48 Years Old And LPN School?

[WDWisOurHappyPlace]

I've been a SAHM for almost 24 years, and been searching the internet off and on for a while now about the LPN program. Would love info and advice from those who have been there. How to best prepare, any good books to start pratice studying, etc. I can put my all into school because I will not be working during this time. I plan to go to my local vo tech soon to get info to get started, but I'd like to be prepared when I go.

 

[golfgal]

Honestly, get your RN, even if you only get the 2 year RN degree. RN's make significantly more money and the schooling isn't all that different. Around here you are talking the difference of about $25K/year for an LPN to $50K a year for an RN for a NEW nurse.

 

[focusondisney]

Honestly, get your RN, even if you only get the 2 year RN degree. RN's make significantly more money and the schooling isn't all that different. Around here you are talking the difference of about $25K/year for an LPN to $50K a year for an RN for a NEW nurse.

I second this. Where I work LPN's are being phased out. As in this summer. There is so much they can't do that our hospital is just changing to all RN staff. So unless you want nursing home or MD office (very low pay!) there aren't many LPN jobs around here. Good luck what ever you do.

 

[Disney Doll]

Where I live, LPNs are being phased out as well. Basically, LPNs are able to work in doctor's offices and nursing homes around here...that's pretty much it. If you can do a 2 year RN program, you'd probably be better off, both financially and from a maketability standpoint. And, I would also recommend that once you get your RN, that you get into one of those "RN to MSN" programs and get your MSN pretty much right away.

 

[MizTink]

yep. no more lpn's here anymore either.

 

[dakcp2001]

I highly recommend looking into the job market before going into Nursing. I am graduating in May, and very few areas actually hire new grad RN's these days. People are having an awful time finding jobs. A lot of experienced nurses have come back to work (due to the economy, spouses getting laid off etc etc) and it is tough out there. I am going to have to move to another state to get a job. EVen home health and long term care centers are not hiring anyone without a FULL year of experience. No one wants to take the time or expense to train new nurses anymore.

The whole nursing shortage is a myth. There is an overage of new nurses with no jobs. A good place to read up is allnurse.com, it is a great message board where you cna as questions to see if it is better in your area.

 

[WDWisOurHappyPlace]

Wow, this is all good to know, as I have no idea where I'd like to work if this all works out.

I have a few websites bookmarked that I've been studying just to get in the habit of studying and memorizing. Here is just a small example of a page of one of the websites:

http://homes.bio.psu.edu/people/faculty/strauss/anatomy/skel/anterior2.htm

This may be hard to answer, but, how detailed into say the skeletal system, central nervous system, other systems do you study? Is it intensely detailed, or more general? Getting use to the terms is so overwhelming, but now that I've been playing around with it, it is getting easier. I now know what a foramen, fissure, fossa, process, inferior, superior,etc. means. So when I see these terms connected with a body part, it is easier to understand now. I was an A student back in school, so I keep telling myself, I can do this.

 

[focusondisney]

I highly recommend looking into the job market before going into Nursing. I am graduating in May, and very few areas actually hire new grad RN's these days. People are having an awful time finding jobs. A lot of experienced nurses have come back to work (due to the economy, spouses getting laid off etc etc) and it is tough out there. I am going to have to move to another state to get a job. EVen home health and long term care centers are not hiring anyone without a FULL year of experience. No one wants to take the time or expense to train new nurses anymore.

The whole nursing shortage is a myth. There is an overage of new nurses with no jobs. A good place to read up is allnurse.com, it is a great message board where you cna as questions to see if it is better in your area.

Good idea to check your local job market. In my area there are several 2 & 4 year schools & also a good amount of jobs. We haven't seen people coming back into nursing after leaving tho. My department has hired lots of new grads over the last 2-3 years.

If you aren't sure about nursing, try volunteering or maybe get a job as an aide before you invest all that time & money going to school. And remember that many places are seniority based for things like days off, hoilday commitments, vacations & such. You may be starting off on night shift & working on most major holidays. Would you be OK with that? Not that you are old at 48 ( I'm older!) but it wasn't easy to do nights in my 20's, wouldn't want to do them all the time in my 50's.

 

[dis75ney]

No advice that hasn't already been posted, but I just wanted to say good luck! My grandmother went back to school for her RN at 60 years young, and she said it was the best decision she ever made!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The whole nursing shortage is a myth.

I'd have to disagree. The nursing shortage is not about the current job market in the current economy. It means that the average age of RNs is somewhere around 46yo, while the Baby Boomer population is getting older and sicker, yet living longer. So the issue is whether there will be enough experienced RNs in the workforce to replace retiring RNs when they reach retirement age or before - enough to take care of all the people who will be aged and sick at that time, given larger numbers, better treatment and increased life expectancies. I think that things are getting better as more people are finding a nursing career more attractive than they were 20 years ago. But I don't think we can *yet* say there's no longer a nursing shortage.

From the American Nurses Association: http://www.nursingworld.org/mods/archive/mod270/cesh01.htm

 

[Pea-n-Me]

To the OP - I guess I'll take a different approach.

I believe that not everyone is meant to be an RN and that some people might really enjoy being an LPN. Only you can know your financial picture (ie do you need the extra pay?), whether you want to put as much time into school as it would take to become an RN, and whether you want to do the things that go along with being an RN as opposed to an LPN.

My SIL is an LPN and couldn't be happier in her work. Over the years I tried to point out the benefits of becoming an RN but she had no interest. I never quite understood it but it seemed to be the right choice for her. She takes care of severely handicapped children in their homes and loves what she does. I've also worked with some aides who I encouraged to go to LPN school as RN seemed out of their reach but LPN seemed do-able.

So it's something to think about. One thing you could do would be to go to a program that's college based and would accept all your LPN credits toward your RN if you decide to go that route. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[ilovepcot]

Another thing to consider is a medical office assistant. They do many of the things in a doctor's office that an LPN would and the schooling is usually a year. (It is in my area.)

 

[dakcp2001]

I'd have to disagree. The nursing shortage is not about the current job market in the current economy. It means that the average age of RNs is somewhere around 46yo, while the Baby Boomer population is getting older and sicker, yet living longer. So the issue is whether there will be enough experienced RNs in the workforce to replace retiring RNs when they reach retirement age or before - enough to take care of all the people who will be aged and sick at that time, given larger numbers, better treatment and increased life expectancies. I think that things are getting better as more people are finding a nursing career more attractive than they were 20 years ago. But I don't think we can *yet* say there's no longer a nursing shortage.

From the American Nurses Association: http://www.nursingworld.org/mods/archive/mod270/cesh01.htm

As a nursing student graduating in May, and currently looking in the job market, I can tell you there are PLENTY of new grad RN's but no one wants to train them. 99.9% of jobs require minimum of 1 year acute experience. I am relocating out of my state in order to get a job. There are a few states that still hire and train new nurses, my state is not one of them. Last year's grads are still all unemployed, or working as waitresses & bartenders. If no one is willing to train new nurses, how will the "shortage" ever end? In some states there are so many nursing schools pumping out graduates every semester, that many are forced to move or leave Nursing.

FocusonDisney, what state are you in?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

As a nursing student graduating in May, and currently looking in the job market, I can tell you there are PLENTY of new grad RN's but no one wants to train them. 99.9% of jobs require minimum of 1 year acute experience. I am relocating out of my state in order to get a job. There are a few states that still hire and train new nurses, my state is not one of them. Last year's grads are still all unemployed, or working as waitresses & bartenders. If no one is willing to train new nurses, how will the "shortage" ever end? In some states there are so many nursing schools pumping out graduates every semester, that many are forced to move or leave Nursing.

This may be one of those things that falls under the "regional" categories (where are you located?). Cause I can tell you that I'm working with plenty of NLNs and have been right along. Over the years the job market for NLNs has been up and down. There have been years where NLNs couldn't find hospital jobs and had to go into rehabs and nursing homes to get some experience under their belts before they were hired (which managers understood down the road). And some years NLNs could take their picks of jobs in hospitals. Where I work, an NLN who works has been an aide with us in good standing has a very good shot at getting a job on graduation. (BSNs are required, though.)

I hope you can find something soon. Hang in there.

 

[golfgal]

To the OP - I guess I'll take a different approach.

I believe that not everyone is meant to be an RN and that some people might really enjoy being an LPN. Only you can know your financial picture (ie do you need the extra pay?), whether you want to put as much time into school as it would take to become an RN, and whether you want to do the things that go along with being an RN as opposed to an LPN.

My SIL is an LPN and couldn't be happier in her work. Over the years I tried to point out the benefits of becoming an RN but she had no interest. I never quite understood it but it seemed to be the right choice for her. She takes care of severely handicapped children in their homes and loves what she does. I've also worked with some aides who I encouraged to go to LPN school as RN seemed out of their reach but LPN seemed do-able.

So it's something to think about. One thing you could do would be to go to a program that's college based and would accept all your LPN credits toward your RN if you decide to go that route. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Actually this makes perfect sense-since she likes to do the in-home care, getting an RN degree will price her out of the market for what she likes to do. RN's typically do more skilled nursing care in the home where the LPN's do more of the custodial care. She wouldn't be able to do the job she is doing now as an RN unless someone was willing to hire her directly vs working for an agency.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The other thing to consider is commuting costs (and aggravation) to a hospital, at least if you prefer to work in a city hospital. As an LPN you'd likely stay close to home, and there's really something to be said for that (spoken after 26 years of having the same harried, nightmare commute). Wear and tear on car in all kinds of weather and traffic, parking costs, and commuting time should all factor in. On my work days, I'm in the car for at least 2 to 2 1/2hrs, sometimes longer.

 

[Judy from Boise]

[QUOTE
The whole nursing shortage is a myth. There is an overage of new nurses with no jobs. A good place to read up is allnurse.com, it is a great message board where you cna as questions to see if it is better in your area.[/QUOTE]

Really ! Perhaps you need to head back to school and re-study statistics and research. The nursing shortage a highly complex national problem.....but your personal experience effortlessly extrapolates to it? I sympathize with your job hunt.....but please, act like the scientist you just studied to become.


To the OP, in my field of rehabilitation, we employ LPNs to do primary patient care, and educated them extensively. See if you have a rehab hospital nearby. I work with fabulous LPNs.

 

[focusondisney]

As a nursing student graduating in May, and currently looking in the job market, I can tell you there are PLENTY of new grad RN's but no one wants to train them. 99.9% of jobs require minimum of 1 year acute experience. I am relocating out of my state in order to get a job. There are a few states that still hire and train new nurses, my state is not one of them. Last year's grads are still all unemployed, or working as waitresses & bartenders. If no one is willing to train new nurses, how will the "shortage" ever end? In some states there are so many nursing schools pumping out graduates every semester, that many are forced to move or leave Nursing.

FocusonDisney, what state are you in?

Hi! I'm in western New York. Lots of hospitals & free standing medical facilities here.

 

[emh1129]

I am in my last year of an RN program. There are benefits to both the LPN and RN routes.
First- what many people call a 2-year RN program-- well, it's a bit misleading. Usually it takes 2-3 years of prerequisites (part-time, but they are sequential, so you can't do it in a shorter period of time) before you can even begin the 2 year nursing program.
The LPN program in my state has two pre-reqs (a math and English course), so 6 credits, and that's it- then it's an 18 month program.
So.. depending on how long you want to be in school, that's something to consider.
RNs do make more money. And have more job opportunities. The LPNs around here are limited to nursing homes and medical offices/walk-in clinics. But.. if that's where you'd like to work, anyway, then I think you might be happy doing that. There are a lot of factors to consider.

 

[emh1129]

I highly recommend looking into the job market before going into Nursing. I am graduating in May, and very few areas actually hire new grad RN's these days. People are having an awful time finding jobs. A lot of experienced nurses have come back to work (due to the economy, spouses getting laid off etc etc) and it is tough out there. I am going to have to move to another state to get a job. EVen home health and long term care centers are not hiring anyone without a FULL year of experience. No one wants to take the time or expense to train new nurses anymore.

The whole nursing shortage is a myth. There is an overage of new nurses with no jobs. A good place to read up is allnurse.com, it is a great message board where you cna as questions to see if it is better in your area.

Good luck! Many of our nursing students had trouble finding jobs this past summer. Many of the hospitals were on hiring freezes or were just listing fewer positions. It was tough.. I think most of them have found jobs by now, but many of them really had to get creative and take anything they could find.
It's certainly not what it has been like in years past! I graduate in December and really hope it rebounds a bit by then.