Has anyone working as a lvn stay as an lvn?
I know three LVNs that returned to school and two became RN and one became a PA. They all of course are making more money, but one of the RNs isn't too crazy about having to work night shift and weekends. RNs are trained to do bedside nursing and she was hoping to return to a Monday to Friday outpatient clinic and that never happened, at least not right out of school. But if you are not a nurse yet, it's a long way. Go straight to your goal and do the RN school. http://www.rn.ca.gov/careers/steps.shtml Best wishes
Should one with no experience in nursing classes (e.g., anatomy) start with LVN to RN or just jump into an RN Associate's program?
Generally, programs for RN’s have many prerequisites; therefore, I don’t believe that one would ever be able to “jump in” to an RN program. The prerequisites are usually biology, chemestry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, and some sort of child growth and development class. One also must complete all other general education classes, yet some of them can be pushed off until one enters the formal RN program. This means that students starting an associate degree RN program have already been taking college courses for at least one and a half to two years or longer before the formal RN training begins.I was never an LVN, so I can not say what prerequisites are required for that. From your question however, it appears that you would plan to start as an LVN, then become an RN. Those prerequisites would still eventually be required then.Please keep in mind that associate degrees in nursing, at least in the US, always take longer than two years to complete because of prerequisites. They are usually much, much less expensive than BSN programs though, so student loans will be less of a problem. Once you get licensed as an RN and hired, most hospitals will offer tuition assistance for you to get your BSN. This is the route that I took, and financially it really helped me. (Hospitals now want nurses to have a BSN, so you will want to get that as soon as possible.)Going straight to a four year school for a BSN can be financially fine though, if one is able to get enough financial aid and scholarships to assist with the expenses.I wish you all the best in whatever educational choice you make.
Should I become an RN, or stay with an LPN?
I support becoming an RN, but you need to be realistic. . . the fact is that in today's economy, right now, new grads in ANY profession are having a hard time getting their first job, without any experience. New grad RNs around the country have had some difficulties, but it's not universal and it's also largely in part because many new grads have some kind of entitlement attitude that they think they should be able to get their perfect job in their chosen specialty right off the bat. Nope. You have to take whatever you can get as a new grad, even if it's night shift in a nursing home. You take anything just to get work experience as an RN under your belt. You view your first job as an extension of your learning, a means to an end. You bide your time even if you hate it. Then, once you've been working 6-12 months, you look for something better, and it will be easier. You are a little bit ahead of the curve if you already hold your LPN and have work experience as an LPN. That helps greatly if you're competing for jobs with new grad RNs who did NOT hold their LPN ahead of time or work as an LPN. In the long run, it's DEFINITELY worth the extra year and investment and debt. You'll never support your family on the salary of an LPN. On an RN salary, life will be so much more comfortable. You could work part time for the same salary as a full time LPN. That alone was incentive for me. I only work about half-time (24 hrs per week) and I make over $50k per year. Definitely worth it, for me.
How long does it take to become a LVN or an RN?
I am in school right now for my BSN (RN). There are "old" students in our class. One of my lab partners is in her 40's so you being 28 is no where near old. Multiple students in my class have children and are older than you. The hard part is the working thing. I can honestly say with the amount of work I'm having to put in to school right now there is no way I could work full time. Part time would even be difficult at this point. I am having to take out a lot of student loans but looking at it as an investment. Yes, I have to take out loans to live on right now but in another year I will be making enough money to pay those loans back easily AND I'll have a career where I can make a difference. Not many jobs can say they actually hands on make a difference everyday in someone's life. Oops! Your original question: how long does it take? A BSN to become an RN is a 4 year degree. The first two years are pre-requisite classes (all of your science, english, math, etc) and the last two years are strictly nursing courses and clinical work. Part time and maybe even full time work is feasable during your pre-reqs but very difficult during the second half of schooling.
Stay at job or pay 30,000 for an LVN program that will pay me the same money as my current job?
If your ultimate goal is to be an RN then you should just stay at your current job and start taking your prerequisites part time while you continue to work full time. While your working full time I would try to save as much money as possible because when you start the actual nursing program you may not have time to work much. I would also find a cheaper college. 30k for an LPN program is way too much most RN programs don't even cost that much. Try looking at the requirements at your local community college for their nursing programs. If you want your bachelors you can do whats called a Associate of Science degree in Pre-Nursing that degree will transfer you to a university where you can get into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. A bachelor degree in nursing should take about 4.5 years if you go full time. If you have to go part time and/or retake some classes then yeah it will probably take you longer but school takes a long time to complete anyway. If you already have a good job that pays as much as a LPN you don't need to waste time and money on a LPN program because you'll have to spend 1 year on LPN school, and after your done with LPN school you wont be able to work much if your going to RN school and then you'll have to spend some time on a LPN to RN program and then some more time to do a RN to BSN program. So its better to go directly for the BSN program. Once you graduate with a BSN you'll get hired as a nurse pretty quick with or without experience.
CNA or LVN/LPN: Which is better...?
That depends on a person's individual situation. CNA is required for most RN programs before you start your clinical courses. You just have to hold the CNA license, don't need actual work experience however. LPN is not required to become an RN unless you plan on going the LVN to RN bridge program route to RN. Some people choose this because it's easier to get admitted to the bridge RN programs than if you go straight into the RN. It's a personal choice thing, and there is no advantage/disadvantage other than that which applies to the level of impaction and choosing which way you stand a better chance at getting admitted soonest. As for work experience. . . there are MANY nursing students who go into the program with ZERO health care / patient care experience. Working as a CNA or an LVN will give you a little bit of experience and some might say a bit of an edge when it comes to getting your RN, but the fact remains that what you learn as an RN is WAY different from the role of CNA or LVN so that work experience will only take you so far, then you're on the same learning curve as everyone else. CNAs don't make high wages. Many places hire at barely a dollar or two above minimum wage. After several years of experience, working in a hospital setting, a CNA could make up to about $15/hr max. LVN wages start around $18-20/hr and top out maybe around $25. So if making a better wage is important then this would be the way to go. Sometimes you can even find an employer who will pay for you to get your RN.
EMT-B v.s. LVN/LPN. Which is higher?
In the field, an EMT will always have more "authority" than a nurse...unless that nurse happens to be an EMT....then it's a matter of teamwork... My husband was a paramedic for a few years before returning to college to be a pharmacist and he'd had encounters of both nurses and doctors trying to "run a scene" and upsurp the paramedics. Most were fine after being informed who was really the highest medical authority in the pre-hospital setting, but one doctor had to be removed by the police at a MVA scene. It all comes down to teamwork! Out in the field, the paramedic has more authority than an RN....and more emergency skills... such has intubation, doing a pericardial tap, or reducing a hemothorax. In the ED setting, the RN would likely oversee the paramedic, whose main job duties usually involve starting IVs, administering certain meds, and being in the shock/trauma room during codes. Sorry my answer was a little jumbled, but I hope you were able to decipher what I was getting at...