LPN to RN Bridge Programs

Whether you just started looking into the healthcare field or you’ve been a LPN for many years, you may wonder if being a LPN is where you want to stay. Becoming a LPN can be just a step in your education as a nurse. With roughly one year of training, you will be working in a health care setting in a short period of time. From there, you can continue on and expand your scope of practice by becoming a RN.

While most nurse recruiters will agree that a BSN (Bachelor’s of Nursing) makes you more marketable, you may not have the time at the moment to pursue such a degree. If you want to work towards a BSN, or even just want to become a RN, take a look into a LPN to RN bridge program.

Two shorter term avenues to acquiring a RN are an associate’s degree or a diploma. Holding a LPN will shorten the time in these programs by about a year. Going the diploma route will take you roughly 3 years full time. If working towards an associate’s degree only one year full time, since they are only 2 year programs to begin with. At the end of both you will be required to sit for the NCLEX-RN. From there you can take a break from your studies, continue on to your BSN or even have gone as far as you want to in your nursing career.

You’ve made the decision to go through a LPN-RN bridge program, now what. The number of colleges, both traditional and online, is almost ridiculous. What school is best and what type? Narrowing down your search will depend a lot on what you are looking for.

Comparing Nursing Schools

Start by weeding out schools that do not carry accreditation. Check out the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) website for a current listing of both traditional and online nursing schools that they accredit. Also check the school is approved by your state BON to provide the training program. You can find state approved programs here on out website and most of these colleges also provide LPN to RN programs. You might want to start your research from there.

Next decide which type of school, traditional or online, will fit your lifestyle. Both come in a wide range of prices, number of general education classes to attend, minimal credits needed to graduate, number of clinicals to attend and maximum length of time for part-time studies.

Online Nursing Colleges

Online colleges offer greater flexibility with no set classroom time. That’s not to say you can slack off, there will be deadlines for papers and tests. It offers those with limited time to continue on with their education. Fewer clinical classes mean less time out of your already busy schedule. Unfortunately, with online clinicals, you will have to organize your own places, times and preceptors. Also, be most careful with which online schools your state BON will accept.

Traditional Nursing Colleges

Traditional schools offer a more structured approach. You are a name with a face and your professors will have fewer overall students. Personal help and direction are easier to find with traditional schools as well. Clinical classes are set up for you, and if you happen to be working in the area some will allow you to use your work experiences as certain clinical times. With physical classrooms, you will have to work around their schedule. Fortunately, most traditional colleges are BON and NLNAC approved.

Finally, the last big point, for me, would be timing. Traditional colleges do allow you to attend part-time, but they also put a time limit or a credit limit on what is considered part-time. Often they give you a limit on the maximum number of years for you to finish. This time frame is very generous, but can be constraining if you end up having to take a break from continuing your education. Online schools will have limits, but are often more flexible with longer time periods.

Many options exist for anyone wishing to expand the scope of their nursing practice. For those looking to further their nursing career by becoming a RN, a LPN to RN bridge program is the quickest option.