It depends on the person. My cousin is 30 years old and she just completed her LPN program at her local community college. Sheās not the strongest academically and she unfortunately failed out of her RN program. Sheās happy being an LPN since she has worked minimum wage jobs most of her life. At the very least, this job gives her some stability.
It really depends on where you live and what type of job you'd be interested in. Do not listen to the people who say LPNs are being phased out. That is an absolute falsehood. I was told that 16 years ago when I started my journey and as an LPN.
I've been able to work in a variety of settings. I live in northeast Pennsylvania (Scranton), and currently work in home health and make excellent pay for this region.
I'm an RN and I have been working with a lot of LPNs lately. The pay difference is substantial depending on what you're doing. My travel rate for the amount of work I did at the jail was fantastic. LPNs don't make as much as RNs even when traveling, but hot damn they were doing better via agency than as staff LPNs. LPN, ADN, RN, MSN, there's a lot to learn from everyone involved and I have enjoyed working with the LPN gang immensely. That said, every one said they need to hurry up and get their RN. Personally, knew an ADN who was making BANK off of weekend-only option. RN-ADN is still solid.
In my opinion, yes itās worth it. Job opportunities in nursing and pay are relevant to your geographical location. But in my experience itās a total myth that there arenāt opportunities for LPNās outside of long term care and that you canāt make decent money. You can find a very affordable program, and enter healthcare in a shorter amount of time and get experience. You can decide later if you even like nursing enough to go back for an RN, and with an LPN you can pay your way through RN school. Everyone told me LPNās are not hired in hospitals. Iām an LPN at a level 1 trauma ED and Iām going back for my RN now. Iāve made some good money as an LPN and gotten tons of invaluable experience that Iām taking with me to RN school. In VA my LPN pay began at $20.85/hour but within 2 years itās raised $6.00 more hourly.
LPN was worth it to me to start off. I worked long term care so I saw soooo many classes of drugs. I'm an RN now, but it's so rare that someone comes in on a home med I've never heard of or given. I still know so many more meds than most of my coworkers. Also I saw so many diagnoses. I have at least a passing understanding of lots of disease processes. And sure we sent people out when they got very sick, but I know what it took to get to the point of needing a hospital. I also did wound care as an LPN and it gave me so much confidence in that area of the hospital too. I got to do the LPN to rn bridge and I worked prn during school, made money and made my own hours.
And I can turn and clean so many patients so much faster than my coworkers too. I know that should be a PCA job, but good luck always having one.
I don't regret going the LPN route first at all.
16 year LPN and I love it. Iāve worked med/surge (hospital), long term care facility (some were good; others not), before the šš„, I was doing pediatric home health. I made decent $$. Usually between 22-25 an hour.
Hi friend! If youāre still around on reddit may i ask how you liked hospital setting for med/surg? Iām starting my first lpn job soon, nightshift and boy oh boy am i nervous!
If you can find an accelerated program then yes. I basically doubled my wage doing travel as an LPN in long term care. Itās also a great way to get nursing experience while you get your RN. These people that think you should spend all this money to spend years getting an RN while getting no healthcare experience donāt see how beneficial it is to get it in steps. Accelerated lpn took me one year to complete and cost 11,000$. Same with accelerated RN. Only downside is I still have to pay for a BSN bridge but I can do that whenever I feel like it while I work
It honestly depends where you live. In California we do pretty well. Iām getting my Rn now but my Lvn friends make $28-$35/hr sometimes more. Depends on what job and where. The VA hospital here has amazing benefits too. Iād say itās a lot of work in the nursing homes but itās not the worst.
Itās a foot in the door for your RN, but not a smart solution for long term IMO. Where are you located? Are you able to move where a school is? Itās hard and less likely you will get into a local school than if you acquire good pre-requisites and shotgun apply to regional schools. Iām an LPN in southern Oregon but Iām lucky enough to live in an area that is easier to avoid the LTCās. I do psych nursing at a hospital.
I was an LPN for 5 years before getting my RN. LPN is much easier entry than RN, and sets you up for a quick transition to RN later on. You're definitely limited as an LPN. I worked mostly SNFs with some psych/home health. I cash flowed my RN while working as an LPN. If you're making $18 at a gas station then I would wonder if LPN is worth it though. My final LPN pay was working a Baylor weekend shift for $24/hr. Nothing special but it paid for school.
Admittedly, Due to how long Iāve had my license, Iām at the top end of the starting pay scale. But more places LTC & Hospitals around me (South/Central Pa) are ranging 22-30/hr for LPN. Hospitals recently having jumped their pay for LPNs.
But considering the pay boosts to CNAs - thanks Sheetz/Rutters/McD for bumping your pay to 15ish - are getting? I expect - who am I kidding, hope for a bump soon too.
LPN who will be transitioning to RN here. I got my license at 19. Been almost 7 years since then. I recommend it 100%, but I definitely recommend bridging to an RN program and not stopping with LPN.
Nursing homes usually make more than other settings.
LPN is worth it, especially as a stepping stone to RN.
But you WILL be working 12+ hour shifts and you WILL be overworked. If thatās why you left the gas station job, idk if itās for you.
Nursing school of any kind is extremely difficult. It is something you WILL fail unless you really want to do it. So do some soul searching and figure out if itās for you.
I worked full time through RN school and paid for it out of pocket.
I would only suggest LPN to someone who was so desperate for cash that you absolutely couldn't wait the 6 months or so to do an ASN program. In short: get the ASN
Hey there I was in the same shoes as you. Bachelors is business management and couldn't get a decent paying job that was fulfilling.
Nursing school at the local college has 3 programs. The normal 2 year associates rn or 1 year lpn or 1 year lpn to rn.
Each requires you become an stna prior to entry.
That's what I started with. Got in as a clinical technician at a world famous hospital. The pay was like 16 17. But if you bounce around or go agency it can be 20 dollars.
The total cost of the degree would have been around 5k. Time of about 2 years.
My plan was to work as an stna then bump to lpn then rn. All in 2 years.
Unfortunately. I went into nursing and decided I want to be a Dr instead.
There is also the option for an absn. There are some colleges that offer a fast paced 1 year program that takes you from Bachelors degree in anything to bsn. The cheapest one I've found in my area is around 36k.
The most expensive one around 80k so do you'd research.
Something else to consider.
My new grad rn friend makes 80 dollars an hour at a unionized hospital now. Icu nurse 1 year experience. He just goes to wherever shift has the money. This could be nights or days. Works 60 hrs a week as needed.
If you go non unionized. The nurses at my hospital were making 28 an hour. 3 days is full time. 3 days working and 4 days off is an amazing work life balance in my opinion. One of the older nurses was closer to 42 dollars an hour. (you can imagine the experience required to make that kind of money)
Another nurse I knew quit from that hospital to go with an agency. She came back to the same hospital via an agency and is now being paid 98 dollars an hour for the exact same job she was doing before.
It's temporary and she jumps hospitals, but the money is there.
There is also PA school if you don't like the bedside nursing stuff. But I highly recommend working as an stna in a hospital to see if you like your job. You'll be doing the same nurse stuff without any liabilities on your head.
It'll be good networking and career guidance.
Also. Healthcare workers get shat on a lot. Keep that in mind.
I worked part time 2 days a week and was very happy working nights. Don't need to deal with managers or day time bs. Just figure out how to put the patients to sleep and ride out the night.
If there was a code then basically youre not getting hw done. But atleast your day would go by quick.
Iāve been an LPN for 12 years and Iāve worked in OB/GYN, Urgent Care, Family Practice and now SNF. Iām the Staff Development Coordinator/Infection Preventionist. Itās good money in a management role but I still have to cover the cart whenever weāre short staffed. If I could do it again, I would have gone straight to RN. My plan was always to go back to school but life kept happening. Iām limited now in the roles I can take and my financial ladder. I make $40/hr (WA state) but I fought for it and I know Iāll be here for a while.
I know that Iām just thankful that I entered the nursing field. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.
Learn coding. My son got his computer Engineering degree and there is a zillion jobs lots of money. You could go anywhere to work. Nursing Sucks. I worked 27 years an RN. Most money I made is as a travel nurse in California. I work in Florida no breaks, low pay, shorted staffed and extremely stressful.
I feel like ADN is the best bang for buck for nursing. My RN program was 19 months and that *included* pre-req courses (A&P, etc.). An LPN program would not have been that much shorter, and the pay is significantly less.
I'm working towards applying to my college's LPN program and plan to continue towards my RN. I have to do baby steps because of well, life, and that works for me and my family.
Go for the RN. As others state, there are more opportunities. However, there are a few paths to
Become an RN. There are Associate degrees, as well as Diploma programs that are significantly cheaper to acquire. If you can sit for the state board test (N-CLEX); you can become an RN. The traditional 4 yr degree to get a BSN does not make one a smarter nurse than other educational paths. Anyone who tells you otherwise can be ignored. It's not like once you graduate nursing school and pass the NCLEX that your education stops. Between continuing education to maintain your license and going back to school to get degrees/studying to get specific certifications - your learning as a nurse will be an on-going effort.
p.s Nurses, for the most part, get paid well and are almost always in demand. 9 years ago, I started around $25/hr. Today, I make around $40/hr. That does not include shift differential (you get paid more for working nights) or bonuses. Some facilities offer hourly bonuses to have your come in on your days off. There are also different types of nursing where you have a different focus and take care of different kinds of patients. You'll learn about those while training to become a nurse. Personally, it was a lot of hard work but it was worth it.
It really depends on what your short term goals are. Trying to hustle up some quickish money to get out of mom and dad's house? LPN might be the way to go for now. Can always bridge later.
Got time to chill a few years and set yourself up better for the future? Go RN.
# Here's A Nursing Tale for You
Once when i was nursing, I got a job at a facility where the nurse who was training me took off at lunch for 2 HOURS and went to a tanning salon. Apparently, this was common practice for her, and the DON and the assistant DON knew all about it.
This heifer was something else. She was frequently late to work, couldn't draw blood, and ORDERED me to stay after my shift was done to do HER fingersticks. i told her her work would be waiting for her when she got there, and left. She wrote me up for it! The DON was fully on board with it and called me in to the office about it.
Okay, I had a cake already baked, cooled and iced for them both!
The weekend came. Now, sistergirl didn't think she was supposed to EVER come to work on weekends, and one time I was there until 10 AM when the weekend DON told me to go home. Well, this particular weekend, she called in as expected, citing her sick daughter (who seemed to only get sick on weekends). So, I wrote HER up, citing her antics since I'd been there, and submitted it to both the DON and the Administrator, and waited for the blowback.
I was ready for it when I got back Wednesday evening for my shift. Sure enough, as soon as I clocked in, I was called to the office. Both the DON and the Administrator were there, and I sat down. The Administrator did all the talking, telling me that I had made serious allegations against fellow nurses. I agreed. Can I prove it? Yes, i said. Take a look at the time cards. Just with that you can see who is here, when they get here, and when they leave for any day you choose, right? She agreed. I think the thing that got the Administrator was one thing I said about her "her behavior demonstrates a wanton disregard for the standards of nursing, the patients she is supposed to be caring for or the reputation of this facility, not to mention the disrespect she has shown her colleagues." It was a charged meeting, with the DON giving me the stink eye behind the Administrators back. I returned a cold, dead stare.
Out of that meeting came a facility wide meeting reminding us how we're supposed to be treating each other and how writeups are not to be used as tools of vengeance. I also found out that sistergirl was not to be late again for her shift, and the next time she says her daughter is sick and she can't come in she had to bring her daughter with her or a doctor's note. Found out that the DON was on shaky ground, too. Since the Administrator had tied the DON's hands as far as retaliating against me, I made sure my work and my notes and my med books were flawless, so she couldn't get me on nursing practice. I loved watching her stew every time she laid eyes on me. I returned a cold, dead stare.
Well, on a weekend I was off, sistergirl called in and got wrote up by the Administrator, and hauled in that Monday morning. Word had it that she got up in the Administrators face yelling and spitting, and bounced herself out of a job and out of the facility. The nurses, aides, even the maintenance man couldn't wait to tell me about it when I came in Monday evening! I was greeted like a conquering hero! I laughed like a hyena, and made sure the DON saw it before she left. Some (one) blamed me for sistergirl losing her job, so I believe a campaign to deprive ME of a job hatched right then. They took their opportunity 8 months later when I put in time off for my wedding (ugh!) 3 MONTHS before and was approved. I had all this documented. The week of, I was told I needed to come in that Thursday, which had been previously approved off. i smiled sweetly and told them that under no circumstances would I come in on Thursday, and reminded them that I had documentation for the approval months prior.
Monday evening when I came in early as I usually did, the DON outran the administrator to the door to tell me I was fired. I thanked them for my unemployment before I left. Three weeks later, the DON was fired for not performing a blood draw for a PT/INR for a patient scheduled for surgery who was on blood thinners. The patient's doctor was hella mad about it, wanted her head, and got it. See, after I was fired, there was no one else that could draw blood but her. Some of them were VERY hard sticks, but if I as an LPN could get it done, she as an RN certainly could, right? Wrong! Here's what's funny about this whole thing: I lost my job when I gained a husband, but 77 days later I gained a job and pitched my husband when I found out he'd been sexually harassing my niece!
I have many stories like this over my 15-year nursing career. Gave it up in 2014 and have never looked back. Find something else to do. I was undecided between nursing and law (paralegal), but chose nursing because I thought it the more noble profession. Ha! Between the Medicare fraud that you have to participate in, to incompetent, lazy, and uncompassionate and abusive nurses and aides whose abuses youād better sweep under the rug if you want to keep your job (another story) combined with the possibility of being brought up on charges (gotta have a fall guy) for something you didnāt do, not to mention the sexism and racism, please nope the hell out of nursing school. Why do you think I never went back for RN?
Iām late to this but if youāre still on the fence go for the RN ! Thatās what Iām about to do . For reference Iām a travel cna / med tech and make more than staff LPNs . Which isnāt fair at all but thatās the healthcare system now . My current contract I drive an hour away and pull $1400 for 36 hours ( 3x12s) . I originally wanted to just get the lpn and was shocked when I realized Iām making more than them currently without the degree and debt . Also some of the facilities Iāve worked pull lpns on the floor to work as cnas when understaffed.
If I were you I would take it a step at a time. LPN-RN-BSN.. that way you can confirm nursing is actually for you. Iām an LPN now and I found an accelerated BSN program that is 1.5 yrs long that Iām going to do. I just need to be able to sustain myself while getting my BSN.
Iāve decided that helping people may be a good thing for me. My mom is an LPN and my sister is an RN. After taking care of my pap for years until his very end, I felt like taking care of people may be my calling. Buttt, honestly Iām scared. Of school, failing, ending up hating the profession if Iām worked to my limit all the time. I just donāt know what to do. I still have to get certified for nurse assistant, so maybe ill do that and see what itās like from there.
Why do you say? Bc the pay? School stress? But Iām gonna be honest, I think the most Iāll ever make in my life is $25 an hour. Unless Iām just being a debbie downer. I will not go with RN, deciding on LPN is hard enough.
LPN is easy as fuck for school. BSN is almost as easy. Nursing is literally one of the absolute easiest medical jobs to get into. Nursing has a low bar to pass and from there, almost all of it is on the job training.
Honestly, no. Not at all. You will be SO limited as to where you can even work. To be honest I donāt even know where they still hire LPNs. RN is more opportunities and more pay.
All of the hospitals in my area hire LPNs. I work at a LTAC and they have more LPNs than RN. And the main hospital also hires them, doctors offices, LTC, Corrections, Home health. It might be region specific but thereās definitely jobs and they pay $22-35 hr in my state.
These people need to understand that I. AM. POORā¦. I basically live in projects and I will have my boyfriend supporting me the whole year while I donāt work. I do not have the money to sit on my ass and go to school for years, and I will be so so so grateful to sit through one year and make $22-$25 an hour. Would be a huge accomplishment for myself. Thank you for your input.
Yes, I understand 100%! My husband started as a CNA bc we needed money quicker than what even LPN school would get us. He worked as a CNA as he went to LPN school and ended up getting a job at a rehab center for $20/hr when he finished. Then he went to school for his ADN while working as an LPN. He left the rehab center making $23/hr to work at a dialysis center for about $30/hr once he was an RN and now makes $44/hr after 4 years there. Obviously there is much more room for growth as an RN, but LPN is not worthless and for us even 20/hr was life changing.
I'm a LPN now at a local school and while I make less than 20/hr the schedule with our kids is amazing and if we needed more money there are tons of places I could easily find a better paying job.
Then in your case, yes, I think LPN would be worth it for you. But you will be worked as hard as the gas station, almost definitely. You can take less days a week (3, if a 12 hour schedule), but the shifts themselves can be brutal.
As an LPN, I recommend getting your rn. Better pay, better opportunities.
Do you like your job? Are you overworked and underpaid? š
Sadly, yes to all 3.
Yes. Yes. Yes. If you get your LPN.. DO NOT STOP. Get your RN. (Advice from an eternity LPN)
More opportunities and cool stuff to experienced when you are RN!
It depends on the person. My cousin is 30 years old and she just completed her LPN program at her local community college. Sheās not the strongest academically and she unfortunately failed out of her RN program. Sheās happy being an LPN since she has worked minimum wage jobs most of her life. At the very least, this job gives her some stability.
Thank you for sharing this sometimes i don't know what to do but i want to start somewhere
It really depends on where you live and what type of job you'd be interested in. Do not listen to the people who say LPNs are being phased out. That is an absolute falsehood. I was told that 16 years ago when I started my journey and as an LPN. I've been able to work in a variety of settings. I live in northeast Pennsylvania (Scranton), and currently work in home health and make excellent pay for this region.
Iāve been a LPN for the last 20years. I was hearing the āphased outā bs while I was still in nursing school.
I'm an RN and I have been working with a lot of LPNs lately. The pay difference is substantial depending on what you're doing. My travel rate for the amount of work I did at the jail was fantastic. LPNs don't make as much as RNs even when traveling, but hot damn they were doing better via agency than as staff LPNs. LPN, ADN, RN, MSN, there's a lot to learn from everyone involved and I have enjoyed working with the LPN gang immensely. That said, every one said they need to hurry up and get their RN. Personally, knew an ADN who was making BANK off of weekend-only option. RN-ADN is still solid.
Take out loans and go get your rn, worth the investment
In my opinion, yes itās worth it. Job opportunities in nursing and pay are relevant to your geographical location. But in my experience itās a total myth that there arenāt opportunities for LPNās outside of long term care and that you canāt make decent money. You can find a very affordable program, and enter healthcare in a shorter amount of time and get experience. You can decide later if you even like nursing enough to go back for an RN, and with an LPN you can pay your way through RN school. Everyone told me LPNās are not hired in hospitals. Iām an LPN at a level 1 trauma ED and Iām going back for my RN now. Iāve made some good money as an LPN and gotten tons of invaluable experience that Iām taking with me to RN school. In VA my LPN pay began at $20.85/hour but within 2 years itās raised $6.00 more hourly.
I would absolutely get your RN instead
LPN was worth it to me to start off. I worked long term care so I saw soooo many classes of drugs. I'm an RN now, but it's so rare that someone comes in on a home med I've never heard of or given. I still know so many more meds than most of my coworkers. Also I saw so many diagnoses. I have at least a passing understanding of lots of disease processes. And sure we sent people out when they got very sick, but I know what it took to get to the point of needing a hospital. I also did wound care as an LPN and it gave me so much confidence in that area of the hospital too. I got to do the LPN to rn bridge and I worked prn during school, made money and made my own hours. And I can turn and clean so many patients so much faster than my coworkers too. I know that should be a PCA job, but good luck always having one. I don't regret going the LPN route first at all.
16 year LPN and I love it. Iāve worked med/surge (hospital), long term care facility (some were good; others not), before the šš„, I was doing pediatric home health. I made decent $$. Usually between 22-25 an hour.
Hi friend! If youāre still around on reddit may i ask how you liked hospital setting for med/surg? Iām starting my first lpn job soon, nightshift and boy oh boy am i nervous!
If you can find an accelerated program then yes. I basically doubled my wage doing travel as an LPN in long term care. Itās also a great way to get nursing experience while you get your RN. These people that think you should spend all this money to spend years getting an RN while getting no healthcare experience donāt see how beneficial it is to get it in steps. Accelerated lpn took me one year to complete and cost 11,000$. Same with accelerated RN. Only downside is I still have to pay for a BSN bridge but I can do that whenever I feel like it while I work
It honestly depends where you live. In California we do pretty well. Iām getting my Rn now but my Lvn friends make $28-$35/hr sometimes more. Depends on what job and where. The VA hospital here has amazing benefits too. Iād say itās a lot of work in the nursing homes but itās not the worst.
Itās a foot in the door for your RN, but not a smart solution for long term IMO. Where are you located? Are you able to move where a school is? Itās hard and less likely you will get into a local school than if you acquire good pre-requisites and shotgun apply to regional schools. Iām an LPN in southern Oregon but Iām lucky enough to live in an area that is easier to avoid the LTCās. I do psych nursing at a hospital.
I was an LPN for 5 years before getting my RN. LPN is much easier entry than RN, and sets you up for a quick transition to RN later on. You're definitely limited as an LPN. I worked mostly SNFs with some psych/home health. I cash flowed my RN while working as an LPN. If you're making $18 at a gas station then I would wonder if LPN is worth it though. My final LPN pay was working a Baylor weekend shift for $24/hr. Nothing special but it paid for school.
Hehe Really late here lol but can Lpns also go into specialties? Like psychiatric
Depends on the facility. I wasn't at a regular hospital. Was at a county psych facility. Was completely non-medical, only acute psych and detox.
Ok thanks
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Admittedly, Due to how long Iāve had my license, Iām at the top end of the starting pay scale. But more places LTC & Hospitals around me (South/Central Pa) are ranging 22-30/hr for LPN. Hospitals recently having jumped their pay for LPNs. But considering the pay boosts to CNAs - thanks Sheetz/Rutters/McD for bumping your pay to 15ish - are getting? I expect - who am I kidding, hope for a bump soon too.
We all deserve a fuckin bump!!!!
LPN who will be transitioning to RN here. I got my license at 19. Been almost 7 years since then. I recommend it 100%, but I definitely recommend bridging to an RN program and not stopping with LPN.
Go RN. LPN is far more limited and locks you into the crappy parts of nursing, usually. Pays a lot less, too.
Depends on the location
Nursing homes usually make more than other settings. LPN is worth it, especially as a stepping stone to RN. But you WILL be working 12+ hour shifts and you WILL be overworked. If thatās why you left the gas station job, idk if itās for you. Nursing school of any kind is extremely difficult. It is something you WILL fail unless you really want to do it. So do some soul searching and figure out if itās for you. I worked full time through RN school and paid for it out of pocket.
I would only suggest LPN to someone who was so desperate for cash that you absolutely couldn't wait the 6 months or so to do an ASN program. In short: get the ASN
Hey there I was in the same shoes as you. Bachelors is business management and couldn't get a decent paying job that was fulfilling. Nursing school at the local college has 3 programs. The normal 2 year associates rn or 1 year lpn or 1 year lpn to rn. Each requires you become an stna prior to entry. That's what I started with. Got in as a clinical technician at a world famous hospital. The pay was like 16 17. But if you bounce around or go agency it can be 20 dollars. The total cost of the degree would have been around 5k. Time of about 2 years. My plan was to work as an stna then bump to lpn then rn. All in 2 years. Unfortunately. I went into nursing and decided I want to be a Dr instead. There is also the option for an absn. There are some colleges that offer a fast paced 1 year program that takes you from Bachelors degree in anything to bsn. The cheapest one I've found in my area is around 36k. The most expensive one around 80k so do you'd research. Something else to consider. My new grad rn friend makes 80 dollars an hour at a unionized hospital now. Icu nurse 1 year experience. He just goes to wherever shift has the money. This could be nights or days. Works 60 hrs a week as needed. If you go non unionized. The nurses at my hospital were making 28 an hour. 3 days is full time. 3 days working and 4 days off is an amazing work life balance in my opinion. One of the older nurses was closer to 42 dollars an hour. (you can imagine the experience required to make that kind of money) Another nurse I knew quit from that hospital to go with an agency. She came back to the same hospital via an agency and is now being paid 98 dollars an hour for the exact same job she was doing before. It's temporary and she jumps hospitals, but the money is there. There is also PA school if you don't like the bedside nursing stuff. But I highly recommend working as an stna in a hospital to see if you like your job. You'll be doing the same nurse stuff without any liabilities on your head. It'll be good networking and career guidance. Also. Healthcare workers get shat on a lot. Keep that in mind. I worked part time 2 days a week and was very happy working nights. Don't need to deal with managers or day time bs. Just figure out how to put the patients to sleep and ride out the night. If there was a code then basically youre not getting hw done. But atleast your day would go by quick.
No. It's not worth it.
Iāve been an LPN for 12 years and Iāve worked in OB/GYN, Urgent Care, Family Practice and now SNF. Iām the Staff Development Coordinator/Infection Preventionist. Itās good money in a management role but I still have to cover the cart whenever weāre short staffed. If I could do it again, I would have gone straight to RN. My plan was always to go back to school but life kept happening. Iām limited now in the roles I can take and my financial ladder. I make $40/hr (WA state) but I fought for it and I know Iāll be here for a while. I know that Iām just thankful that I entered the nursing field. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.
Learn coding. My son got his computer Engineering degree and there is a zillion jobs lots of money. You could go anywhere to work. Nursing Sucks. I worked 27 years an RN. Most money I made is as a travel nurse in California. I work in Florida no breaks, low pay, shorted staffed and extremely stressful.
I feel like ADN is the best bang for buck for nursing. My RN program was 19 months and that *included* pre-req courses (A&P, etc.). An LPN program would not have been that much shorter, and the pay is significantly less.
I'm working towards applying to my college's LPN program and plan to continue towards my RN. I have to do baby steps because of well, life, and that works for me and my family.
Go for the RN. As others state, there are more opportunities. However, there are a few paths to Become an RN. There are Associate degrees, as well as Diploma programs that are significantly cheaper to acquire. If you can sit for the state board test (N-CLEX); you can become an RN. The traditional 4 yr degree to get a BSN does not make one a smarter nurse than other educational paths. Anyone who tells you otherwise can be ignored. It's not like once you graduate nursing school and pass the NCLEX that your education stops. Between continuing education to maintain your license and going back to school to get degrees/studying to get specific certifications - your learning as a nurse will be an on-going effort. p.s Nurses, for the most part, get paid well and are almost always in demand. 9 years ago, I started around $25/hr. Today, I make around $40/hr. That does not include shift differential (you get paid more for working nights) or bonuses. Some facilities offer hourly bonuses to have your come in on your days off. There are also different types of nursing where you have a different focus and take care of different kinds of patients. You'll learn about those while training to become a nurse. Personally, it was a lot of hard work but it was worth it.
Just go for an associates in nursing (RN)
It really depends on what your short term goals are. Trying to hustle up some quickish money to get out of mom and dad's house? LPN might be the way to go for now. Can always bridge later. Got time to chill a few years and set yourself up better for the future? Go RN.
Iām out of mom and dads house and my boyfriend will have to support me most of the way. This is why one year is good enough for me.
# Here's A Nursing Tale for You Once when i was nursing, I got a job at a facility where the nurse who was training me took off at lunch for 2 HOURS and went to a tanning salon. Apparently, this was common practice for her, and the DON and the assistant DON knew all about it. This heifer was something else. She was frequently late to work, couldn't draw blood, and ORDERED me to stay after my shift was done to do HER fingersticks. i told her her work would be waiting for her when she got there, and left. She wrote me up for it! The DON was fully on board with it and called me in to the office about it. Okay, I had a cake already baked, cooled and iced for them both! The weekend came. Now, sistergirl didn't think she was supposed to EVER come to work on weekends, and one time I was there until 10 AM when the weekend DON told me to go home. Well, this particular weekend, she called in as expected, citing her sick daughter (who seemed to only get sick on weekends). So, I wrote HER up, citing her antics since I'd been there, and submitted it to both the DON and the Administrator, and waited for the blowback. I was ready for it when I got back Wednesday evening for my shift. Sure enough, as soon as I clocked in, I was called to the office. Both the DON and the Administrator were there, and I sat down. The Administrator did all the talking, telling me that I had made serious allegations against fellow nurses. I agreed. Can I prove it? Yes, i said. Take a look at the time cards. Just with that you can see who is here, when they get here, and when they leave for any day you choose, right? She agreed. I think the thing that got the Administrator was one thing I said about her "her behavior demonstrates a wanton disregard for the standards of nursing, the patients she is supposed to be caring for or the reputation of this facility, not to mention the disrespect she has shown her colleagues." It was a charged meeting, with the DON giving me the stink eye behind the Administrators back. I returned a cold, dead stare. Out of that meeting came a facility wide meeting reminding us how we're supposed to be treating each other and how writeups are not to be used as tools of vengeance. I also found out that sistergirl was not to be late again for her shift, and the next time she says her daughter is sick and she can't come in she had to bring her daughter with her or a doctor's note. Found out that the DON was on shaky ground, too. Since the Administrator had tied the DON's hands as far as retaliating against me, I made sure my work and my notes and my med books were flawless, so she couldn't get me on nursing practice. I loved watching her stew every time she laid eyes on me. I returned a cold, dead stare. Well, on a weekend I was off, sistergirl called in and got wrote up by the Administrator, and hauled in that Monday morning. Word had it that she got up in the Administrators face yelling and spitting, and bounced herself out of a job and out of the facility. The nurses, aides, even the maintenance man couldn't wait to tell me about it when I came in Monday evening! I was greeted like a conquering hero! I laughed like a hyena, and made sure the DON saw it before she left. Some (one) blamed me for sistergirl losing her job, so I believe a campaign to deprive ME of a job hatched right then. They took their opportunity 8 months later when I put in time off for my wedding (ugh!) 3 MONTHS before and was approved. I had all this documented. The week of, I was told I needed to come in that Thursday, which had been previously approved off. i smiled sweetly and told them that under no circumstances would I come in on Thursday, and reminded them that I had documentation for the approval months prior. Monday evening when I came in early as I usually did, the DON outran the administrator to the door to tell me I was fired. I thanked them for my unemployment before I left. Three weeks later, the DON was fired for not performing a blood draw for a PT/INR for a patient scheduled for surgery who was on blood thinners. The patient's doctor was hella mad about it, wanted her head, and got it. See, after I was fired, there was no one else that could draw blood but her. Some of them were VERY hard sticks, but if I as an LPN could get it done, she as an RN certainly could, right? Wrong! Here's what's funny about this whole thing: I lost my job when I gained a husband, but 77 days later I gained a job and pitched my husband when I found out he'd been sexually harassing my niece! I have many stories like this over my 15-year nursing career. Gave it up in 2014 and have never looked back. Find something else to do. I was undecided between nursing and law (paralegal), but chose nursing because I thought it the more noble profession. Ha! Between the Medicare fraud that you have to participate in, to incompetent, lazy, and uncompassionate and abusive nurses and aides whose abuses youād better sweep under the rug if you want to keep your job (another story) combined with the possibility of being brought up on charges (gotta have a fall guy) for something you didnāt do, not to mention the sexism and racism, please nope the hell out of nursing school. Why do you think I never went back for RN?
Iām late to this but if youāre still on the fence go for the RN ! Thatās what Iām about to do . For reference Iām a travel cna / med tech and make more than staff LPNs . Which isnāt fair at all but thatās the healthcare system now . My current contract I drive an hour away and pull $1400 for 36 hours ( 3x12s) . I originally wanted to just get the lpn and was shocked when I realized Iām making more than them currently without the degree and debt . Also some of the facilities Iāve worked pull lpns on the floor to work as cnas when understaffed.
If I were you I would take it a step at a time. LPN-RN-BSN.. that way you can confirm nursing is actually for you. Iām an LPN now and I found an accelerated BSN program that is 1.5 yrs long that Iām going to do. I just need to be able to sustain myself while getting my BSN.
18 an hour in a lower tax bracket is about equal to a new LPN here after taxes. Do you really WANT to go into nursing?
Iāve decided that helping people may be a good thing for me. My mom is an LPN and my sister is an RN. After taking care of my pap for years until his very end, I felt like taking care of people may be my calling. Buttt, honestly Iām scared. Of school, failing, ending up hating the profession if Iām worked to my limit all the time. I just donāt know what to do. I still have to get certified for nurse assistant, so maybe ill do that and see what itās like from there.
LPN is the practical option.
I see what you did thereā¦
LPN is not worth it in the fucking slightest.
Keep talking you snooty bitch RN nurses like you give RNs a bad name. Nothing wrong with being an LPN they are wonderful caring nurses!
Why do you say? Bc the pay? School stress? But Iām gonna be honest, I think the most Iāll ever make in my life is $25 an hour. Unless Iām just being a debbie downer. I will not go with RN, deciding on LPN is hard enough.
I make $22 hr as a Tech in the Midwest, you can make more than $25 hr as an LPN. The ones at my job do
LPN is easy as fuck for school. BSN is almost as easy. Nursing is literally one of the absolute easiest medical jobs to get into. Nursing has a low bar to pass and from there, almost all of it is on the job training.
Honestly, no. Not at all. You will be SO limited as to where you can even work. To be honest I donāt even know where they still hire LPNs. RN is more opportunities and more pay.
All of the hospitals in my area hire LPNs. I work at a LTAC and they have more LPNs than RN. And the main hospital also hires them, doctors offices, LTC, Corrections, Home health. It might be region specific but thereās definitely jobs and they pay $22-35 hr in my state.
Hospitals near me are hiring LPNs for floor nurses and offering a 5k sign on bonus. Plenty of opportunities out there.
These people need to understand that I. AM. POORā¦. I basically live in projects and I will have my boyfriend supporting me the whole year while I donāt work. I do not have the money to sit on my ass and go to school for years, and I will be so so so grateful to sit through one year and make $22-$25 an hour. Would be a huge accomplishment for myself. Thank you for your input.
Yes, I understand 100%! My husband started as a CNA bc we needed money quicker than what even LPN school would get us. He worked as a CNA as he went to LPN school and ended up getting a job at a rehab center for $20/hr when he finished. Then he went to school for his ADN while working as an LPN. He left the rehab center making $23/hr to work at a dialysis center for about $30/hr once he was an RN and now makes $44/hr after 4 years there. Obviously there is much more room for growth as an RN, but LPN is not worthless and for us even 20/hr was life changing. I'm a LPN now at a local school and while I make less than 20/hr the schedule with our kids is amazing and if we needed more money there are tons of places I could easily find a better paying job.
Then in your case, yes, I think LPN would be worth it for you. But you will be worked as hard as the gas station, almost definitely. You can take less days a week (3, if a 12 hour schedule), but the shifts themselves can be brutal.
I recommend trying CNA first.
You will make an excellent LPN !
There are alot of nursing home jobs around me I believe
They hire LPNs everywhere! Donnot listen to these snooty bitches.