Thinking of becoming LPN, scared

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My name is Paige and I have dreams of becoming either an LPN or a vet tech. My initial plan is to apply to a nearby trade school and take their CNA training program; I figure I'll work as a CNA for a while, see how much I like the nursing field and working with people, and after I've gotten some experience, saved up money, have my own car, etc. I'll look into going back to school and becoming an LPN.

I love the idea of working as an LPN. I've always been fascinated by medicine and healthcare, and I love the thought of being able to take care of sick people and nursing them back to health. However, there is one thing that scares me: the possibility of making mistakes. More specifically, serious mistakes that could result in the death or permanent injury of a patient.

Now, in every job out there you have the possibility of making errors, but most don't carry the serious ramifications that making a mistake as a nurse do. With being a nurse, the simplest medication error or lapse in judgment could mean the difference between life or death for a patient. And that's just something I'm not sure I could deal with. Of course, you want to always be as precise and accurate as possible, but even then, there's circumstances that are often conducive to making errors: being nervous and new to the job, having an overly heavy workload and taking on too many things at once, being sleep-deprived or stress out over things, etc. Even worse than the possibility of losing my license and being sued is the fact that I just don't think I could live with myself ever again if I knew I was somehow responsible for the death of another human being.

Even though I love the idea of becoming a nurse, I'm just not sure if that's something I can handle. It's for that reason that I'm wondering if maybe I should look into other career options, although I know I most likely want to do something in healthcare. I've even considered doing CNA as a career since that doesn't involve as much liability as being a full-on nurse does, but 1. CNAs generally don't make much money and 2. I've heard that the job really starts to wear on your back if you do it for too long due to the heavy lifting, etc. and can even result in permanent back injury.

If anyone could offer any advice or suggestions, that would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, I would really love to become a nurse but I'm just scared at the thought I could make a mistake and seriously harm my patient.

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.

hi paige! sounds like you really want to be a nurse. you should follow your heart. focus with finding a good lpn program first and think less of the "ifs" for now. hopefully, your lpn school would prepare you to be a competent nurse so you won't make deadly mistakes. everybody makes mistakes even us nurses but you can minimize this by following established protocols or guidelines.

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Hi Paige,

You should definitely become a CNA first so you can start to experience what you are getting into. Once you start to work in the hospital, you will deal with many patients. You will learn time management and you will see how nurses work. Once you have worked as a CNA for quite some time, you will get more comfortable at your work environment and would eventually want to advance if you really like your work. Sometimes things are scary in the beginning, but you got to take a deep breath and just do the best you can. You say you don't want to make a mistake, then before you act double check and even triple check everything. Unsure of something, just ask one of your coworkers, you are not alone. I know in hospitals you deal with many patients, ask someone to help you until you can handle it all by yourself. I know many great nurses that started off as CNA's. I really believe they are better nurses than a new grad nurse without experience. They had experienced the pros and cons of being a nurse and have learned from those experiences. Once you have worked as a CNA, why not go straight and become an RN? That is where you are headed anyways :) I believe you can be a great nurse someday because of your compassion for wanting to help people.:yeah:I wish you all the best in your nursing career and I hope everything turns out great :) I hope this advice helped a little :)

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Hi Paige

When I started Lpn school the teacher was very strick due to that I have learned to double check everything and also being organize really helps believe me don't be afraid everyone makes mistakes at the beginning u just to have be attentive and prepared to what u r doing

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EphemeralMelody,

I think once you got your training and education (and trust me, you will get PLENTY) your comfort level will go way way up. We're all a little scared of the unknown - but you would do just fine and have the oversight and supervision that would also help.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you live? I know salaries vary a ton by geography: you can look at this site for LPN salaries but there isn't CNA info on it.

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Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it. :)

Yeah, I actually am considering the RN route over LPN since they usually make better money and have more opportunities (ex. I've read that most hospitals prefer to hire RNs now) The school I'm wanting to attend (Delgado) offers both an LPN and RN program, and completing the RN program only takes a year more. The only reason I'm undecided about becoming an RN is because of all the extra responsibility it entails - more authority, making patient assessments and creating care plans, etc. - the idea of all that intimidates me, but I just have to remind myself that I'll receive all the education and training I need to properly do all that.

I guess the best thing to do is not worry about all that right now, and just focus on getting my CNA certification at the moment and then decide where I want to go from there. I really do dream of becoming a nurse someday, though :) I've been checking out nursing books from the library to prepare myself and learn as much as I can about the field in the meantime.

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Specializes in Adult ICU/PICU/NICU.

I would strongly recommend that you get your BSN. It will not make you any better of a nurse, but it will give you the most options in your career.

Best to you,

Mrs H.

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Is going for your BSN really that essential for expanding your job options? I was under the impression getting your ADN was all you needed unless you planned to go into a supervisory/management position, which I don't.

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There are no jobs for LVN's in CA...and still a 3 to 4 year waitlist for most community colleges... Now you need to have 1 year of a foreign language before you get on the wait list for an ADN program.

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Specializes in Adult ICU/PICU/NICU.
Is going for your BSN really that essential for expanding your job options? I was under the impression getting your ADN was all you needed unless you planned to go into a supervisory/management position, which I don't.

For bedside nursing, diploma and associate degrees are fine, but you never know when you might wish to do something else...not just management. Right now you are young and excited about nursing. Picture yourself at age 60 doing bedside nursing? Some still love it at that age. I did, but not everyone does. The BSN gives you more options beyond the bedside. It would be wise for you to get your BSN because you never know what life will bring and more formal education never hurt anyone.

Best to you,

Mrs H.

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Specializes in VA, Ortho, Med/Surg.

You should be scared. Get your RN instead. We are losing out to Medical Assistants. Not fair I know.

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