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Nurses

ljanette85ljanette85 member
in Working Moms

What are your thoughts on obtaining an lpn? I keep getting mixed reviews from people. I am looking for a stable job. I am a massage therapist, great weekend job but not super stable. I was a nanny but i am not going to return to that when LO goes to school. I was thinking of getting my lpn and getting into senior care. I have worked with the elderly before and I really enjoyed it. I think that home care would be nice or an assisted living facility. 

after a few years in the field I would contemplate getting my rn. I just want to be sure before I make that commitment. What I would REALLY love is to get into is OTA or PTA. But the oTA program is only offered through a very expensive private college and the PTA program is an hour away. They may be a possibility when LO is older, but not any time soon.

Im in upstate ny if that helps. I appreciate any insight! 

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Re: Nurses

  • boogerbearoriginalboogerbearoriginal member

    From what I've heard from my Mom/Sister who are both practicing nurses, an LPN isn't worth your time. Most places are either hiring medical technician types (who they can pay less than an LPN to do 'grunt work') or RNs (who can do more than LPN) and are basically phasing out their LPNs. IMO it would be better to just get your RN from the get-go if you think this is the field you'd like to build a career in.

    I have no idea what the job market is like for occupational/physical therapists.

    Either way, I would look at things like job postings at places you are thinking of working (are there any? for what people/skill sets? pay/benefits being offered?) and talk to people you know in the field.  While colleges can be a great resource for information, they are also trying to get your business so they can often oversell degrees/job prospects.



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  • financialdivafinancialdiva member
    My sister is finishing her RN. She is currently a CNA and has worked in various nursing homes while she has attended school.

    I agree with PP that in hospital settings, the LPN is being phased out.

    in the nursing homes my sister has worked in, her boss or shift leader is usually an LPN she said. However, they are an LPN with a lot of experience.

    If you want to get into nursing home care, I would suggest getting your CNA. I think it's like a two week course and a test to be certified. Not a huge time or money commitment and you can test the waters that way to see if this career switch is right for you.

    ETA: the pay as a CNA is horrible FYI
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  • nursebride2benursebride2be member
    Most places are phasing out lpns. Nursing homes might still hire them, but in the long run it is not worth it. If you are not sure about going into the nursing field I reccomend becoming a certified nursing assistant. This is usually a shirt program and test. This would give you a chance to see the nursing feild while working. And you might even be able to work while in school.
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  • groovygrlgroovygrl member

    Definitely the CNA then RN route.

    Also you might want to look into whether there are accredited schools offering PTA or OTA programs online--- a lot of clinical degrees are even going the online route, though the student often has to identify their own clinical sites & preceptors, etc and some programs require small amts of in person time. I don't know much about these 2 types of programs but I'd look at the national accrediting body websites for them to search for schools, they may have a search function to look for online programs.

    GL

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  • ljanette85ljanette85 member
    imagegroovygrl:

    Definitely the CNA then RN route.

    Also you might want to look into whether there are accredited schools offering PTA or OTA programs online--- a lot of clinical degrees are even going the online route, though the student often has to identify their own clinical sites & preceptors, etc and some programs require small amts of in person time. I don't know much about these 2 types of programs but I'd look at the national accrediting body websites for them to search for schools, they may have a search function to look for online programs.

    GL

     

    i will look into that, I didn't think that could be done online. It's such a big decision to go back, I want to make the right one! 

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  • Meery82Meery82 member

    I am a RN and my brother is a PTA. I definitely agree that you should skip LPN and go directly for RN. Get your BSN, if feasible. It seems more and more jobs are requiring it. I work for a local hospital and I don't believe they even hire LPNs anymore. My mother is a RN who works in nursing home management. From what I understand, nurses make less money in the nursing home setting than they do in the hospital setting. I'm not sure if this is the case in New York.

    I don't know quite as much about PTA/OTA, but they seem to be in high demand around here. PTAs seem to make a little bit more money than OTAs. Again, not sure if that's a regional thing or not. I'm located in the Midwest.

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  • groovygrlgroovygrl member
    imageljanette85:
    imagegroovygrl:

    Definitely the CNA then RN route.

    Also you might want to look into whether there are accredited schools offering PTA or OTA programs online--- a lot of clinical degrees are even going the online route, though the student often has to identify their own clinical sites & preceptors, etc and some programs require small amts of in person time. I don't know much about these 2 types of programs but I'd look at the national accrediting body websites for them to search for schools, they may have a search function to look for online programs.

    GL

     

    i will look into that, I didn't think that could be done online. It's such a big decision to go back, I want to make the right one! 

    yeah i have no clue about either one but worth a look. Just make sure they're accredited by the right accrediting body... there are proprietary schools opening all over the place that aren't accredited (for nursing anyway) and students can't get jobs coming out so it is something to watch out for.

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