Should You Bridge from LPN to RN or BSN?

Are you an LPN? If so, you may be a dying breed. It may be time to consider a bridging program. Hospitals are even beginning to incentivize the BSN, so bridging only from LPN to RN may not be enough for the life of a nurse’s career. Long-term care is a home for LPNs, and there is nothing wrong with a career in long-term care; however, the LPN role is being increasingly curtailed, and with usually a year of hard work, the transition to RN can bring with it a lot more money and many more career opportunities.

Hospitals increasingly refuse to hire LPNs. Why? Because their scope of practice is such that it ties up an RN to supervise what they do, and that is just not efficient in these “do way more with much less” times. An LPN used to be more helpful to RNs and the healthcare team, but often now the time required from an RN to supervise an LPN is simply not worth it. My hospital uses LPNs in some areas and has grandfathered some in elsewhere, and they tell me it has gotten to the point that they feel like glorified CNAs. Also, as an RN, I do not like having to supervise LPNs. I have little experience with my responsibilities doing so, and I tread carefully when other people are practicing under my license. I will not simply sign off on an LPN’s assessment unless I have seen the patient myself, and at that point I feel I might as well have done the whole thing myself. I doubt that I am alone.

LPNs, in my view, should give themselves the benefit of the RN after their name. The ones I have worked with generally have many years of experience and often are better nurses than I am, but because they lack two letters after their name they make less money and have severely limited career opportunities. Isn’t it worth a year or so of sacrifice to dramatically improve job satisfaction?

But let’s look at the sacrifice part. Bridging from LPN to RN generally takes a year, and bridging from LPN to BSN can take one to three years. Averaging tuition across the nation is meaningless because of cost of living and many other factors, but you can check your local colleges and community colleges to check tuition costs with a 15-minute web search. Don’t forget books and supplies; nursing education books are notoriously expensive. Also factor in childcare and decreased work hours if you are currently working full-time. And that’s just the financial side. Nursing school is hard. The actual school part is hard, and it takes a toll on family and personal life. Going to school, juggling clinical hours and probably a job at the same time, and setting aside time for friends and family can be a nightmare, and looking at up to three years of that can be truly daunting. Some programs allow you to go part time, but many don’t; it’s all or nothing. My school was pedal to the metal, and I doubt that’s atypical.

Is it worth it? That’s an individual decision, but it’s worth considering. Carefully.