Why do LPNs only make $40K per year?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Why,

It's an unfortunate reality that LPNs do not make high wages. This despite hard work and their expertise.

LTC facilities pay what they do because of supply and demand- they can.

LPNs can do home care within their scope of practice in their state, yes.

When you get your RN, the ceiling on your pay increases greatly. You will not regret getting your RN.

You may want to reconsider getting your LPN first and then getting your RN. It will take less time to directly get your RN. Therefore you will be making more money sooner.

[Skippingtowork]

I totally agree with Nurse Beth. Go straight for the RN. Save time. Sometimes it is difficult to get a job as an LPN and the experience you will receive does not always transfer to acute care. I see LPNs who work very hard, know their nursing and are sometimes indistinguishable from RNs, but do not come close to the income or respect they deserve. Do not take the long road to what you want.

[lpnsrock01]

Hmmm I am an LPN and have worked jobs that paid me over $50,000 a year. I guess it will depend on where you live and what type of job you are doing. I have been an MDS Coordinator, Case Reviewer and am now in Case Management. You need to decide your career path and go where you want and how you want.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I went to an accelerated nursing program and got my BSN in one (very hard) year. I was a career changer with a BS in another field and could not afford to be out of work for more than 1 year. This was 30 years ago....there are tons of accelerated programs out there now.

If you already have a degree, consider this.

[3ringnursing, BSN]

The state you chose can mean a big difference in pay.

[3ringnursing, BSN]

Some nurses only make 50,000 per year.

Sad but true.

When I was a new grad RN in 1994 the highest pay in Tucson, AZ was $12.75/hr. At (3) 12 hour shifts/WK that was around $24,000 for full time employment. Not good, especially when you stopped to consider cashiers at grocery stores made $12.00/hr with no college education or debt. I had to work fulltime plus over time to still not make ends meet. With a newborn baby and a husband committed to stay home to care for said infant for 2 years, we scraped by and accumulated even more debt.

Thankfully pay has increased in the past 23 years, and new grad RN's make more now - many make than I do now with 23 years of experience.

It will be less time spent in school figuring out a direct path to RN. Chose your state wisely - it could mean the difference of thousands of dollars extra earned per year.

And good luck. We could sure use more nurses.

[montecarlo64, BSN]

I was an LPN for 17 years before getting my RN. My wages have remained flat to minimal increase from LPN to RN. I went from top tier LPN rate to lower tier RN rate. It depends on your state and what you want to do, how old you are, and how much debt you want to incur. To do over again, I would have not pursued the RN so late in life. I went to an LPN-RN ASN program; and, no one was interested in an ASN. I just completed my BSN; however, my pay has not increased. I would research the opportunities in your area, cost of education, and what you want to do in nursing. RN gives you more choices; but, not necessarily more money. I would also encourage you to be cautious of going into nursing if money is the primary motivation. Whether LPN or RN, the work is very hard; and, it is a profession that you must love or you will be miserable. Good luck to you!

[muffylpn]

I have been an LPN for 26 yrs in MA. I work 40 hrs a week ( 32 in a hospital and 8 in a NH). Last yr I made 69,000. Yes it includes the occ. OT with every other holiday. And no I don't work in Boston ( 90 min outside the city). And no I don't work every weekend.

[areensee]

I disagree with many others. Depending on the funding you have available and your need to work, getting an LPN and bridging to an RN program may be just what you need! For example, in Utah, it is possible to obtain an LPN certificate in one year, and pay only about $4500 for the entire program. Several colleges in Utah have excellent bridge programs which enable LPN graduates to get credit for their LPN year. In fact, some of our LPN graduates can actually earn their LPN, earn an ADN and a BSN in only 3 years, which is a year less than the traditional 4-year BSN program. Look for LPN programs at local vocational/technical colleges. Before you apply, find out what it costs, find out what their NCLEX-PN pass rate is (ours has historically been 100%), and decide which colleges will provide you with the best bridge program. If you do your homework, you may not only save money, but time too! Good luck!

[Dafabb, LPN]

I am an LVN of 40 yrs. now and I will disagree with many. I also am in Texas which basically is an OK state for pay but not the best if employed FT. In this it also is where you work. I have worked agency for many years with only 3 FT jobs in there in the last 5 yrs and made $25 or better in all of them. I am at $30/hr right now as also with my last agency. And it doesn't matter how long you have been a nurse it is a flat rate. There are quite a few agencies that pay well. You just have to know or ask others. You though will have to do 2 yrs hospital to qualify for agency and it might change by time you do all you need to do. As for the school itself I'll leave that to others as you can see why.....If you do this find an area you enjoy and master it.(as much as we can master anything in Nursing)Work it for several years and if you want to stay FT somewhere expect your pay to be slow as yrs go by. Agency local will pay better but are some drawbacks. Travel can be a plus or minus depending on who is looking at your resume for FT. Live in CA you still will be living from paycheck to paycheck. Live in Texas you will be able to save money if you are not a spender. Live in FL and you will go broke...Once you get 15-20 yrs behind you many places are an option but stay away from CA...LOL

[carrienoka]

Agreed. I made $86,000 last year as an LPN and over $90K the year before. My base before differential is 56K, plus differential ranging from 10%-35% and the occasional OT or per diem shift elsewhere (all things my RN friends are doing as well). It depends on where you live and what you are doing. My sister is an LPN as well and makes over $100K a year. Come to Massachusetts....they literally will beg you to work everywhere...seriously I get calls all day!

[chynesetiger]

I've been a LVN in CA (LPN everywhere except CA and Texas) for 9 years now and it truly depends on location and where you work in regards to earning -- LVNs in southern CA can make up to the max of $25-26/hr but starting can be as low as $16-18 ...northern CA they make slightly more but the maximum is still about the same

LVN can give great experience to bridge to RN but new grad jobs as LVN are very hard to find

When I went to school for nursing I had no clue what I was in for -- it's a very hard rewarding field -- plus I'm the type of student that learns better hands on than through a book so I chose to be a CNA first to see if I can handle the everyday tasks of cleaning up patients then I chose to go to LVN where you learned to think outside the box-you utilize your critical thinking skills --

i would recommend you research nursing further -- if you want to be a LPN first it's not worth the one year of not working you are better of doing two years because of the job market you have better odds now finding work as new grad RN than LPN/LVN

depending on where you get hired you can start low in RN pay that's due to lack of experience we all have to start at the bottom

some places may give you more than starting average I think it's $28-30 now but you can't be greedy and you can't just be in nursing for the $$ -- you work hard for your money and work hard for your license and everything you do you have to be careful you don't jeopardize your license

good luck