Guild of Health

New York school of practical nursing graduates face competition ever since the number of hospital jobs for LPN’s (licensed practical nurses) declines. Yet, jobs may still be available for LPN’s as rapid employment growth is projected in other health care industries, with the best job opportunities in nursing care facilities and in home health care services.

There are a lot of LPN’s in the US since training in a New York school of practical nursing only lasts about 1-year and the state-approved programs in New York school of practical nursing institutions (mostly in vocational or technical schools) reach to over 1-thousand. It is therefore a good thing that replacement needs will be a major source of job openings as many workers leave the practical nursing occupation permanently. Only about 27% of New York school of practical nursing LPN’s work in hospitals, while 25% in nursing care facilities, 12% in offices of physicians, as the other 36% work for home health care services, employment services, elderly community care facilities, public/private educational services, outpatient care centers, and Federal, State, and local government agencies, with about 1 in 5 LPN’s working part-time.

Although employment of LPNs in the traditional hospital setting is expected to continue to decline, conversely, employment of New York LPNs in home health care facilities is expected to grow at least averagely because of the growing number of aged and disabled persons in need of long-term care, also because of consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home. In addition, New York LPNs in nursing care facilities will be needed to care for the increasing number of patients who have been discharged from the hospital but who have not recovered enough. LPN’s are heavily needed for their workloads at 40-hours/week, round-the-clock care on week nights, weekends, and holidays for the patients’ needs.

Here is a list of some New York School of Practical Nursing institutions: ADELPHI UNIVERSITY-Garden City, COLLEGE OF MOUNT ST.VINCENT-Riverdale, COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE-New Rochelle, COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND-Staten, WAGNER COLLEGE-Staten Island, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-NY, HUNTER COLLEGE OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK-NY, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY-NY, STATE-UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK-Buffalo, D’YOUVILLE COLLEGE-Buffalo, DAEMEN COLLEGE-Amherst, DOMINICAN COLLEGE-Orangeburg, LEHMAN COLLEGE OF CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK-Bronx, MERCY COLLEGE-Bronx, LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY-C.W. POST CAMPUS-Brookville, MOLLOY COLLEGE-Rockville Center, MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE-Newburgh, NAZARETH COLLEGE OF ROCHESTER-Rochester, ST.JOHN FISHER COLLEGE-Rochester, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER-Rochester, PACE UNIVERSITY-Pleasantville, SAGE GRADUATE SCHOOL-Troy, STATE-UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK-Binghamton, STATE-UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK-Stonybrook, STATE-UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT BROOKLYN-Brooklyn, STATE-UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-Utica/Rome, STATE-UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY-Syracuse,

Aspiring LPN’s should also find out about accredited NP/Nurse Practitioner Program lists, NP Primary Care Competencies in Specialty Areas (Adult, Family, Gerontological, Pediatric, and Women’s Health), NP Exam/Review Courses, Practice Doctorate (DNP) Resources, HRSA Bureau of Health Professions Nursing Grants, and information and educational resources on nurse practitioners, or search the AANP-American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

An LPN to RN bridge online degree program is an educational program that a licensed practical nurse can take to earn a higher degree in nursing. This degree qualifies the student nurse to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The NCLEX is a required examination that all nursing graduates must take and pass to become a licensed registered nurse in the US.

Is the move from LPN to RN a feasible career direction for you to take? Yes. There is a growing scarcity of registered nurses. One that a World Health Report- 2003 (WHO) acknowledged: “The most critical issue facing health care systems is the shortage of people who make them work”.

In the USA today, statistics show that there is a population on ratio of 773 nurses for around 100,000 patients (The Global Nursing Review Initiative-2005).

Clearly, there is a wealth of job opportunities for an LPN looking for career advancement as an RN in the health care industry. As an RN, you will gain better autonomy. You will also be in the best position to assume a leadership role and substantially increase their ability to earn.

Is there one particular LPN to RN bridge online nursing degree program that you should be looking to join? No – the one that works is a program you have designed for yourself.

As an active LPN, you will be juggling a fulltime job while studying. The first step then is to evaluate your personal circumstances and your career goals.

Ask yourself these questions:

How will you be able to devote sufficient time to learning, while functioning at work and participating in your family’s lives? Can you rely on your family’s support to take on or rotate some of these domestic tasks with you?

Second step – inform the human resources department about your career plans. Their assistance will help you several ways:



Rescheduling work shifts.



Recommendations and guidance on hospital supported programs, as many hospitals offer tuition reimbursements.



Assist you in securing a position in your workplace, for your clinical learning experiences. This is a requirement of both online and offline nursing programs.



Third step – do an engine search for the different schools. Check out their programs. Submit your accomplishments to the accredited schools and then compare which among these will give you the most credits to becoming an RN. Most virtual schools give 30 credits to licensed practical nurses.

Last step – Once you have selected the program to enroll in, use the school’s resources. Most schools will assign you a guidance counselor to assist you with the application process, identify financial aid resources, and help you create a schedule that suits your work and personal schedules. This will help you on your path to bridge the LPN to RN career path.