Ask A Nurse: I Want To Become A Nurse But Am Starting Later In Life. Should I Become An LPN And Then An RN?

Job growth for both licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) is climbing, driven by the baby boomer generation hitting retirement age by 2030, nurses who left during the pandemic, and a shortage that predates it. The door is open whenever in life you decide to walk through it.

There are two main routes to RN: start in an RN program, or start as an LPN and bridge into your RN afterward. Here is how to decide which fits a later start.

LPN vs. RN

The difference starts with education. An RN enters with a two-year associate degree (ADN) or a four-year BSN. An LPN finishes a certificate program in 12 to 18 months. After graduation, LPNs and RNs share many of the same tasks, but in hospitals and most facilities, LPNs work as support staff to RNs. Employers increasingly want RNs, and usually RNs with a BSN.

The pay gap is real. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the LPN median is $62,340 and the RN median is $93,600. The tradeoff is timing: an LPN certificate lets you start earning up to a year sooner than an ADN while you finish your RN.

Going LPN First, Then RN

An LPN certificate is entry-level. Accelerated programs run around seven months, but most take 12 to 18 depending on how many credits you carry per term. You need a high school diploma or GED and an accredited program. Skip accreditation and you lose federal aid, your credits will not transfer, and you cannot finish an RN at an accredited school.

After graduating, you apply to sit for the NCLEX-PN. Pass it, get licensed through your state board, and you can start working and earning while you finish your RN. From there you have options.

An ADN works but takes more than two years while employed, and most employers want BSN-prepared nurses, so it may not be the efficient choice. An LPN-to-BSN program is usually better: your LPN credits and work experience transfer and shorten the path.

LPN-to-BSN programs come in-person and online. Online can cost less, with no commute and sometimes a lower per-credit rate, but it asks more of you if you learn better in a classroom. Whichever you choose, weigh admission requirements, clinical support, accreditation, curriculum, graduation rate, and NCLEX-RN pass rate. Each one affects whether you finish and get licensed.

The Tradeoffs of Starting as an LPN

The upside: the certificate is quick, often 18 months or less, with flexible scheduling that most employers will work around. You get a steady job with benefits like health and life insurance while you finish your degree, and some LPNs even travel for work.

The downside: many hospitals and physician offices are moving away from hiring LPNs, so your best bet for work may be gerontology. LPNs earn less, have limited practice authority and job mobility, and can feel overlooked despite being essential. If you are using the role as a stepping stone, though, that limitation only lasts until your RN is done.

The Best Way to Start Later in Life

Nursing is a career and often a calling. If you are committed, the strongest entry is a BSN. If you already hold a non-nursing associate or bachelor's degree, accelerated programs can get you there faster. But not everyone can step away from work for two or three years, and that is where the LPN route earns its place: it lets you work while you study.

Most programs know how to accommodate older students. The right path comes down to your circumstances, and only you can call it.