Whats wrong woth just tsatying a CNA or LPN? Why do people make it seem like it mnandatory to get a BSN or Masters in Nursing. Whats the positive side of staying a CNA or LPN?

As long as you love what you do...it doesn't matter.....CNA's have the hardest, yet most fullfilling roles. They touch peoples lives each and every day!

I think I can better help patients if I am more knowlegiable in my profession. I love nursing, I've been a CNA for almost 9 years. I said, if I was to continue in nursing, I would be a Registered Nurse. I think everyone has a calling. It depends on what you are called to do.

There are pros and cons to doing both. The first, most obvious pro is the money. But is the hourly wage really worth it if as an RN you are doing more paperwork than patient work? To cuttie I say this: you do not have to go back to school and become an LPN or RN to be more knowlegable to better help your patients. You can get the knowlege you want and feel you need by going online, or getting books to read. Or find a mentor who is willing to share his/her knowlege with you. I have been in the OR for 20+ years, but I still look to some of my more expirienced unlicensed collegues for info. If you are looking to advance, or to help your patients in a more broad scope and not so much one on one, then, yes, you need to go back to school. You need to do your research, and decide what it is you want to do AND how responsible/liable you are willing to become. The more initials behind your name the more liable you become. Sad but true.

FIRST THING IS CNA IS DEALING DIRICTLY WITH HANDS ON AND KNOWS WHEN PTS. AREN'T FEELING WELL OR KNOW WHAT'S GOING ONTOO. BUT IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WHAT TO DO THEN GO FOR IT.

It seems that this patient has inspired you to a higher level...go with it if it feels right!
God Bless,
Emma!~

There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying a CNA or an LPN, if you can afford to live with CNA wages. As an LPN you could probably live with LPN wages and be very satisfied with your position. LPN's like RN's are still very much alike in their job duties and the pay. Their pay is usually only seperated by anywhere between $5 to $10 an hour. Which is alot, but still not so much if you compare an RN's duties and wages with that of a CNA. Where can sometimes be as much of a seperation as $20 to $30 an hour. We all know that CNA's do the hardest work, and take care of the 'dirty' work that LPN's and RN's don't do, or won't do. No hospital or nusing facility could function without CNA's they are the backbone of nursing. And, still they are overworked and underpaid. Its a very rare thing, and maybe only in certain parts of the nation where a CNA could possibly even make $20 an hour. CNA's don't have a union to make sure they are treated and paid fairly which I think is unfair in itself. We will always NEED CNA's, and yet if their working conditions and especially the pay don't get better, we will always have a shortage of people satisfied with staying in a CNA position. Especially with this big boom of baby boomers reaching retirement ages. I think its because of the wages that people feel that being a CNA is not as a 'respectable' position as being an LPN or an RN. I have worked in hospitals all accross this nation and I have seen the pay for a CNA range from about $8 to $19 an hour. Most average around $10 an hour. And, I don't know about all of you, but as a single parent I cannot live on wages like that. And, we all know the difference in the workload of a CNA to an LPN to an RN. I have been a CNA now for 17 years, I actually love being a CNA. But for 17 years I have been financially struggling to survive. I have serious back problems that now limit my lifting capabilities. But I just cannot live with these wages anymore. And, with 17 years experience I make a better wage than the average CNA. I am in school to finish my RN which is taking forever because I have to work full time. If I can at least make it to get my LPN life would be a little easier because of the pay. With house payments, car payments, and all the other bills that go with just surviving, oh and childcare, (they make almost as much as a CNA) I personally have to go all the way for my RN, no matter what!

cbdavis!!!!!!!! then why not move up to a Doctor since you want to go all the way?

Doctors do less lifting then CNAs or Nurses? and more $?

You have to think about your situation. A CNA salary is not enough alone for most people unless they are an agency CNA or include night and weekend diff. If you are a single person without dependents than an LPN salary would be enough. No, you won't be rich but it's enough to support youself. And if you sign with an agency as an LPN you'll make pretty darn good (that is in the context of what an LPN makes.) Think about what's best for you. And if you become an LPN first the transition from LPN to RN will be much easier for you and with alot of places now offering LPN to RN bridge programs it won't take as long as it used to.

LoveNursing2009 said:

What is the difference in job duites. LPN vs RN-Associate Degree?

Nclex exam was the LPN less difficult than RN?

Sandyandy said:

NurseNursesy said:

Associate degree RNs mean nothing anymore! So many RNs are getting BSN, Masteres, PHD? Why not just become a doctor?

I disagree that ADN degrees mean nothing anymore. . .on the floor I work we have a mixture of RNs and we work as a team and have the same job description.

At the same time, I will say I don't have the desire to get any more intials behind my name because at some point the increase in initials means getting further away from the bedside. Primay nursing is my calling not sitting in a manager's chair. We all have different strengths and gifts and some are better with the patients and some fit better doing with the paperwork and managing. We are all valuable. . .and that includes the CNAs and LPNs, (and the unit clerks, the janitors, the dietary people, etc etc!!) as well. It's called TEAM!!

There used to be an old saying: A nurse is a nurse is a nurse. But it's really not true. There are great RNs and there are poor RNs. There are great LPNs, and poor LPNs. And there are great CNAs, and poor CNAs. Each has their function and role, and all are important.

ADN grads come out of school ready to work, typically. The focus is on fundamentals of practice. Diploma RNs had the best of both worlds: intensive classroom work, and OJT. BSN grads need more time to get up to speed on the vigours of everyday practice, but in the long run have more opportunities than ADNs.

LPNs graduate quickly, can perform many basic nursing tasks, and if trained properly can do almost everything an RN can do. THe difference is scope of practice: they cannot usually be leaders, must work under supervision, can collect data, but not interpret it. It helps alleviate staffing needs, and provides a mid-way step into nursing for some that has practical advantages (working sooner).

NurseNursey: there is a fundamental difference between doctors and nurses. Doctors cure their patients. Nurses care for them. Both are invested in the welfare of their patients, but their approach differs. One cannot exist without the other. Someone who chooses to go into nursing does so because he or she values that role and its contributions and believes that is where their strengths best lie. Some may be disappointed Med School applicants, but most want to be nurses.

My brother used to ask me why I didn't go to med school. I couldn't make him understand it was the active involvement in the welfare of my patient's that attracted me more than diagnosis and treatment. He didn't think much of my professional choice until our mother fell ill on his wedding day. Once we got her to the hospital, his jaw literally dropped as I explained to the family what was happening, what tests would be done, and would the likely output would be. He thought all I did was change bedpans.

I support any CNA who wants to do more with her life. I think its great. Sometimes they have to take the intermediate step of LPN school first. But the point is professional growth, and I love people who know what they want out of life.

I have a friend who is a LPN and they are paying for her to get her Associate's degree at the college I'm getting mine at. I think LPNs make more money too; but again, it's all about what you want to do and where you want to go.