Any nurses here?

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angelbaby52102
angelbaby52102 Posts: 42 Member
in Chit-Chat
I worked as a hairstylist for 5 years upon graduation from high school, then took a medical billing and coding class and have been working for a chiropractor for the last 3 years, I am currently 26 years old but FINALLY feel like I know what I want to do with my life... I want to be a nurse!!!!!

I am starting a cna training in October.. But from there would you suggest I do lpn first or go straight for rn? I'm getting mixed reviews from family and friends.. I had originally planned on lpn, I already took the entrance exam and had my interview and was accepted but the more people I talk to tell me to go for rn instead..

So nurses, what type are you and what do you love most about your job?

I'm looking to work at a long term care facility near me with excelled benefits and retirement.
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Replies

  • AngieM76
    AngieM76 Posts: 622 Member
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    I am not a nurse but I would go straight for the RN. Thats where the best money is :)
  • Nfairley
    Nfairley Posts: 84
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    I too am going for RN courses. I've heard that LPN's are being phased out (at least here in MD) so I trashed that idea and am just going straight for my degree. It'd save you time and money, that is for sure.
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
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    I have been a nurse for almost 30 years, and my son is trying to get into nursing school. It's a lot more difficult now to get into a nursing school than when I went.

    My advise is to get at least an ADN/RN. Most local colleges have the programs. It is an associate degree. I know it'd difficult ,at 26, to think of this much schooling, but a lot of medical institutions are hiring only baccalaureate trained nurses. So keep that in mind when looking for a program, is there a option to continue for a bachelor's degree? I would not stop to take a rest after you ADN, it's too difficult to return to school. Continue to get you BSN.
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
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    I'm an Lpn here. Not being phased out ladies. Of course if you want to work in the hospital setting go for your RN. Hospitals don't want Lpns. Fine by me.

    As an Lpn I can also have a 2nd fun job such as a personal trainer.Because I don't have to manage anyone..have less responsibilities and can leave my work...AT WORK.

    Anyways...I shall leave this forum because I have a feeling this is going to be turning into a lpn hate thread.

    I work in home health care 2 days a week to supplement my personal trainer income.

    It's a sweet gig. As an Rn I probably wouldn't be able to do that.

    I didn't pick being an Lpn wich may explain my feelings. I never even wanted to be a nurse. I was in the military and I had a choice of capping oil wells or lpn training....so you can guess what I picked.

    I did the training. It was ok and although all my other nursing classmates in the army were talking about taking it further and getting their Rns, I wanted to get my degree in History, specifically Civil War History(I am a huge Civil War nerd.)

    Nursing isn't my love..not going to lie about that. Which is why I never went back for my RN. I realized in the middle of Lpn training...I did not love it.

    Ever have a nurse that you knew hated her job??

    It's miserable to have a nurse like that.

    Well, I don't hate nursing. But it's not my passion and patients deserve nothing less than a dedicated nurse(not to say Lpns can't be passionate..they darn well can be!) But I knew to STOP and not go on and get my Rn because everyone and their mother was getting it.

    So I decided to go after my passion(personal TRAINING!) and use my lpn license to supplement my 2nd career.

    I work home health care (I work with vent dependent patients in their homes) in the summer and school nursing in the fall. I schedule my personal training clients around those times. I now LOVE nursing again working one on one in the home health care setting and the regular schedule of school nursing(and yes..lpns are real nurses)but not enough to go back to get my Rn.(My bachelors is actually in history/sociology)! People thought I was crazy when I was working as an Lpn getting my degree in something other than nursing. I KNEW I wasn't going to get a job with my history degree but I just did it for the love...the love of learning. Not for the money....Crazy, right?

    Who goes to get a degree for the love of it and not for the money?

    Anyways, get your RN so you don't have to defend being an LPN.

    At one nursing home...one of the patients coded.

    The ONLY nurse who could start the IV- the Lpn(me!) The RN could not start one at all. She read about it in a book though.
  • chanson104
    chanson104 Posts: 859
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    I have been an RN for a little over a year, but prior to that I was an LPN. The answer to your question depends on your personal goals. When I got my LPN I was working in long term care so I knew that when I finished school I had a job waiting for me with a significant pay increase. I didn't have to take as many pre/co reqs as I did for my RN so it was a little bit of a faster track to that pay increase, and, as a single parent, that was a big issue for me. I have worked at two long term care facilities and at both places the RNs make around $2 more dollars an hour than the LPNs do and do the same job.

    I went on for my RN because I wanted to be able to have more experiences and some day use my nursing to facilitate some traveling. I have been working in med/surg at a hospital for three months now, and I really enjoy it, and I still get the opportunity to work with some precious geriatric patients. I work for a large hospital, and my plan is to work in med/surg for a year and then transfer to something else for more experiences.

    I know that there is talk of phasing out LPNs. Where I work they have a goal of having 80% of their nurses with BSNs (I cannot remember the goal date). I'm 46 and am still debating on if I want to return to school. While both of these goals seem important to the health care field, to me, they seem somewhat humorous. I don't know when, if ever, these goals would be able to be realized -- not around here any way. Long term care facilities would not be able to function without LPNs!

    There are certainly advantages to having your RN over your LPN and your BSN over your ASN, but, again, you have to determine what your objectives are personally. If you plan to work in long term care and don't want to get into management then your LPN would suffice. If you want to go into management in a long term care facility or want to work in a hospital, you will most likely need to get your RN.

    My advice: do some soul searching and research in your area, and determine what you want to be able to do with your license. Remember that you can always go for more schooling if you start with LPN and decide later that you wan to be an RN. It is your decision; do whatever fits your needs and wants.

    Have fun! Nursing school is quite the journey!!
  • chanson104
    chanson104 Posts: 859
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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!
  • Monnietron
    Monnietron Posts: 96 Member
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    I'm a medical assistant now, taking pre-reqs now to maybe go for RN.
  • funmonk
    funmonk Posts: 20
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    RN, work in an er and love it. Before I was a waitress and knew I could not do that for the rest of my life. I love being a nurse and can't picture myself doing anything else. Just go for it. Do a RN program, more opportunities.
  • angelbaby52102
    angelbaby52102 Posts: 42 Member
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    Thank you all for your honest responses. I do have a lot of research to do before I make my decision, either way I'm going to start with my cna.. Work at a nursing home and maybe that will help make my decision.. Maybe I will hate the environment.. I know the one thing I like about my job now is the patient interaction and helping people. I just love the idea of having so many work options as a nurse.
  • Trutra
    Trutra Posts: 131 Member
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    I am a nurse, but I am not in the US, so I cannot talk about different designations etc and its advantages and disadvantages. but just wanted to say that I would go for the highest qualification possible as soon as possible as it tends to offer you more and presumably the pay is more. It also gives you more options. Our nursing council is changing all our courses at present and many people who opted to study "the slow way" i.e. work their way up through the different levels, are now finding themselves in a position where studying further is going to be harder in the future, whereas those who went straight for the top are in a better position. I do realise that finances obviously play a big part for many people, but I would go as high as you can afford from the start.
  • Txnurse97
    Txnurse97 Posts: 275 Member
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    I also agree with it depending on your goals and the work setting you want to be in. I'm an RN, was never an LVN (that's what they are here in TX instead of LPN) but I do know a TON of LVNs who could out nurse an RN any day. That being said, I work in a hospital and they are phasing out LVNs completely. In fact, they already did, as of June of this year.

    My advice is to go for your RN because you will have more options available to you. And if you become an RN, I would also eventually plan on obtaining your BSN. Many hospitals, at least, seem to be going that route also, of wanting a majority of their RN staff to have their BSN.

    Good luck!
  • mjtull
    mjtull Posts: 12 Member
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    Our hospital is going to all RNs no more LPN.
  • AprilRN10
    AprilRN10 Posts: 548 Member
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    I am an RN. I say it depends on what you want to do. I was a CNA for 10 years and then went for RN. I never was an LPN. I work two jobs. I work in a hospital full time. Which is three twelve hour shifts per week. We have no LPNs there. They do not hire them. I work part time in a psychiatric facility and we have both there. Both LPNs and RNs are nurses. No matter what the letters are. RNs simply have more education, thus more choices, and more money.

    All that being said, I'd love to friend all these nurses here!
  • yroma
    yroma Posts: 74 Member
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    Yahoo Nurses! I'm a newish-nurse, went to nursing school at 39 and have been working for six years and I love it. I'm an RN, about to start an online family psychiatric NP program--yikes---next week! Your plan sounds excellent. Training to be a CNA will give you a big boost above your classmates who haven't done that work. You will learn a lot, no doubt. As far as LPN vs. RN. There are disadvantages and advantages. As I see it, becoming an LPN, you could start working immediately and if you like it and want to go further, you could work on your RN. If you have time/money and feel pretty confident this is the career for you, you might want to go straight for a bachelors of nursing. But, if money is a consideration, being able to work as a nurse while you study for a higher degree could be a smart financial move. Also, there are a ton of "bridge" programs. Meaning, if you are an LPN you can study to make up the difference for an associate's or bachelor's degree. Also, once you have your Associates, you can bridge to a masters with a built in bachelors degree. Pretty cool--the options are endless. And that's one of the things I love about nursing--so many possibilities. In this economy, that's a big deal. I've been working as a med-surg nurse in my local community hospital, (just got my med-surge certification this spring) and I cross-trained to be a psychiatric nurse (lifelong passion has been psychology) and I also work part-time as a hospice nurse--easily one of the best jobs I've ever had. Know that our healthcare system is super broken--going into nursing is a leap of faith I tell ya'! And the job gets harder and harder every year with budget cuts, more documentation and less time for patient care. (And that's part of the reason I love hospice work so much--the pace is much slower, I can spend a lot more time with my patients and their families and really feel like I'm making a difference.)

    There is an emphasis from the academic nursing community to push higher education for nurses. Meaning that there's been talk for a LOOONG time about phasing out LPNs and even ADNs. But, that talk has gone on and things haven't changed much. It's true LPNs have a different scope of practice (depending on the state, some can work in hospitals, other states don't allow that.) But, nursing home and the government (the Veterans Administration) still hire LPNs and if there's one near you, check it out. They would pay for your higher education should you want to continue.

    I could go on and on about nursing--I am super passionate about what a great career it is, how wonderful it feels to help people, how satisfying learning new things every day is...so friend me if you have any other questions. Of course, as with any job, there are downfalls--the aforementioned crappy healthcare industry, insurance limitations of care, the physicalities of the job, etc...

    Have fun in nursing school! I loved it! Not that it isn't hard, so much to memorize!!, but it's like bootcamp, you can really bond with your classmates and I found it fun...yes, fun!
  • ktrn0312
    ktrn0312 Posts: 723 Member
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    I am a registered nurse of 22 years. I work in the field of Cardiac care. I have the same passion & enthusiasm now like in the beginning . This career path has afforded me a wonderful & prosperous lifestyle. It also gives me personal satisfaction of how I make a difference . You need to have a strong mind & body because sometimes you feel you are doing everybody else's job but , the bottom line you are doing it for the patient. You may not always get the recognition but, I always know how I was instrumental in recognizing when signs & symptoms when a patient is not doing well or advocating on their behalf when they are unable to. Go for your RN degree. With your RN degree there are many employments opportunities in many areas for nurses. You will never be bored. The work is not always easy but, there is both personal & financial rewards in this chosen career path.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    Welcome to the world of nursing! I am a first year student nurse from Australia. Hard work but the job seems rewarding. I would love to get a career in neonatal/obstetrics :flowerforyou:
  • darcyrobillard
    darcyrobillard Posts: 42
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    I've been a nurse for 20 years. 8 years as an LPN. I have an Assosciates in Applied Science. I highly recommned to get your BSN. Soon this is the only degree that will be accepted (so I'm told) but more than that...you will have many, many more opportunities with this degree. More room for advancement and several more fields within nursing to work. I wish I would have continued on to get a BSN prior to marriage and three kids. My plate is too FULL at this point in my life and I would feel way too guilty to take that time away from my family as I already work FT. Good luck!:smile:
  • vampey2000
    vampey2000 Posts: 4
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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.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
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    Our hospital is going to all RNs no more LPN.

    I've been a nurse for 27 years. Our hospital tried to go "no LPNs" twice. Then twice they pulled their heads out of their arses and realized how valuable and cost effective they are.
  • Vyshness8699
    Vyshness8699 Posts: 428 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

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