to become a CNA. If possible go straight for an RN program. You might consider getting an LPN license so that you can go to an LPN to RN bridge program. Some people do this when they can not get into an RN program in a timely manner. Good luck with school.

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