Becoming a Nurse – LPN or RN

The field of nursing is promising if you want to find a job that pays well. There is a shortage of nurses and as the population grows, the need for more and more nurses will continue to rise thereby ensuring you can find a job with ease.

How does one become a nurse? One can either take nursing courses in becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN). If you want a fast course then take a licensed practical nursing course. Usually these courses can be finished within a year. Registered nurses take more time to finish usually up to four years. But before one can obtain a license to practice nursing, one has to take a nursing exam called NCLEX. These exams are usually administered twice a year in the USA and its territories like Guam. More recently Mexico and the Philippines were granted the right to hold these exams.

What do you learn in nursing courses? They teach you anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, medical ethics, nursing theory and legal matters pertaining to nursing. Clinical training is an important part in the road to nursing. Nursing students are required to apprentice in hospitals and clinics under strict supervision to insure what they do is correct.

Registered nurses usually earn much more than licensed practical nurses due to the broader nursing knowledge they acquired during college. Specialist registered nurses are the ones who get the best salaries but they need to do additional studies before they can be certified in their field of specialization.

LPN or RN what’s the difference?

LPN or RN what’s the difference?

Every year, more and more people who would want to become a nurse would take up an LPN program first then would eventually go to the next step by getting into an RN program. Which makes us wonder, what is the difference between an LPN and RN?

Licensed practical nurses which are commonly known as LPN are basically the first level nurses. They can do both simple and complex procedures. But these procedures must be done under the supervision of a physician or a registered nurse. They can administer medications and monitor patient’s reaction to the medication given, perform vital sign measurements, maintain patient’s record, collect blood and urine samples and in some states are allowed to administer IV push medications and perform simple laboratory work such as urinalysis. But LPNs are being strictly monitored by either a RN or a physician.

Where as a registered nurse which are commonly known as RN can perform all the things a LPN can do plus other responsibilities since they have more training and more or less have a lot more experience than the LPN. RNs can have different specialties with additional training and experience. They can work independently without the supervision of a practicing physician and can also work as health consultants.

One of the main differences between an RN from an LPN is the fact that RNs have passed the NCLEX. The NCLEX is accepted in every state as an indicator of minimum competency of a new graduate.
When it comes to LPN or RN, what’s the difference? Experience and training are the main difference between the two nursing programs. Basically, RNs have more training and experience than the LPNs in terms of theory and practical applications.