The Benefits of Switching from LPN to RN

Posted On January 24,2017

Make no mistake about it, being an LPN can be a satisfying employment opportunity that is like nothing else. It is relatively easy to get started, and the working hours are abundant.

But it does have some disadvantages, one of which is that it is considered an entry level job and also, as an LPN, you’ll always need to be supervised, which ultimately gives you limited choices for career advancement.

A good option to consider is to use your LPN knowledge and become a registered nurse. Switching from an LPN to RN opens up many different employment opportunities that you could not possibly hope to have if you were just an LPN alone, and there are many other benefits as well.

Schedule Flexibility

If you are an LPN, you already know you have limited choices on your work schedule, and the chances are you won’t even have an opportunity to work when you want to. But going from an LPN to RN gives you incredible flexibility in the workplace, and you’ll be able to pick and choose a schedule, like weekends, part or full time, and different shifts, that work best for you.

Employability

A licensed RN has many different options for employment that an LPN can only dream of. Because an RN does not have to be supervised, they can work alone and be a part of situations where they have a greater freedom to make decisions based on the needs around them. That makes being an RN a much more valuable, and an employable commodity.

Wages

An important factor to remember is that switching from an LPN to RN increases your wage potential by more than $24,000 dollars per year. Wages can also be significantly higher in specialized situations that an LPN would never have access to. The average wage of an RN is about $65,000 dollars per year, and if you specialize your wages could go up considerably.

Advancement Opportunities

Although there are advancement opportunities for LPNs across the board, most LPNs advance only to long term caregivers or rehab assistants. RNs, on the other hand, can get into specialized fields like oncology, diabetes management, pediatrics and team leaders are often filled by RNs.

Job Security

As nursing duties become more complex, LPNs are slowly being relegated to basic caregiving functions, which are limited in depth and scope. An RN, on the other hand, is a specially trained and valuable asset to any place of employment they are hired to. RNs will always be in demand by virtue of their training and their education, in a variety of specialty fields, worldwide.

Being an LPN can be your first step to becoming an RN, and you’ll be able to obtain an RN degree in one year at the Athena Career Academy. Contact us and we will show you how to further your nursing career.