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Any LPNs or LVNs? Nursing start....

4K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  erinalexmom 
#1 ·
So I've worked in a hospital for the past 9 years. I started out as a temporary employee in coding and worked my way up in different departments. Unit Clerk in the ER, Lab Assistant in the Blood Bank, Research Assistant I and II and now I am a Research Coordinator. Its a good job but its not the safest job. If you're not enrolling patients you're not making money and no money means job cuts for everyone. Alittle nerve wracking right? The biggest drawback is I don't have a college degree and the odds of my scoring another position is slim to none esp since its such a small niche.

I was thinking of going back to school for LPN. Its mostly a one year program though the technical schools can charge through the nose, $20,000 - 30,000! I know what they start off at and its a few dollars more than what I currently make now. The big guestion of course is can I go to school and still hold my current job etc. I like the fact that I can take it somewhere else if I want to, plus I've actually accomplished SOMETHING.

Alittle advice from people who've been there. Do you like your career, the work it entails etc. I'm nearly 40 years old and I forgot to go to college.....or even tech school and I regret it.
 
#2 ·
I'm a Registered Nurse. I would advise you to go through an ADN program and get your RN if there was any way possible to do that. It will involve another year of school, but the end results will soon make up the difference. I don't know your area, but here, LVN's make about half of what a new RN makes and except for certain assessments and certain drug administrations, do essentially the same work. I know they become very frustrated working just as hard as the RN for half the pay. Additionally, 40 isn't old in our workforce and with your RN, you can advance whereas with the LVN, there will be few and far chances for advancement. Because of the RN shortage, you may find more grants and things available. Check with Johnson and Johnson. They used to have a big program for nurses.
As for working...well, with either program that is going to be hard to do. I seriously doubt you will be able to keep any type of FT job. Maybe weekends. The curriculum for either is rugged and on top of that, you have clinical hours you have to put in. One thing many students do is work and take all of their advance classes, i.e., English, history, etc. for a year and then enter the ADN program with only their nursing hours to complete. Some courses can be taken online. I don't think there would be any available online courses for a new nursing student. If you want to discuss, feel free to PM.
 
#3 ·
I am also an RN and I totally agree with Suebee. See if your hospital will pay for you to go to nursing school. Also that is a RIDICULOUS price to pay for your LPN. There are masters of nursing programs which are less than $30,000. I obtained my LPN prior to my RN and I worked fulltime while going to school fulltime. It was really rough and I was really really tired but it can be done. I went thru an RN program (ADN) which I was able to test out of all of my classes (Excelsior University). The only reason I went for my RN is because I got tired of doing all the work of an RN and being paid LPN wages. Feel free to PM me with questions.
 
#4 ·
If I had to do it all over again. I would have obtained work at a hospital as a nurses aide and allowed them to pay for my LPN. I would have gone thru one of those hospital work + study programs the type where you work on the weekends and during school breaks and go to school the remainder amount of time. I would then have worked off my obligation to the hospital upon completion of my LPN. Then I would have gone to Excelsior for my RN and tested out of my classes. Then I would have immediately gone on for my Bachelors in Nursing allowing the hospital which I was employed with to pay for it.
So in three to four years I would have had my Bachelors in Nursing with no debt.
 
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#5 ·
I think you're discounting that your current job skills are very transferable. You have broad experience in medical office work. If you lost your job in the hospital, you probably could work just about anywhere - a lab, an ambulance company, a dental office, a nursing home, a medical office, a clinic or even a medical supply house. Plus you could work in just about any office, even if it wasn't medical.

Do you WANT to become a nurse? Is patient contact what you have always dreamed of doing? When you were a little girl, what did you hope to be when you grew up? If it was nursing, then it is time to get your degree - and I mean RN. If it was something else, then follow your dream. If you have to go back to college to do it, then it will be money well spent. But to just go to college and be deeper in debt because you might be able to find work easier or earn a little bit more, isn't a good idea.

BTW, you have accomplished TONS in your life! You don't have to go to college to be accomplished.
 
#6 ·
I think they are right, go for your RN.

I went backwards though lol I was 3 years in of a 4 year BScN RN degree and realized I didn't have the nerves/too young to be in charge if people's lives. So I used my partial degree to work as a LPN equivalent. Worked in nursing homes and home care (special needs kids and palliative). I really enjoyed the work but the wages are shit for lpns. Get your RN.

Age is on your side, actually. Half my problem was I was 20 when I quit school. Way too young to take on a job like that. Now, I think I would really enjoy being an RN.
 
#7 ·
I agree with everyone here. Here in my part of Va, new LPNs pretty much work in nursing homes. I'm a RN in a hospital and we don't hire LPNs anymore. Hospital nursing is exhausting at times, but pays well. Fortunately, there are different job opportunities for RNs.
 
#8 ·
Now larabelle has a some really good thoughts. Some hospitals have a RN work study program. The only problem I see with going the LPN route in larabelle's scenario is taht so often people get used to a salary, don't feel they can give it up, or life simply gets in the way.
And yeah...I didn't even comment on the $20-$30K for the LVN program. That's beyond absurd.
Nursing is tough duty - school and practice. Nobody will deny that, but one of the advantages you have going into this at 40 is that it will be a second career for you. By the time you start feeling the burn-out (and you will), you will be looking at retirement. Those that started at age 20-21, now in their 50's...well, you know what I mean.
 
#9 ·
I am an RN, and I agree with the others about NOT going for your LPN. If at all possible, go straight to RN. Also, do not pay $20K to make only a little more per hour.

I'd also like to point out that because of the economy, there is NO nursing shortage right now in most areas. There will likely be in the future, but there is not right now. New grads are having trouble finding work. Because there's actually a glut of nurses, employers can afford to be very picky. So much so, that in the hospital system I'm at, they won't even interview you unless you have a BSN or are at least admitted to a bachelors program. My sis is an RN in a different part of the country, and it's impossible to change fields there because nobody is willing to hire someone who does not have specific experience.
 
#10 ·
I agree that the shortage isn't as acute as it was and I no longer see 10 pages of ads for nurses, but in many parts of the country, the shortage remains. This is in part due to nursing faculty shortages as well as the aging of the nursing population with the baby boomers entering retirement ages. Someone can soon take my place, I hope. :)
Local hospitals prefer the BSN but accept ADN. LVN's have a hard time finding work here other than nursing homes and even that is changing. Most hospitals offer educational assistance to allow the ADN grad to complete the BSN (which can often be done online for experienced nurses).

This is an interesting article. Gives a lot of info.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Nursing Shortage

This site shows the shortages per 100,000 population as of 2011.
States with nursing shortages - Nurse shortage | Nursing scholarships, male nursing grants,Nursing Scholarships, Nursing grants,Male Nursing Scholarships

I think the poor economy has helped to decrease the predicted shortage but I don't see it going away anytime soon.
 
#11 ·
Oh thanks so much for the advice all, much appreciated. I work with RNs and I do get the pay grade differences but I forgot to add that the wait lists to get into the RN programs is 2-3 years long where an LPN program is no wait. Here in Michigan when the auto industry tanked and people who were out of work got free tuition they were all encouraged to go into nursing/medical field.

I don't understand how they can charge so much for a trade school either. I did find a program through one of the universitys that was much cheaper but 1.5 hours away from my home. Its alittle frustrating. Things have settled down at my job considerably right now so I am where I am. I do enjoy patient care and contact. I get some of it in my current position. Also my hospital doesn't have any kind of training/school program. They do tuition reimbursement $2000 a year so thats a good perk.
 
#13 ·
Oh thanks so much for the advice all, much appreciated. I work with RNs and I do get the pay grade differences but I forgot to add that the wait lists to get into the RN programs is 2-3 years long where an LPN program is no wait.
That is the exact reason why I obtained my LPN prior to my RN. At the time there was a 2 year wait for the RN programs. For my LPN there were only 30 openings and I was placed on a waiting list, I was number 31 on the waiting list. Despite that...I was accepted the same year I applied. God is good!!
 
#12 ·
Well, it does look like you're in sort of a pickle with the distance/cost factor/wait factor. In that case, perhaps the LVN program would work best for you. I understand that sometimes we've just got to make the best of what we have available.

Although things have settled down in your job right now, I would still encourage you to prepare yourself for the future by increasing your marketability. I wish I had taken my own advice years back. I was in the MSN program for a year, with only a year remaining, was tired of school, dropped out thinking I would take a year off and do I need to tell you the rest of the story? :( And actually, I had finished the hardest courses. :beat:

Here is a link to one of the best sites for nurses that I know of. Lots of good, general information from nurses all over the country. Gives you the good, the bad, the ugly of the profession, info on education, etc. As you take time to decide on your course of action, you may want to spend some time looking around here...

Nurses / General Nursing / Nursing Scrubs
 
#14 ·
But you never answered ... is this something you really want to do? Is this your childhood dream?

If it isn't, then go to college and spend mega bucks doing that. Otherwise you're just wasting your time.
 
#17 ·
----

I'm a nurse. I get tired of people acting like you should only be a nurse if it's been your lifelong calling since you were a child. There are a lot of reasons to go into nursing, and you can be a good nurse without having dreamed of it since you were born.

I went to nursing school when I was in my 30s. I chose nursing because I was just through a divorce with no way to support myself and DD and felt nursing was a good way to get a decent income without having to spend 4 years in college (of course I didn't realize at the time that with pre-reqs, that the 2 year degree actually takes 3.... anyway...). Yes, I had an interest in medicine, but I had interests in other areas too. I'm a darned good nurse, by the way. I'm the one that management throws the most difficult patients to, the one that is brought in to pick up the pieces when another nurse pisses off the patient.

It's ok to go to nursing school because you think the job and the lifestyle fit your goals, even if you don't live to wipe butts or to just serve others. You can be a good nurse and not live for your job. I enjoy my job a good part of the time (I am very fortunate to be in a specialty that I enjoy). But what I really go to work every day for is for those 4 days off every week to spend with my family, and for that paycheck that allows me to be comfortable and have some fun on those days off.

Ok, done ranting. My point is that if you think you would enjoy nursing, even if you don't think it's your calling in life, don't let other nursing zealots tell you it's a waste of your time. But do realize that the market isn't great right now in much of the country as far as finding jobs, and realize that a lot of nursing is really hard and back-breaking work. But so what... a lot of people do back-breaking work for a lot less reward.
 
#15 ·
Oh sorry, no I do like nursing. I like patient care, have I always dreamed of it since I was a girl? No, I was going to live by myself, have a horse and a dog. Never get married and never have kids....lol. Things change, I could obtain my LPN, I've seen job openings for Research LPNS, though research IS such a niche. I could always go on to obtain my RN later. A guy I worked with in the ER went that route and so I was thinking. Ugh - we'll see. I'm so on the fence.
 
#18 ·
Swirly, I never referred to nursing as an "only". All I'm saying is that if ... at this stage in life ... she is going to sink so much time and money into college, she should give herself permission to live her dreams.
 
#19 ·
Hear!! Hear!! SwirlyThing!

You expressed my sentiments exactly. My job as a nurse is just that. My job. I enjoyed the science and physiology of nursing. I enjoyed the flexibility in staffing although I didn't enjoy the holidays and weekends back in my earlier years. I enjoyed being a contributor in allowing a person to go from a state of illness/injury to their own best state of wellness and healing.

I never had any illusions about nursing being a "calling." I didn't dream of it as a little girl. I've never been the pillow-plumping, ice water carrying type of nurse. Not saying I didn't do my fair share of pillow-plumping, but my goal was to give a patient what they and their body needed to recover and lead a productive life.

Not meaning to sound completely harsh, CL as I think your thoughts are typical of many when you say something about "wasting time" if nursing isn't a "childhood dream." That is an old view of nursing when a nurse was thought to be nothing more than a "help mate" to a doctor. That is not even remotely the case in this day and age. Moreover, with the current state of the healthcare system in the US, I think all of us may find nurses and their educational backgrounds increasingly valuable. Their responsibility is going to sky rocket, I predict.
 
#20 ·
I would like to stand up in defense of all LPN's. IF there is only 1 yr you can take off from working income, 1 yr off from family life, you have the ambition to serve, Practical Nursing is rewarding, challenging, work. In my area, LPN's work as geriactric nurses in retirement homes, assisted living & nursing homes, clinics, home health, a large school corporation near me has just started hiring LPN's as school nurses, Planned Parenthood, CNA instructors, & our career center hires LPN's for instructors for their CNA program, adult day care programs & Hospice. I will say when my Dad was in the hosp, 2 yrs ago, a LPN was his nurse. She said they have a LPN on each floor for each shift. Do not shy away from going to school because of it's driving distance. I drove 1hr & 10 minutes 1 way & in bad weather, I left home over 2 hrs early. Because of the packed schedule of a LPN full time student, be prepared for a busy busy year. RN's make around 3-8$ more a hr in my area. I had only 1 yr to give for study. I've never regretted my decision. Good Luck to you.
 
#21 ·
Ali Lee, I certainly hope you don't think I - or any of us I would hope - meant to bash LVN's in any way. None. Zero. Zip. And yes, you are absolutely correct in that sometimes cost and time factors are the things that influence the course of study. I started in an AD program and as circumstances would have it, I became widowed with a small insurance policy and decided to use that to get my BSN. Otherwise, I would probably either still be working with the ADN or would have had to struggle to get the BSN.

When I was in school and a fresh new grad (dark ages, again), LVN's were common place on the unit floors and I have to admit, my "in the trenches education" was provided by some extremely good, skilled, and organized and knowledgeable LVN's. More than once in those early days an LVN tossed me a life preserver.

The only issue I see now is that LVN's are being phased out in many hospitals leaving them with fewer work place choices. Apparently in your area there are more employment opportunities for LVN's. And the pay. The LVN's I know have expressed frustration regarding pay scales when they are putting in the same hours, taking care of the same patients, doing the same things as an RN with few exceptions, for significantly decreased salaries. Those are the reasons I would always recommend someone get at least an ADN if at all possible. But no, no intent to bash LVN's. I do applaud you, tho', for "standing up in defense of all LPN's."
 
#22 ·
I have been an LVN for over 20 years and that is entirely by choice. I make as much now as new RN's. I've worked home health for about 20 years and I love it, but seeing the RNs who work in my field, I know I would not enjoy being an RN in home health. They have much more paperwork and are on call throughout the week, while I do on call every 4th or 5th weekend. Plus they are salaried, while I am hourly and am able to make time and a half when I work overtime. I'm not sure how it is where you live, but here in Texas the LVNs do many of the same thing RNs do-- I.V.s, wound care, patient assessments,etc. The only difference remains in the managerial aspect, for which there is more paperwork. Granted, I make about $10,000 less a year than experienced RNs, but at this point, I don't believe going back to school and spending the money for my ADN or BSN would benefit me, at least not until I'd worked as an RN for a few years. Eventually, I may get my RN, but I really don't feel rushed to do so.

Ultimately, it really depends on how much time and money you are able to spend for schooling at this time AND the need for LVNs and RNs in your area. Whichever you choose to do, I wish you luck. :)
 
#23 ·
I am an LPN. I LOVE it! I work in home health. I take care of children with special needs while thier parents get a break. Its all paid for by medicaide. I am happy to go to work and I am just as happy when I leave. I know the parents care for the children and they will get great car when I go home too. I have worked there for 3 years. I worked in a hospital for 6 years. I loved it at the time. But now I have kids of my own. I could go back and get my RN but I don't see the point for myself personally because I am happy and I don't want to do the paperwork the RN's do and in our company they really don't make a while lot more than me.
I just want to go to work, love on those kids,listen to the parents and try to help them through thier struggles. Then go home,forget about it and focus on my family and love on my own kids. I have been accused of not being ambitious. But I am just content. :) But many people in our world don't know contentment and dont recognize it when they see it.
Now I will say that if you want to work in a hospital then RN is the way to go because they will all eventually weed out LPN's.
 
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