LuvingLife Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I want to go to give nursing a try, even though I have seen the stress and the pain, I still want to give it all I've got. So I live near a very good Vo. Tech school that offers a great LPN program, and there are plenty of job opportunities where I live for a LPN. I decided to give this a try and see if I liked the field and I would continue my education from there to a LPN to ASN, then I could start working with Women and Infants if I like the program. I know I should go for a better program, but I could be wait listed at my local CC for almost 2 years, and I don't have the time to wait for it. If I did the LPN program, I could get my license and then find a good job which would help me pay for continuing my education. Would this be a good way to start? The program would take two years to complete, and then the school would help me find a job. Just wondering if this would be a good way to put my foot in the door of the medical field. I thought of being an MA, but no one around here hires them, they prefer nurses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 How long is the RN program? Near me, an RN program takes two years, plus about two semesters of pre-reqs to be admitted. If an LPN takes almost as long, it seems like just getting the RN would be a better choice. (Here you need to get your CNA first to apply for nursing school.) I'm not in the medical field, but it seems like from what I've come across, numbers of years of schooling keeps going up. If that's true, an LPN might be a big disadvantage. You mentioned working with moms and babies. What about becoming a certified nurse midwife? You could start by becoming a doula, which would give you plenty of chances to job shadow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 How long is the RN program? Near me, an RN program takes two years, plus about two semesters of pre-reqs to be admitted. If an LPN takes almost as long, it seems like just getting the RN would be a better choice. (Here you need to get your CNA first to apply for nursing school.) I'm not in the medical field, but it seems like from what I've come across, numbers of years of schooling keeps going up. If that's true, an LPN might be a big disadvantage. :iagree: Our cc has an RN program that is 2yrs. Dd#2 is applying for a BSN program that will be 2 yrs. The big difference is that the RN doesn't have all the standard core curriculum reqs. that the BSN does so the BSN can take 4 yrs total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 I feel like by the time you do the LPN track and the ADN track you are only 1 yr away from a BSN, but will actually have to do 5 yrs to complete all 3. It also depends on how much money you want to make. Around here LPNs are paid $13/hr, which is not easy to live off of. Also, most LPNs work in drs offices. If you go the ADN route, you could most likely work for a hospital. Most hospitals around here have tuition reimbursement which would get you free school for your BSN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvingLife Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 I know this is what I have been wanting to do, but my CC said I would most likely be wait listed for a couple of years and in all honesty I don't want to wait that long. I have so much I want to accomplish while I am still young and waiting for a career is not what I wanted. :glare: So much of me would like to wait, but another part of me knows that waiting that long would allow a lot of oppurtunities to slip by me that are too precious to give up. OHHH! This is so confusing!!:tongue_smilie: (Thank you all for trying to help!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvingLife Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 How long is the RN program? Near me, an RN program takes two years, plus about two semesters of pre-reqs to be admitted. If an LPN takes almost as long, it seems like just getting the RN would be a better choice. (Here you need to get your CNA first to apply for nursing school.) I'm not in the medical field, but it seems like from what I've come across, numbers of years of schooling keeps going up. If that's true, an LPN might be a big disadvantage. You mentioned working with moms and babies. What about becoming a certified nurse midwife? You could start by becoming a doula, which would give you plenty of chances to job shadow. I don't know, would becoming a CNM be a good idea? Would you please describe a little more of what I have to do if I wanted to become one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I don't know, would becoming a CNM be a good idea? Would you please describe a little more of what I have to do if I wanted to become one? As far as I know, a certified nurse midwife gets an RN and then attends midwifery training. A doula is a non-medical support person that helps comfort and encourage a woman in labor. Many midwives become doulas first. If this interests you, you could become a doula, do that while on the waitlist for nursing school, get an RN, and then get the midwife training. Many hospitals and birth centers employ CNMs for women who prefer a midwife over an OB. Some states also allow CNMs to do home births. Maybe you could add some paramedic or EMT training in there, too. That would be good experience for an application to nursing school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 One more thing to consider is that if you have an RN, later on you could go to grad school and become a nurse practitioner. Some states allow them to prescribe drugs, and unlike a physician assistant, they usually don't need to be under the supervision of an MD. Nurses can't be outsourced, while medical billing probably could be fairly easily. It also sounds like a good career for working part-time. Many careers don't do this very easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I don't know if this has been said or not, but I would check to see if the credits would transfer over for continuing on up in the nursing field. There was a program where I lived that was similar but the credits would not carry over so you could not go from LPN to RN or whatever-- they had to start over from the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 As you've mentioned in the past that you want to avoid jobs which can be stressful, I wouldn't recommend midwife or EMT. I would strongly recommend more volunteer work in a hospital so you can learn more about the different careers in the medical field. Maybe OT, music therapy or speech therapy might be more to your liking. But for now, you really don't need to have it all figured out. Just concentrate on your studies and test prep as both of those are important no matter what you decide to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvingLife Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 As you've mentioned in the past that you want to avoid jobs which can be stressful' date=' I wouldn't recommend midwife or EMT. I would strongly recommend more volunteer work in a hospital so you can learn more about the different careers in the medical field. Maybe OT, music therapy or speech therapy might be more to your liking. But for now, you really don't need to have it all figured out. Just concentrate on your studies and test prep as both of those are important no matter what you decide to do.[/quote'] Thank you TeachinMine' sometimes everything is just all jumbled up in my mind that when I type it out it just sounds like a lot of nonsense!! I am considering speech therapy as I can work with young kids, and there is a University near my house that offers the degree with a near 100% passing and graduation rate. So I am going to look into that more, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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