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[C.Ann]

Thanks!

 

[marlasmom]

I don't know about LPN, but RN programs are two years in a lot of places and RNs are paid VERY well. She should maybe check into getting an LPN and an RN later. Much better if she has the RN. Good luck to her.

 

[Krisu]

I am Sending you a PM.

 

[becka]

I think my Aunt was about 30 when she went to get her LPN certification. She has been working at Arkansas Children's Hospital for about 20 years now and she really seems to enjoy her work.

I don't know a great deal about prerequisites but I seem to remember honeywolf said she did a lot of research on the CNA/LPN/RN fields recently so maybe she can help you out.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My mom is an LPN. She went to school at 42 and that was back in 1982. You are never too old.
If she wants better pay and more job flexibility a RN would be better I would think.

 

[Fire14]

I work with the Elderly.

Prereqs. I had to have Chem, Bio, and Algebra. Some require a speech(communcation) Class also.

I love my job It took me 10mos to get my License.

hope this helps

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I am an RN and I'll try and answer some questions you have. Most of the pre-requisite courses for"LPN school" are the same as for RN's. Biology, A&P, chemistry, and so forth. Most LPN schools at least around here are through tech. schools. After all support classes are finished, actual "LPN school" takes about 1 year for clinical and nursing classes. Not sure why she would choose LPN over RN. In some places, even now its difficult to get a job as an LPN. Alot of places have phased them out. And alot of places that have them, give them alot of responsibility for little pay like a nursing home. One of the previous posters stated that RN's make good money. She must not be one. LOL The money seems OK, but with all the bullcrap, horrible hours, did I mention bullcrap, it is nowhere near enough. My sister in law has been a legal secretary for 10 years she doesn't make that much less than me and I've been an RN for 14 years. Doesn't seem fair to me! Tell her to keep her options open. Alot of hospitals will now pay for you to get your nurses degree if she would commit to work there for a certain period of time. And she can work as an aide there while going through school. Good Luck to her, and NO NO 30 is not too old.

 

[Disney Doll]

I am an RN, but I will try to offer some insight, based on discussion with some of the LPNs on my unit.

Many LPN programs are offered through technical schools. The program can be as long as 2 years, depending on how many of the required prerequisites your daughter has(mostly science courses). She would probably do best to check that out with whatever schools she interested in attending. LPNs have to take a state certification exam(as do RNs). LPNs have slightly less responsibilty in most cases, and work under the guidance of an RN. In my hospital, LPNs cannot be in charge, there are certain medications they cannot administer, there are certain nursing procedures they cannot perform. Their pay is not as high as that of an RN.

There are many schools now that offer 2 year RN/Associates degrees...the college of nursing affiliated with my hospital does that. My recommendation to your daughter would be that if it is going to take her 2 years to be an LPN and 2 years to be an RN, then she should go for the RN. There has been some talk in nursing circles in recent years that the LPN role will be dramatically reduced in the next few years, almost to the point of having an LPN act as a nurses aide. One hospital in my area has, in fact, already demoted all of their LPNs to nurses aide level.

Remind your daughter that there are several fields in the health/human services area that could be of interest other than nursing, such as pharmacy tech, medical assistant, lab tech, radiology tech, phlebotomist,nuclear med tech, ultrasonographer, medical coder(a great job that can often be done from home!).

If she is needing a change from her current situation, nursing may not be the asnwer, because it sounds as if many of the "situations" she currently encounters, she will encounter as a nurse. We deal with difficult patients all the time, We get physically attacked by patients and families on a fairly regular basis, the hours are long and lousy, the pay is adequate for the hours worked, but very inadequate when you actually think of the level of responsibilty and lack of respect there is for the profession

My recommendation for her, if she is looking for something that will give her the satisfaction of person-to-person contact without as much of the inherent danger is to look into radiology tech,phlebotomy,ultrasonography or something more along those lines.