Hi everyone! I would love to hear your advice, especially those who have faced a similar situation. I have been working on prereqs for an LPn program at the local community college since last July. I'll be done with all of them next quarter and be eligible to begin the LPN program that starts this summer (1-yr program), assuming I got accepted. The LPN program would be paid for by the state of GA via a grant program I am eligible for (and that has been paying for my prereqs and books)
I ultimately want to get my BSN and was originally planning on bridging my way up (for financial reasons), but have recently been thinking about bypassing the LPN route and just going straight into a BSN program. I haven't seen any LPN jobs in my area that appeal to me and becoming an LPN would take me away from the hospital environment that I enjoy working in and want to stay in. I currently work as a CNA at a local hospital here in GA.
If I start taking BSN program prereqs next quarter (starts in March), I'll be able to apply for BSN programs that begin next yr. I have 2 degrees and I only need to complete 5 or 6 more prereqs (mainly the sciences) to be eligible for the BSN programs next yr. Going straight for the BSN via a 2-3 program could mean more money out of my pocket, but it will be a more streamlined process to my goal and allow me to keep my job in the hospital. Hopefully I could simply transition into an RN role once done with my schooling.
I also have been considering the fact that there's a part-time 2.5 yr BSN program in my area at a state school, that would allow me to keep my fulltime job (and benefits) and get my degree in a timely manner.
So my question is, what would you do? Would you go ahead and do the (paid for) LPN first then bridge your way up (hopefully employer sponsored) and just work at jobs you may not like for a while until you reached your goal, OR would you bypass the LPN and just go straight for the BSN even though it might cost you more money out of your pocket (via loans)?
Thanks everyone for your advice. After thinking about this long and hard, I've decided to finish out my current quarter of LPN prereqs since they're already paid for and I'm actually learning something useful (Intro to Healthcare and Med Terminology) and to start working on my BSN prereqs next qtr (starts in March). I'm so excited! If I stay on schedule I should have the basic sciences (A&P I&II and Micro) done by the end of the summer and be in good shape to start applying to 2010 programs in the fall and early winter (assuming i don't make terrible grades in anything). I could continue to work on the other prereqs while waiting on acceptance/rejection letters (ie Human Growth & Developmt, Sociology, Chemistry, etc).
Since my LPN prereqs will be done, if something should happen and cause my plans to change, I'll still be able to apply to an LPN program if need be. But I'm shooting for the BSN!
I tell everyone that going for an LPN license is just foolish. Hospitals are getting rid of them and most states are giving hospitals incentive to continue doing so.
I'd be willing to bet an associates RN would be a shorter program than the BSN. You can work as an RN and return to school after a year and go to school part time only. Its not too hard going from Associates to BSN. Truthfully, schooling for ADN to BSN is little more than lectures and writting papers.
With that said, I always tell people, with everything being equal, go for BSN right out of the box. Its the best thing. Part of the reason I want to get out of travel nursing and become staff is that I will be able to get my BSN.
I tell everyone that going for an LPN license is just foolish. Hospitals are getting rid of them and most states are giving hospitals incentive to continue doing so.
it's not foolish, at all really, when you don't have much other choice. it was my only option at that time, i'm very happy i did it, and i really do make an honest living working in a hospital as an LPN. i am planning on becoming an RN and will go back full time once i have more money stashed away so i don't have to work so much to get by (well that, and i'm moving 800 miles away, so i have to get settled). i will only have 3 or so semesters for the bridge, which is better than waiting on a waiting list too.
the world needs us. :redbeathe
in the long run, it all depends on what you want and what you can manage with your living situation. i wish you the best on whatever you decide, future nurse! good luck with your studies :)
it's not foolish, at all really, when you don't have much other choice. it was my only option at that time, i'm very happy i did it, and i really do make an honest living working in a hospital as an LPN. i am planning on becoming an RN and will go back full time once i have more money stashed away so i don't have to work so much to get by (well that, and i'm moving 800 miles away, so i have to get settled). i will only have 3 or so semesters for the bridge, which is better than waiting on a waiting list too.
the world needs us. :redbeathe
in the long run, it all depends on what you want and what you can manage with your living situation. i wish you the best on whatever you decide, future nurse! good luck with your studies :)
Hmmm, you must love your job. "Glad I did it" and having to work so much JUST TO GET BY usually arent in the same sentence. I think that part of it tells it all.
And you always have options. I know people who felt trapped into going through all the degrees one by one because thats the only way the nursing home they worked for would pay for it. I knew two people dealing with this delima. Both were LPNs going for RN and both quit the nursing home before finishing, they decided paying themselves was better. Both would have had their RN degree long before had they not been doing it the nursing home way.
Your situation may be different, but I can not for the life of me imagine a situation that would make going LPN a good thing. Lets count the ways its a bad decision:
1. Less pay for the exact same work. Lets not kid ourselves here, LPNs, in every hospital I've worked at, do everything.
2. No advancement until you get the RN. If you are an LPN, you will be doing the same thing in year 30 of your career that you were doing in year 1. The options are limited, getting more limited and there is no specialization. You just work M/S or nursing homes. Thats it. With more options comes more freedom. You can live in more places and have a decent commute, you can find a schedule more to your liking and you can find a specialty field that suits you well. LPNs dont have nearly as many options.
3. Some not so bright co-workers will treat you different. I've seen it happen, when I was a CNA in a nursing home. LPNs are just.........considered different. When there is work to be done, ALL the RNs like you. When its time to take credit for things getting done, certain RNs will forget you. The nursing home I was at had administration that definately treated LPNs different. For schedule seniority, LPNs were always second to RNs. So, you being an LPN who has been there 20 years, dont get your schedule requests granted until the RN who has been there 3 days gets hers. I knew a girl at that nursing home who was an LPN who worked at a CNA for this reason. She couldnt get a schedule to allow for her to go to school (getting her RN) while an LPN, so she worked as a CNA for the schedule. Which leads to................
4. You are often, especially in hospitals, given a dual role. You will be expected to perform as an RN when it suits them, as a CNA when it suits them. As an RN, you can combat this dual job description and its less likely to happen in the first place becasue they wont pay you that much to perform as a CNA. I was a CNA for 5 years before getting my RN. I have nothing against it as a career choice. But, I didnt go to school to specialize in one thing and do another. Let that go on and you'll be doing dietary and housekeeping too.
Also, some hospitals only take LPNs because they run with sweat shop pt ratios. A Magnet hospital or one trying to achieve Magnet satus wont hire LPNs. Like I said, the politicians dont like LPNs. To achieve magnet status, you cant employe them.
With all this, I can not for the life of me find a reason to earn an LPN degree. Go to school 2 semesters more and the benefits to you are monsterous.
Hmmm, you must love your job. "Glad I did it" and having to work so much JUST TO GET BY usually arent in the same sentence. I think that part of it tells it all.
And you always have options. I know people who felt trapped into going through all the degrees one by one because thats the only way the nursing home they worked for would pay for it. I knew two people dealing with this delima. Both were LPNs going for RN and both quit the nursing home before finishing, they decided paying themselves was better. Both would have had their RN degree long before had they not been doing it the nursing home way.
Your situation may be different, but I can not for the life of me imagine a situation that would make going LPN a good thing. Lets count the ways its a bad decision:
1. Less pay for the exact same work. Lets not kid ourselves here, LPNs, in every hospital I've worked at, do everything.
2. No advancement until you get the RN. If you are an LPN, you will be doing the same thing in year 30 of your career that you were doing in year 1. The options are limited, getting more limited and there is no specialization. You just work M/S or nursing homes. Thats it. With more options comes more freedom. You can live in more places and have a decent commute, you can find a schedule more to your liking and you can find a specialty field that suits you well. LPNs dont have nearly as many options.
3. Some not so bright co-workers will treat you different. I've seen it happen, when I was a CNA in a nursing home. LPNs are just.........considered different. When there is work to be done, ALL the RNs like you. When its time to take credit for things getting done, certain RNs will forget you. The nursing home I was at had administration that definately treated LPNs different. For schedule seniority, LPNs were always second to RNs. So, you being an LPN who has been there 20 years, dont get your schedule requests granted until the RN who has been there 3 days gets hers. I knew a girl at that nursing home who was an LPN who worked at a CNA for this reason. She couldnt get a schedule to allow for her to go to school (getting her RN) while an LPN, so she worked as a CNA for the schedule. Which leads to................
4. You are often, especially in hospitals, given a dual role. You will be expected to perform as an RN when it suits them, as a CNA when it suits them. As an RN, you can combat this dual job description and its less likely to happen in the first place becasue they wont pay you that much to perform as a CNA. I was a CNA for 5 years before getting my RN. I have nothing against it as a career choice. But, I didnt go to school to specialize in one thing and do another. Let that go on and you'll be doing dietary and housekeeping too.
Also, some hospitals only take LPNs because they run with sweat shop pt ratios. A Magnet hospital or one trying to achieve Magnet satus wont hire LPNs. Like I said, the politicians dont like LPNs. To achieve magnet status, you cant employe them.
With all this, I can not for the life of me find a reason to earn an LPN degree. Go to school 2 semesters more and the benefits to you are monsterous.
well, thank you for telling me why my job stinks. i rather like it, actually. i work mostly 11p-7a or 7a-3p, med/surg with mostly GI pts, 6-1 ratio, $20 an hour, really not that bad. i work very hard, for less pay, but my bills get paid and got my foot in the nursing door. only temporary. i don't plan on stopping. and it's better than the $12 an hour i was making as a paramedic working 24 hr shifts with a bullproof vest on, thats for sure.
OP, do whatever works best for you. if you have to take baby steps like i did, there is nothing wrong with it. i would encourage you, if you want critical care, to go for the RN right away... but if it doesn't work out right away, being an LPN really isn't as bad as people think. it's a great knowledge base and stepping stone.
i worked full time during the day and did a 2 year nights/weekends LPN program. the waiting lists for any ADN program in my area are 3-4 years long and the BSN programs are incredibly competitive (with a 3.8 GPA, UNC and Duke would not have taken me). bf is a travel nurse, only renewed until april 09, had to poop or get off the pot, so i did the LPN program.
if there weren't people like me who made "bad decisions" and became LPNs, who would work in LTC, ALF, MD offices, clinics, and those sweat-shop like floors, the nursing "shortage" would be alot worse. :)
i am with sunray12 on this one. i am in the exact same boat as you and i am taking the lpn route. you want to start working as a nurse asap! becoming an lpn is a great stepping stone. with the economy the way it is you need to have a sure thing going for yourself!! also, you have a better shot getting you bsn with lpn experience. you will have a better understanding of everything. good luck in whatever you do!!!! let me know what you decide!
I hope I haven't offended anyone with my OP and I certainly did not intend to spur debates of any kind. To clarify, I don't see anything wrong with getting an LPN diploma, as I had originally planned on getting one myself. It gives you an incredible amount of bang for the buck! I have simply come to the conclusion, after actually working in the field a bit and thinking more clearly about my career goals, that becoming an LPN may not be the best step for me right now given my career interests.
only temporary. i don't plan on stopping. and it's better than the $12 an hour i was making as a paramedic working 24 hr shifts with a bullproof vest on, thats for sure.
Ah, so, even though you like it, you are getting away from it. Doesnt that say it all. You dont like it enough to stick with it. If someone has the opportunity to leap frog the LPN step, why wouldnt you?
bf is a travel nurse, only renewed until april 09, had to poop or get off the pot, so i did the LPN program.
Like I said, there are always other options. BF renew again so you have time to get the RN, or.....get a staff position just till you are done with school. Or, get the next travel position close enough so that you will still be able to see him. I traveled between Baltimore and Pittsburgh for 13 weeks, its not that bad.
if there weren't people like me who made "bad decisions" and became LPNs, who would work in LTC, ALF, MD offices, clinics, and those sweat-shop like floors, the nursing "shortage" would be alot worse.
Actually, I dont blame LPNs for nursing homes and other places with sweat shop conditions, but if they had to change their ways, I dont think anyone would complain. If the politicians actually abolish the whole LPN program (not my suggestion, just pointing out that that is how they act, as if they plan this), these places would be forced to do business a different way.
When I say I would not suggest getting the LPN license, its because I hope the person asking wont have to make comments like " i work very hard, for less pay, but my bills get paid". Someone who does what an LPN does should not be feeling that way. LPN is only different from RN in the books, in real life, they are mirror images, twins. Why should you, doing the same thing I do, have to count pennies to pay bills and get treated differently than me?
this is true to an extent for me. i do want to become a nurse sooner rather than later, but i don't want to waste time/money/energy pursuing something that's not going to get me where i want to be in the most efficient way possible. i don't want to become a nurse just so i can say "hey, i'm a nurse!" this is a second career for me and it's important to me to pursue something i think i will truly enjoy. i have yet to see any lpn opportunities i think i would truly enjoy. i'd rather stay focused and go for what will yield me the greatest job satisfaction.
gamba, i didn't actually read your post until after i made mine. its as simple as this "different strokes for different folks." i will say that you came off a little tiny bit rude by the way you put it. on the same note, when i feel strongly about something i do the same thing!!!!! i am in the same situation and i would not be able to pay for schooling for my bsn right now by any means! i have a son and a full time job. it may just be easier for others to take this approach as far as cost and time. good luck with what you are doing with yourself!
i am with sunray12 on this one. i am in the exact same boat as you and i am taking the lpn route. you want to start working as a nurse asap! becoming an lpn is a great stepping stone. with the economy the way it is you need to have a sure thing going for yourself!! also, you have a better shot getting you bsn with lpn experience. you will have a better understanding of everything. good luck in whatever you do!!!! let me know what you decide!
actually, lpn is the less sure thing with the economy. rns not getting hospital jobs will go to the nursing home, and lpns will have a harder time finding work.
going from adn to bsn, the schooling is all about lecture and writting papers. an lpn has not advantage in this over an adn, and vise versa. but, i will point out the lpn who worked as a cna for the schedule again. as an rn, you have more job opportunities, hence more freedome to find that employeer who will support your desire to go to school. some will, some wont.......you'll need schedule flexibility. you need to be able to practically make your own schedule, and be able to work less when school is on, more when it is not. the lpns getting their rns who quit the nursing homes left for that reason........no schedule flexibility.
GaMBA
161 Posts
Thanks everyone for your advice. After thinking about this long and hard, I've decided to finish out my current quarter of LPN prereqs since they're already paid for and I'm actually learning something useful (Intro to Healthcare and Med Terminology) and to start working on my BSN prereqs next qtr (starts in March). I'm so excited! If I stay on schedule I should have the basic sciences (A&P I&II and Micro) done by the end of the summer and be in good shape to start applying to 2010 programs in the fall and early winter (assuming i don't make terrible grades in anything). I could continue to work on the other prereqs while waiting on acceptance/rejection letters (ie Human Growth & Developmt, Sociology, Chemistry, etc).
Since my LPN prereqs will be done, if something should happen and cause my plans to change, I'll still be able to apply to an LPN program if need be. But I'm shooting for the BSN!