Surgical tech to RN in Florida

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I am looking at either LPN or Surgical Tech programs in my area - Orlando or surrounding counties. After I get licensed, I would take a bridge program to get my RN degree.

One of the reasons that I was considering looking into the surgical tech program to start out with is that these days the public LPN schools seem to have really long waiting lists, and the surgical tech program waiting lists aren't as long. I've looked into the job descriptions for both fields and I'm fine with either field. I've also considered getting a paramedic certification and then doing paramedic to RN bridge program.

Does Florida allow Surgical Tech to RN bridge programs?

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From my understanding, no FL does not allow surgical tech to RN programs (I can't even say I've heard of any in FL). They did away with that when the Excelsior debate went down. Best advice would be to call the BON and ask. They are quick to answer the phone these days.

ETA: I had the same problem when I wanted to become a RN. I ended up going to a private LPN school that cost about 3x as much as the public one but there was no wait list and I qualified for a loan. After LPN school, I worked FT to pay down the loan and start on my LPN-RN bridge. It took me a total of 3 years to get my RN that way (including a year of working and no school- but I already had all my pre-req's for the RN program).

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I have considered the private LPN programs and I may do so - they're just so depressingly expensive compared to the tech schools.

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I have considered the private LPN programs and I may do so - they're just so depressingly expensive compared to the tech schools.

Yup..mine was about 15K. However, the wait list was about 2-3 years for LPN when I looked and the office job I had at the time was nothing compared to LPN pay (which isn't even that great here in FL). I did the math and knew that I'd make more being a LPN sooner with the more expensive program than waiting around with my crappy job waiting for a spot in the cheap program. My LPN loan took me 1.5 years to pay off and live as if I still had the office position. My friend who waited it out just is finishing the LPN program later this year. I'm now a RN and she is a student LPN and that is the chance she took. She has much less to pay back than I did...

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Getting an LPN degree would be hugely valuable to me and could well be worth the extra $10-$15 grand it would cost at a private school. I do see that there is a high demand for both surgical techs and LPNs, but there's probably more that I can do with an LPN degree. I could get into a surgical tech program faster though.

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