Questions about RN and LPN
Hi everyone, I really need some honest advice about my nursing pathway.
I moved to the U.S. from another country, and back home I was already in the nursing/healthcare field. Unfortunately, my diploma and education did not fully transfer here, so I basically have to start over in the U.S. nursing system, which has been emotionally difficult and stressful at times.
Right now my Anatomy & Physiology I grade is around a 78. Earlier in the semester I was actually doing well and before my last lecture exam my average was around an 83. Unfortunately, the final lecture exam was extremely difficult for me and I ended up getting a 68 on it, which dropped my overall grade a lot. I’m worried this may end up being a C.
The thing is, I still feel confident about science classes overall. I’m also studying for the TEAS exam, and my practice scores have been strong so far, which makes me feel more confident about admissions testing.
My current plan is:
Spring:
- Anatomy & Physiology I
- Statistics
- English
- Communication
- History
Summer:
- Anatomy & Physiology II
- English II
Fall:
- Microbiology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Humanities/general education electives
So basically, over the next two semesters I’ll already be finishing most of the prerequisite and general education courses required for nursing programs.
Because of that, I’ve been wondering if starting with an LPN program first and then doing an LPN-to-RN bridge later might actually be smarter. My understanding is that if I complete these prerequisite classes now, I hopefully would not need to repeat them during a future bridge program.
My biggest questions are:
- If I end up with a C in A&P I, would that hurt my RN chances badly even if I do much better in A&P II and Microbiology and get a strong TEAS score?
- Would becoming an LPN first be a good temporary career path while later bridging into RN?
- For people who chose the LPN-to-RN route, did you feel it was worth it?
For people who were in similar situations:
- Did you continue directly into RN?
- Did you do LPN first?
- Was the bridge pathway worth it?
Especially looking for advice from people in New York/Long Island nursing programs.