Pennsylvania, PA | LPN Nursing Program Information
Why Enter an LPN to RN Program in Pennsylvania?
A job as a Licensed Practical Nurse in Pennsylvania can be rewarding. But there are many options for career advancement, including licensure as a Registered Nurse—the largest group of health care practitioners in the United States, and a group that is expected to grow substantially in numbers in the coming years. In Pennsylvania cities, RNs typically make fifty percent more than LPNs, an average of about $65,000 per year (according to BLS.gov), plus benefits. It only takes one more year of study to move from LPN to RN and reap the benefits of significantly higher wages and increased flexibility and responsibility in the workplace. Therefore, an LPN to RN program in Pennsylvania can be well worth the effort.
| |
Pennsylvania Nursing Info.
|
|
Registered Nurses are responsible for a much larger range of tasks than LPNs—in fact, they are often their direct superiors. In addition to managing Licensed Practical Nurses, they oversee Certified Nursing Assistants in patient care while assessing patient needs and creating and modifying a plan of care based on their assessments. Although over sixty percent of RN’s work in a hospital, Registered Nurses can also work in a wide range of other settings from doctor’s offices to long term care facilities and public settings such as schools and community centers. In addition, RNs can be community educators with regards to public health, work in mental and occupational health, anesthesia, radiology, maternity and beyond. Indeed, the opportunity for specialization extends to all areas of health care.
How to Enter an LPN to RN Program in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, it is possible to complete the year of training required for an LPN to RN program online or in a classroom. Prerequisites include, predictably, current certification as an LPN and, usually, a year of experience working as an LPN. Required courses build upon those taken during LPN training and include biology, math, chemistry, English, communications, and, of course, are mostly made up of nursing-specific study. And because it adds a year to an LPNs training, an LPN to RN training program in Pennsylvania can result in an Associate Degree, Nursing.
LPN to RN students take the RN version of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), which costs $200 from the exam administrator Pearson Vue , along with a $35 application fee to the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing. The test adheres to a stricter standard than the NCLEX-PN, but pass rates are still very high—the success rate is above 85 percent. Once received, an RN license requires 30 hours of continuing education for renewal every two years and renewal costs $45.
Taking an LPN to RN in Pennsylvania is only the second step in nursing training. Once completed, RNs may pursue a Bachelor of Science, Nursing, and after that it is possible to enter graduate programs in both health and education, which lead to even more diverse careers in the education system, public health and beyond.
|
