Crunchy Nurses '08 - Page 9

[gealach]

Congrats for all of you finishing up or just finishing up the year! 2 more finals and then 3 sweet glorious weeks of freedom until my next 8-week semester starts.

[ollineeba]

Originally Posted by gealach

Congrats for all of you finishing up or just finishing up the year! 2 more finals and then 3 sweet glorious weeks of freedom until my next 8-week semester starts.

Enjoy your 3 weeks off! Get some sleep!!

[babibelli]

i'm glad i found this thread. i'm just finishing up my last semester of pre-reqs and i start nursing school in the fall.(i'm taking a break from studying for my patho final right now.:yawning i'm a single mama too.. thanks for the good advice. reliable childcare is the most important. luckily i have a good daycare and family as a backup and they are very helpful ( my mom's taking the kids this weekend so i can study) somehow i've managed to have it all work out ok. i'm a little nervous about my clinicals but i guess i'll just take it one semester at a time, one test at a time...

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by babibelli

i'm glad i found this thread. i'm just finishing up my last semester of pre-reqs and i start nursing school in the fall.(i'm taking a break from studying for my patho final right now.:yawning i'm a single mama too.. thanks for the good advice. reliable childcare is the most important. luckily i have a good daycare and family as a backup and they are very helpful ( my mom's taking the kids this weekend so i can study) somehow i've managed to have it all work out ok. i'm a little nervous about my clinicals but i guess i'll just take it one semester at a time, one test at a time...

me too, babibelli! i just got my acceptance letter on wednesday.
lucky you, though, with the family support. even if my mom lived here, she wouldn't babysit. she has made it clear to both my brother and me that she is NOT a babysitter
i'm having a bit of trouble lining up childcare-- i was hoping against hope that they'd have most of my class hours during ds's school hours, including before/after school, but they don't
i get two (i think) sections to choose from. one has weekdays only, but i have to BE there at 6:30am. the other has 2-3 weeknights till like 7pm, and 12 hours (6-6?) every saturday. stinky choices!
thank the gods i finished prereqs already.

[gealach]

Originally Posted by goodygumdrops

I guess my first real thing is to get my asn/bsn and get out there. I think the asn would be easier because the CC is less than 10 minutes from my home, daycare at CC, not an accelerated program,etc.

I am starting to lean that direction again with the idea that I can finish my degree through a RN to BSN/MSN bridge program.

I do really need to have some income over the next few years.

Hi again Goody. I thought of this thread the other day as a friend I know IRL is contemplating the ASN vs BSN thing and we were discussing her options. She brought up another point (which you may have considered, but just in case) about wait times for entrance into each of the programs.

We have both heard that a lot of associate's programs have long waiting lists right now. The ABSN programs (if you are qualified) are less likely to have a waiting list. I know with my program, entrance is based mostly on your GPA, especially your pre-req grades. There is no actual waiting list from year to year.

So, if your goal is to get in and out quickly and get working, you might want to check on the wait list times for each of the programs.

[attachedmomto3]

LPN or RN

I am going to start my pre reqs this fall at a cc to get my associates RN. The program they have is a ladder program. Everyone will get their LPN after the first year and then you can stop and start working as an LPN or you can go on for another year and get your associates RN.

I am a single sahm, and i need to make my own $$. Should i stop at the LPN level and start working or should i just keep going once i start and get the RN? Have any of you done that? WWYD? What is the pay difference between
LPN and RN? I think i should just keep going and get my RN, that's what i truly want to do.

TIA!

[choosewisdom]

Originally Posted by attachedmomto3

I am going to start my pre reqs this fall at a cc to get my associates RN. The program they have is a ladder program. Everyone will get their LPN after the first year and then you can stop and start working as an LPN or you can go on for another year and get your associates RN.

I am a single sahm, and i need to make my own $$. Should i stop at the LPN level and start working or should i just keep going once i start and get the RN? Have any of you done that? WWYD? What is the pay difference between
LPN and RN? I think i should just keep going and get my RN, that's what i truly want to do.

TIA!

Just keep working toward your RN... There are many hospitals that are no longer hiring LPN's and most clinics will go for the cheaper medical assistant over the LPN. RN's in my area start around 20, LPN's start around 13 (if you can find a job).

It is one more year for much greater earning potential!!

[gealach]

Originally Posted by attachedmomto3

Should i stop at the LPN level and start working or should i just keep going once i start and get the RN? Have any of you done that? WWYD? What is the pay difference between
LPN and RN?

TIA!

I can't help with any of the other decisions... but I did a quick search about pay difference for you. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pay difference between an LPN and RN is about 20 thousand a year. Median annual salary in May 2006 for an LPN was about $37,000. For an RN it was around $57,000. From http://www.bls.gov/

[mags]

Originally Posted by gealach

I can't help with any of the other decisions... but I did a quick search about pay difference for you. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pay difference between an LPN and RN is about 20 thousand a year. Median annual salary in May 2006 for an LPN was about $37,000. For an RN it was around $57,000. From http://www.bls.gov/

Wow, as an RN I would LOVE to be paid that much! At my last job 5 yrs ago, with several yrs of critical care exp, I was only getting paid $20/hr (36 hrs a wk, don't forget that most nurses don't work 40 hrs, usually you do three 12's)... I'm an RN with BSN.

As for the pp with the LPN vs. RN question. A lot of nursing homes hire LPNs, some hospitals do too, like the one I worked at last, they kept saying they were going to phase them out, but never did quite do so. Also, many doctor's offices hire LPNs. There is nothing wrong with getting your LPN, finding a PT job to earn some $ and get exp, while continuing your RN training. I think it's very logical for someone who needs to get out into the workforce ASAP. Plus, if you work at a place that offers tuition assistance, they may help with your RN education. I also think that with actual hands-on exp, it will benefit your journey toward becoming an RN. Even just having nursing assistance exp helps a great deal with nursing school and I highly recommend it. There was a huge difference btwn the nursing students in my program who had nursing asst experience and the ones who didn't (or who chose to do something like be a unit secretary). The ones who have some nursing asst transition much more smoothly after nursing school, just due to the fact that they are more comfortable with a lot of nursing tasks (ie: lifting patients, taking blood sugars, basical ADL pt stuff, vital signs, pt load mgmt, wound care, etc.), that you don't HAVE to be a nurse to do, but as a nurse you still need to know how to do those tasks, kwim?

[gealach]

Originally Posted by mags

Wow, as an RN I would LOVE to be paid that much! At my last job 5 yrs ago, with several yrs of critical care exp, I was only getting paid $20/hr (36 hrs a wk, don't forget that most nurses don't work 40 hrs, usually you do three 12's)... I'm an RN with BSN.

I know! I thought those salaries sounded awfully high too. But, those are the actual median numbers from the BLS for 2006. I assume that high cost of living areas bump those numbers up quite a bit. Or a whole lot of nurses working nights and getting shift differentials? Not sure what causes it to look so high.

[geekgolightly]

Originally Posted by gealach

I know! I thought those salaries sounded awfully high too. But, those are the actual median numbers from the BLS for 2006. I assume that high cost of living areas bump those numbers up quite a bit. Or a whole lot of nurses working nights and getting shift differentials? Not sure what causes it to look so high.

Absolutely. RN's in SF, CA are paid in the 40/hr range, so it evens out. 20/hr with several years experience does seem a small wage, though. I live in an area where cost of living is quite low, and I make almost 26/hr. I have 7 years experience.

[ollineeba]

Sounds like it varies a great deal depending on location. Nurses make great salaries here in CT- course the COL is a bit higher, as a pp mentioned.

[lorijds]

I live in NE Kansas. A brand new grad RN starting out makes about $20/hr baseline in this area. This would include Topeka and KC. Some hospitals pay a 10% increase for a BSN, most do not provide any pay difference between ASN and BSN. A brand new LPN starts probably around $12/hr. Nursing homes are likely to pay more, but the work environment is less optimal. For example, an LPN at our hospital will get a minimum of 6 weeks precepted training, and another 4 weeks where she doesn't count in our staffing, so she (and everyone else) gets a lighter load. The local nursing homes are lucky to provide one week of training. I oriented at a nursing home for a prn position where my preceptor *never showed up*--so actually, I received NO orientation.

Night shift pays a couple dollars more an hour, so does a weekend. I make an additional differential if I am charge nurse for the night (we have two full time charges, and I am the pick-up-the-odd-nights charge nurse). I made a little over 50K last year, with my ASN, as a fairly new nurse. I'm working on my BSN, but I will receive no pay increase once it is completed.

In my area, the only people who are really hiring LPNs are nursing homes and physician's offices. The hospital will hire you if you were already employed there as an aide, and you are working on your RN. So, for example, my friend got a job there as an aide, then enrolled in a two tiered program. She graduated with her LPN and immediately started on her RN. They hired her as an LPN with the condition that she continue on with her RN. The hospital used to hire more LPNs, but not any more.

Hope that helps. I feel like I am adequately paid. My hospital provides a lot of paid training--I'm ACLS, PALS and NRP certified, and I've taken several short classes on documentation, skin assessment, wound care, etc. I only work 3 nights a week. I make more than my husband, who has been a public school teacher for 12 years, has two undergrad and one masters degree. AND my benefits are better--the family insurance costs half of what it would through his work.

I'm very happy with my profession, my pay, and my hours. I love my job.

[lactivistmama]

As for a pay scale. I worked in a Northern CA hospital, and had a RN friend with a BSN and 6 years at the hospital.. She worked pm shift not nocs and made $57/hr 8 hr shifts! I am an LVN and make over $28/hr day shift 8 hr shift

[marilynmama]

Originally Posted by attachedmomto3

I am going to start my pre reqs this fall at a cc to get my associates RN. The program they have is a ladder program. Everyone will get their LPN after the first year and then you can stop and start working as an LPN or you can go on for another year and get your associates RN.

I am a single sahm, and i need to make my own $$. Should i stop at the LPN level and start working or should i just keep going once i start and get the RN? Have any of you done that? WWYD? What is the pay difference between
LPN and RN? I think i should just keep going and get my RN, that's what i truly want to do.

TIA!

Only you can really answer that question. There is NOTHING wrong with working as an LPN and I would recommend it, even if you just work pt as an LPN while finishing up RN school. It would give you great experience. I wouldn't stop school, I really do think you do need to get your RN. Just more opportunities and much better pay with your RN.

[marilynmama]

Originally Posted by gealach

I can't help with any of the other decisions... but I did a quick search about pay difference for you. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pay difference between an LPN and RN is about 20 thousand a year. Median annual salary in May 2006 for an LPN was about $37,000. For an RN it was around $57,000. From http://www.bls.gov/

That sounds about right for the median salary here in Oklahoma (and we are one of the lowest paying states).

I've been an RN for a year now and am making a little over $20/hr base pay plus I work nights and every other weekend so that adds a LOT more to my paycheck. I make about $45,000 a year as a new RN. All the experienced RNs I work with make $30/hr or more. For Oklahoma that is a VERY well paying job.

I feel blessed to have the job I have making what I do.

[michelleklu]

I was wondering if you guys have a lot of money owed in student loans. Right now I am a SAHM and in no rush to get a job. I have always been interested in nursing though. I have completed only a couple of semesters in college and wondering if it would be a good idea to go back. I know there are several benefits in returning but would it put me in serious debt before I finish becoming a RN?

How long would it take to work off the debt? My aunt's make $40-50/hr as nurses. They have been at their hospitals for years, but wow that'd be nice someday.

[lactivistmama]

Originally Posted by marilynmama

Only you can really answer that question. There is NOTHING wrong with working as an LPN and I would recommend it, even if you just work pt as an LPN while finishing up RN school. It would give you great experience. I wouldn't stop school, I really do think you do need to get your RN. Just more opportunities and much better pay with your RN.

I would say there is NOTHING wrong with doing it this way as well!!!.. and this is the way I did it. For me, it was "easier" to get into the LVN to RN step up program than it would have been to get into an RN program. And I had been working as an LVN as well.

[lactivistmama]

Originally Posted by michelleklu

I was wondering if you guys have a lot of money owed in student loans. Right now I am a SAHM and in no rush to get a job. I have always been interested in nursing though. I have completed only a couple of semesters in college and wondering if it would be a good idea to go back. I know there are several benefits in returning but would it put me in serious debt before I finish becoming a RN?

How long would it take to work off the debt? My aunt's make $40-50/hr as nurses. They have been at their hospitals for years, but wow that'd be nice someday.

Yep, It is going to take me forever to pay off my student loans. I have about $28,000 to pay off (I don't know the exact amount, because I am still in school so I am not paying on them until I graduate) but I am ok with that.The repayments are a very small portion of what my paycheck will be and I can speed it up a little if I want to.

[newmom0730]

I am a peds RN and again, crunchier than most. Did anyone get funny looks when mentioning thoughts on a homebirth? I've found many nurses here seem almost opposed to the idea, it shocked me!