A career in nursing can be extremely rewarding if you enjoy serving the needs of others. As a licensed practical nurse (LPN), you always have the option of furthering your training towards becoming a registered nurse or, RN. Any registered nurse is required to take a qualifying examination to gain a license as an RN. This exam is also known as the NCLEX or National Council Licensure Examination. But how to become a registered nurse, from LPN to RN? With hard work and determination, this is absolutely doable.

A registered nurse is in a better position than a LPN for a leadership role in a hospital or clinic. This will not only help you advance your career but will also put you in place to increase your earnings substantially. It is important, therefore, to understand exactly how to become a registered nurse, from LPN to RN.

If you are already working as a LPN, you will need to learn to juggle work and study in you want to work towards becoming a registered nurse. Determine your lifestyle – how much time do you need to devote to family, errands, etc. How much you can devote to work and study will depend on your personal family commitments, whether you are single, married, a mother of two and so on. It will help you to speak to the human resources department of your workplace and see if they are willing to help you reschedule work shifts to help with your studying as well as study grants or reimbursements on your course fees.

Take your time to check out the various schools and programs available as there are some programs that help you bridge the gap from LPN to RN. Some programs have the flexibility to be custom designed to suit your lifestyle especially if you are a working professional. You may be required to attend classes at night after work; and if you are especially busy, you might be able to choose to go for class only one night a week.

Many programs are offered online and have a variety of options that allow you to commit to one evening a week, four hours a night, two nights a week or any other customized commitment that suits your personal lifestyle. Eligibility into nursing programs generally require previous relevant education; some schools may also take into account your work experience. Find out about the curriculum offered in your bridge program offering advancing from LPN to RN as well as the caliber of instructors available.

As you look out for suitable courses, it will help to know that there are online degree programs that are specially created to enable you to make the move from a licensed practical nurse (LPN) to registered nurse (RN). A RN degree program is designed to further develop the skills of a LPN as well as prepared a future RN to take on greater roles of responsibility. Once you’ve completed your program, the only thing left to do when going about how to become a registered nurse is to take the NCLEX so that you can begin practicing as a RN.

There are courses available that are designed so that LPNs can earn credits towards their RN qualification. This will help if you are a busy LPN working towards going from LPN to RN. If you are looking to cut your costs and your time in how to become a registered nurse, you should seriously consider earning credits that give you basic prerequisites to become a RN.

There are various nursing school options available to you, and these offer you a variety of alternatives to suit your different lifestyle needs. Traditional schools tend to be expensive and their entrance criteria, strict. If this option does not appeal to you, there are now many reputable online nursing schools that are not only cheaper but also convenient to attend as you can complete your basic course-work in the comforts of your home at times that are convenient for you.

As for the practical clinical requirements of a program from LPN to RN, most schools allow you to complete these prerequisites at a nearby medical facility. With such flexibility and viable options, it is a situation of mind-over-matter when wondering how to become a registered nurse. Remember to find out how current students feel about the online program you’re thinking of enrolling in and how many students actually go from LPN to RN with the qualifications earned.