Any nurses here?

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2

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  • Vyshness8699
    Vyshness8699 Posts: 428 Member
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    Careful about RN comment. I worked in acute care before moving to long term care two years ago. When an IV needs started or blood needs drawn, they call me. If someone is going bad quickly, they call me. My experience speaks for itself. Most of the nurses haven't had experience beyond pushing pills and bandaging skin tears.

    Maybe where u live ....We have to know how to do all of those things!!! Being a RN you have to use your critical thinking skills not only push meds and drawn blood... No matter what field you are in the more experience you have in an area the better you are....
  • Elisac2008
    Elisac2008 Posts: 83 Member
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    depends on where you live. i should hopefully graduate in december with associates in nursing. I have already applied and accepted as long as i pass to a rn to bsn program. in my state lpn's are rarely hired and most hospitals are required bachelor degree nurses.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    Do you have any idea what kind of nurse you want to be?

    People say to go RN because more and more employers want RN's. But more and more people are going into it, and it's also becoming more and more competitive. I found that once I was on track to the associate's RN I was hearing that people weren't getting jobs and needed their bachelor's in nursing to get RN jobs. Based on job hunts I did, I think it's true depending on what type of work you want to do. My plan was to do associate's, spend my last summer interning in a L&D ward, move on to BS degree while hopefully working part time in some portion of the hospital, and then getting my master's degree in Certified Nurse Midwifery. Then a giant opportunity in my current line of work fell out of the sky, so I've been doing that for a year now, with the hope of going back. Now my husband just got laid off.... so the focus is on continuing to bring in money, not school.

    Anyway, areas like L&D typically mean you'll need a BS degree - too many people want to hold the babies. :happy:
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
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    Hello I'm a new graduate nurse working in the ER...So far do good eventually I want to work in the L&D , mother /baby and NICU bc I'm thinking of becoming a FNP or specializing in perinatology ... I say get your BSN in nursing ... In today's economy it's extremely hard to find a job as a new nurse w/ no experience and it doesn't help when you have only a ADN.... I have a ADN right now and it took me 2 yrs and 4 months to get a job !!! Yes 2 yrs I was soo depressed and was going to give up.... I went to all the job fairs , my grades were good etc....but it was extremely hard... I dk were u live @ but here in the DMV area ( DC , MD and VA) it's tough ... It's expensive to train new grads that's another issue.... They are going to accept only BSN soon so dnt waste your time getting a ADN... I got hired w/ a ADN but have been told I have to get my BSN within the nxt few years...-and they are going to be phasing LPN's out ....most hospitals are going magnet ( over here in DMV ) and they are looking for the best of the best)... We were told this when I was in nursing school also so future wise I say BSN) Good luck w/ everything

    I've been hearing the BSN only bs since I was in nursing school in the 80's. It ain't gonna happen. There must be a glut of nurses in your area. Our department alone hired 14 new grads in the last year....most of them ADN's.
  • got2lose40
    got2lose40 Posts: 1 Member
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    Go for your RN it's cheaper in the long run and its so hard to get hired in a hospital setting as an LPN. I am an LPN currently in school to obtain my RN and so wish I had went straight for my RN. I wish you the best of luck.

    Kim Tiller LPN
  • DanielleRN8
    DanielleRN8 Posts: 409
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    I have a lot of friends ask me the same thing. I always tell them it depends on their situation. If they need to work and make money while going to school, do the LPN and work as an LPN while bridging over to an RN. If you don't have to work, just go straight for the RN. I do know some LPNs who know way more than I do because they have the experience that I don't. LPN, RN there's really not a difference. We are all nurses who do our best to take care of those who need us. :)
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 499 Member
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    I am a senior in a BSN program (38 weeks to go) and in OR it's the only way to go. Most hospitals here are not hiring new 2-yr-degree RNs; no current 2-yr RNs will lose their jobs in hospitals but they are being pressured to do the RN-to-BSN. I don't know any working LPNs at all. It seems like it's only CNAs and RNs, even in the few long-term care facilities I know about. I have a friend doing an LVN program in California and it seems like it's fairly rigorous, so save yourself time and work and just get the RN (if you like it). There is a big glut of new grad nurses here (the shortage is coming, but it's not here yet) and it's harder to get desirable work with a 2-yr degree (but then, I always knew I wanted to be in a hospital, so to me, that is what's desirable).
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    Anyways...I shall leave this forum because I have a feeling this is going to be turning into a lpn hate thread.

    Why would this turn into an LPN hate thread? I know some LPNs that can way out nurse some RNs. They just don't have the different letters behind their name that gives them credit for it. They have invaluable experience and compassion!

    Your a wise person for knowing what is and isn't right for you and responding accordingly. There is nothing worse that a nurse that hates patient care; I've worked with some. Fortunately, there are jobs that you can do with nursing that don't involve patient care. The flexibility that comes with the nursing field also allows someone to pursue other passions like you have. Good for you!

    I agree! I would totally go for LPN if I knew I could get in L&D - but that's what I want to do, I know it, and I also know that the competition for L&D nurses is insane. So do the research. But I don't hate LPN's - I know some very good, very smart ones that I would absolutely take advice from any day!
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
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    lpns are sexier.

    ;)

    But you guys get paid more and get work more places. So we are even.

    ;)
  • Lynn625
    Lynn625 Posts: 56 Member
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    Where I work they only hire RNs for the hospital setting but the hospital also runs over 30 clinic and they hire LPNs and some RNs in the clinics. Also being a RN gives you access to oppurtunities beyond bedside nursing and patient care. I have been a RN for almost 20 years. I did not start my career until my 30s. I started out in a Nursing Home as a CNA, went to college and got my ADN RN, went back to the nursing home and worked my way up to Director of Nursing. Then I decided I wanted to get acute care experience so I went to work in the hospital and worked Med Surg for 9 years. For the last 6 years I have been in Informatics. I am no longer in Patient Care, but I still work closely with the Physicians and Nursing staff as a computerized documentation specialist.
  • obrendao
    obrendao Posts: 318
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    RNs are the best! :)

    Its very interesting, because where I live, the strongest program is the ADN program at my community college. The university's program does not hold a candle, even though its BSN.

    Every hospital in the area hires graduates of my CC's ADN program because we are MORE prepared than the uni students. I think it is strange, but then again, we have amazing professors, our program is very strict and disciplined, and the students were very competitive getting into the program. As such, our CC has a 100% NCLEX pass rate. The recruiters hear where we graduated from and they are on us like white on rice.

    I am glad I picked my CC for my ADN program, because there is ALWAYS an ADN to BSN bridge program I can do later! :)
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
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    RNs are the best! :)

    Its very interesting, because where I live, the strongest program is the ADN program at my community college. The university's program does not hold a candle, even though its BSN.

    Every hospital in the area hires graduates of my CC's ADN program because we are MORE prepared than the uni students. I think it is strange, but then again, we have amazing professors, our program is very strict and disciplined, and the students were very competitive getting into the program. As such, our CC has a 100% NCLEX pass rate. The recruiters hear where we graduated from and they are on us like white on rice.

    I am glad I picked my CC for my ADN program, because there is ALWAYS an ADN to BSN bridge program I can do later! :)

    lpns are still sexier..

    ;)
  • obrendao
    obrendao Posts: 318
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    RNs are the best! :)

    Its very interesting, because where I live, the strongest program is the ADN program at my community college. The university's program does not hold a candle, even though its BSN.

    Every hospital in the area hires graduates of my CC's ADN program because we are MORE prepared than the uni students. I think it is strange, but then again, we have amazing professors, our program is very strict and disciplined, and the students were very competitive getting into the program. As such, our CC has a 100% NCLEX pass rate. The recruiters hear where we graduated from and they are on us like white on rice.

    I am glad I picked my CC for my ADN program, because there is ALWAYS an ADN to BSN bridge program I can do later! :)

    lpns are still sexier..

    ;)

    I can tell! :) heehee I should have said "NURSES" are the best! My faux pas. I'm just excited because I start my last year at the end of this month. I'm still just a lowly student nurse! :)
  • OnionMomma
    OnionMomma Posts: 938 Member
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    Did any of you switch careers to go to an RN program?

    I am a teacher by trade but in our area with budget cuts, I'm thinking about starting all over again and going RN?

    I can work while taking my pre requs, I'm just wondering about actual nursing school, it's 18 months here.

    I just worry about making ends meet (husband 1 son) when I have to do school full time. I wonder often if I should just enter school full time and take out loans to cover everything until I"m done. It would take me 3.5 years if I did that.

    Any advice....I know I want to RN not anything else.

    In the future I'd like to do Home Health Nursing as a HHC nurse made a HUGE difference in our life with our son. Either that are a Land D nurse.
  • hellerd2003
    hellerd2003 Posts: 8
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    Nursing was a career switch for me. I was an occupational therapist and had set up an OT program in a residential psychiatric setting right out of school. When I burned out on psych and wanted to get back into the physical medicine side of things, I started thinking about being a RN (with plans to become a nurse practitioner once I had some bedside experience under my belt), or a physician assistant. NP's generally have more autonomy and I knew bedside experience would help me develop the bedside manner that some physicians are lacking, so I chose to get my RN. I went to a post-baccalaureate nursing program so I was a RN 16 months after program completion. I started out as a new grad in ICU (the odds of that happening nowadays, though, is pretty rare).

    I am a critical care nurse by training, but have now stepped away from direct bedside care and am a palliative care RN. I assist pt and families with diagnoses that are life-shortening with end of life issues and medical decision-making. Basically, my job is heavy on pt advocacy and pt education, with connection to outside resources for differing levels of care once pts discharge to the community. I would advise you if you want to go into nursing, go for the RN. With a LPN, you'll find yourself limited in both where you work and pay. Most hospitals are steering away from hiring LPN's (esp if they are going for Magnet status), so your job market gets limited to long term care or MD offices. Also, with a RN, it's easier to advance yourself, should you choose. LPN's don't make it to upper management or speciality areas without returning for a BSN or MSN. Also with a RN, you can more easily make the transition to a nurse practitioner program/ nurse anesthetist program, should you find you want that challenge (I have my MSN- now just finishing up a MSN to nurse practitioner program).

    One thing I will say is make sure you're going into it because you love nursing/ medicine, NOT just for the cash. The cash is incentive for the really tough days, sure, but nursing is a full-contact sport (hard on the body), can be mentally draining (some studies have found nurses have PTSD rates comparable to combat veterans), and can be thankless-- doctors, patients, fellow nurses, etc. They say veteran nurses "eat their young", and several nurses seem to want to take that literally. My first year was one of the toughest in my life. But, looking back, that constant testing really made me a better nurse. Make sure you have a thick skin and a strong stomach (I've seen things that would curl most people's toes). The nurses I've met who got into it just for the cash ended up quitting as soon as they could financially swing it.

    That said, being a nurse means you are constantly learning (I could be a full-time student! I love learning), you can make a difference in a person's life when they're at their lowest, and it gives you tons of opportunities for branching out after you have a few years of experience under your belt. Nursing as a profession is very diverse-- there's a niche for everyone. You can go into management (corporate), medical sales, case management.... even in bedside nursing, there are so many specialties that you can't help but find something you'd enjoy. I'm an adrenaline junkie, work well under stress, and am very detail-oriented-- all traits necessary in critical care. Put me in a room full of ill pregnant women, and I start to freak out (OB was my most disliked clinical experience EVER). ;-) My body just couldn't take the bedside any more (I have defective knees LOL), so I switched to the role I'm in now. I still get to spend a lot of time in the ICU, and my background helps me explain the doctor's diagnoses in layman's terms to families so they actually "get" what's going on.

    If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
  • monica2434
    monica2434 Posts: 88 Member
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    I would suggest becoming an RN, or go straight for BSN. But I also see your plans of working in a long term care facility........which warrants you to only have a LPN license, ALL the RNs I know here in Dallas that work in those settings are HIGHLY under paid.........but condisering what you do there.......I guess its okay. Whatever you choose, you have to remember to do whats best for you, and makes you happy. In Dec, I'll be an RN for 9 years.......I'll graduate with my BSN also this Nov. Personally I did it just to have it....for now, could possibly go on the grad school, so I can teach.............far in my later years......before I retire.

    I'll advise you don't choose Nursing just for the money............yes the money is decent, but you have to love what you do. Trust me without my husband's added income...........I wouldn't be able to live the way I do and have all the things I have. Nursing is a very rewarding field and its also very stressful......and its NOT about the money (which I think we ALL are grossly UNDER PAID)....it's about safety and compassion.

    Just my two cents..............BEST of luck........ whatever your choice maybe.........
  • monica2434
    monica2434 Posts: 88 Member
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    Anyways...I shall leave this forum because I have a feeling this is going to be turning into a lpn hate thread.

    @apriltrainer: I LOVE YOUR HONESTY. I've had the luxury to precept many new grads who I feel should have choose another field( but that's just my opinion). Some have other people in their family in the medical field,, but most I've come across stated their 1st choice was based ont he money aspect of it. I've witnessed many of them get fired during and/or after internships and many who have lost thier license years later.... I see where your coming from, but not everyone bashes LPNs. Trust me just because one has RN initials behind thier name on a badge, mean thier better and definitely NOT smarter. My godmother is an LPN and she's one the smartiest and most advanced nurses I know.
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
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    I was an LPN first. I am currently an RN (BSN) and am in grad school working on my Nurse Practitioner. I would suggest just going for the RN. LPNs are slowly being phased out and it is harder for them to find work. The hospital I work at is now phasing them out entirely. You can work as a CNA while going to nursing school for the extra income. Best of luck to you!
  • slboling
    slboling Posts: 117 Member
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    I am proud to say that I am an LPN. My only reason for going for my RN is money. I work in an ICU. I am ACLS and PALS. I am the BLS Instructor for the RN's. So many places are phasing out LPN's. I think that all LPN's or LVN's should be proud of the amazing job they do and the care they give. OK, now here's my answer. RN gives you more choices and better money, but LPN/LVN is a fantastic job. Sorry for the soap box.
  • slboling
    slboling Posts: 117 Member
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    Also, I agree with @apriltrainer, LPN/LVN's are sexier.

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