Going from LPN to RN

Increasingly, licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are making the transition to registered nurses (RNs) [1]. The benefits of this transition include a much-needed increase in the size of the RN workforce, increased diversity among RNs, and self-actualization for the practitioners making the change [2]. For those considering this step, understanding how one could make this career shift, and the common pitfalls associated with itcan help ensure that the move from LPN to RN is as seamless as possible.

Before considering how one could go from LPN to RN, it is important to highlight the difference between these two positions. Compared to RNs, LPNs have a more restricted scope of practice [3]. While LPNs mainly collaborate with other medical practitioners in care design and may perform tasks that are more physical in nature, RNs possess “overall accountability for care planning,” meaning that they play a more analytical role as they identify and react to changes in patients’ conditions [4]. As a result, RNs must be in school longer —two to four years, compared to twelve to eighteen months for LPNs— and accordingly spend more on their education [3, 5]. They do, however, tend to earn more money on average [6].

Fortunately, LPNs making the transition to RN may not need to start from zero. LPNs could participate in LPN-to-RN bridge programs, which “build on the existing knowledge, training and experience of an LPN” to expedite the educational process [6] These programs may require as few as a couple of weeks to complete and allow LPNs to finish the required educational requirements and sit for the RN licensure examination, the NCLEX-RN [5, 6]. While some research suggests that there is no significant difference between LPNs who opt for bridge programs as opposed to generic, non-fast-track programs in terms of preparedness for the required RN assessments, participants in bridge programs nevertheless display success consistently [2].

While the existence of bridge programs may facilitate the move from LPN to RN, the transition can nevertheless be a difficult one for LPNs. Transitions are generally disruptive and stressful; nurses who make it have reported feeling afraid, inadequate, insecure, uncertain, and lost, among other emotions [4]. Besides self-doubt, nurses making the transition may also face logistical difficulties. Many LPNs have limited financial resources and therefore must work while studying [1]. Other responsibilities, such as childcare duties, may also impede their ability to focus on their education [1]. It is unsurprising, then, that LPNs are more likely to transition if they are male and attained their LPN license at a younger age, given how gender and age may impact the amount and share of family responsibilities that a person takes on [1].

To facilitate the move from LPN to RN, researchers emphasize the importance of launching initiatives that combat the common difficulties experienced by professionals making this transition. Such initiatives can take the form of faculty members providing students with emotional support in the form of mentoring relationships or ensuring that all students receive respect, regardless of whether they were previously LPNs before deciding to become RNs or are beginning their careers as RNs [7]. While helping LPNs become RNs may be a resource-intensive process requiring careful deliberation, the benefits in the form of diversity, staffing, and empowerment that such help would provide make the sacrifice worthwhile.

References

[1] C. B. Jones et al., “An untapped resource in the nursing workforce: Licensed practical nurses who transition to become registered nurses,” Nursing Outlook, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 46-55, Jan.-Feb. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2017.07.007.

[2] S. Birkhead, M. Araldi, and R. Cummings, “A Model of Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse Educational Articulation: A Successful Approach to Advancing the Nursing Workforce,” Journal of Nurses in Staff Development, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. E8-12, Sept.-Oct. 2009. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1097/nnd.0b013e3181ba3d44.

[3] S. Jividen, “RN vs LPN: What’s the Difference Between Them?,” Nurse.org. [Online]. Available: https://nurse.org/resources/rn-vs-lpn/.

[4] M. Goodwin-Esola and L. Gallagher-Ford, “Licensed practice nurse to registered nurse transition: developing a tailored orientation,” Journal of Nurses in Staff Development, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. E8-12, Sept.-Oct. 2009. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1097/nnd.0b013e3181ba3d44.

[5] L. Cook et al., “Returning to school: The challenges of the licensed practical nurse-to-registered nurse transition student,” Teaching and Learning in Nursing, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 125-28, July 2010. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2010.02.003.

[6] “LPN to RN Programs,” Nursing License Map [Online]. Available: https://nursinglicensemap.com/nursing-degrees/rn-programs/lpn-to-rn/.

[7] A. E. Cornine, S. L. Crawford, and S. Sullivan-Bolyai, “Facilitators and Inhibitors of LPN-to-RN Student Transition: A Cross-Sectional National Survey,” Nursing Education Perspectives, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 18-23, Jan.-Feb. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001051.