Highlight The Big Difference Between LPN and RN Salary

There’s no doubt about it, medical careers are hot at all times. They will be for years to come, for at least two reasons. For one, people always need nurses, whether they are LPNs or RNs.

The second reason is that the largest percentage of the American population is entering or in the throes of their senior years. It means nurses are even more in demand than ever.

Nursing has experienced its own changes over the years, though. What a Licensed Practical Nurse used to do, such as checking vital signs, is now performed automatically by electronic equipment in hospitals. LPN’s had long been a great career or a good entry point into the nursing or medical fields.

It simply required an Associate’s degree, and a license to get to work. It was an attractive way for future Registered Nurses to make a smaller time and financial investment into the field before deciding to “go all-in” to earn their Bachelor’s degree and take the NCLEX, or RN licensing exam.

Registered Nurses
The difference between LPN RN salary is big. These days, hospitals are willing to throw 5-digit sign-on bonuses at RN’s who decide to work at a hospital. They may even offer to pay off student loans and offer other perks as a way to secure the services of solid RN’s.

The difference is also seen in the day-to-day salary, where RN’s bring home a significant salary in comparison. The specific pay depends on the type of nursing field, how much of a specialty it is, and how in-demand it is.

There are exceptions. It used to be an exciting field of study to go into graduate school to pursue becoming a nurse anesthetist. The only problem was that the quality of work was not there in the surgical suite. Many locals have pulled nurse anesthetists out of their hospitals because, despite their advanced degree in the field, they posed medical liabilities to the surgical patient.

LPNs
LPNs can still be of use as they are able to keep watch on patients. They are an asset wherever medication administration and injections are needed. They can give flu shots, provide medication in a psych unit, among other things.

In many cases, they are more practical-minded, rather than overly book-minded. And, that can be a big advantage both in their background on the road to becoming an RN or in a real-life medical situation handling real patients. The difference between LPN RN salary is that the LPN is paid less, though, because they did not go through as many hoops as the RN.

Should you decide LPN is the career path you want to take – click here to read more about how to become LPN.

In short, the difference between LPN RN Salary is the average LPN salary is $42,000 per year while the RN salary is $64,000 per year.