How to Use LPN Nursing Programs as a Stepping Stone to Your RN Degree?

Answer 1

If you have decided to embark on a career in the healthcare industry, then you have made a great choice. There is no doubt that there will be an ever increasing demand for medicine and for healthcare workers in the near future. If you are just now beginning your career, then you will probably have aging baby boomers to take care of for the rest of your life. Despite the great promise of this career, you might have hesitated because it takes so long to become either a doctor or a nurse. While it doesn’t take nearly as long to become a nurse as it does to become a doctor, the process can still take up to four years. If you are looking to break into the healthcare industry more quickly than that, then you should probably look into LPN nursing programs.

An LPN (Licensed Practicing Nurse) has many of the same duties and obligations that an RN has. The main difference is that it only takes a year or two to become an LPN, as opposed to the 4 years that it takes to become an RN. The only downside of becoming an LPN is that you won’t be able to demand quite the same salary that an RN is able to demand. You might have expected this, however, since the educational requirements aren’t as steep.

Even if your ultimate goal is to become an RN, it can still be a good idea to get your LPN degree first. Once you’ve got your LPN, you’ll be able to immediately start working, and you can take the supplemental courses that you need for your RN degree in your spare time. You can probably even take your additional RN coursework online, so it won’t interfere with your ability to be a good LPN. While most of your classmates in the RN program won’t have any practical experience to speak of, you’ll have daily hands-on experience as an LPN working alongside doctors and helping real patients. This will make your RN coursework seem vastly easier. It will probably also make it much easier for you to get a job as an RN when you have finally earned your degree.