Dear Donna,

I have been an LPN for 15 years. I would like to further my education but do not want to become an RN. What do you suggest?

Wants to Go Back to School

Dear Wants to Go Back to School,

It’s great that you want to further your formal education, and you don’t have to become an RN to do so. In fact, you have many other options.
Many LPNs (and RNs) go back to school to obtain degrees in areas such as healthcare management, healthcare information technology, public health, health education and even majors such as journalism and communications. All of these have relevance in healthcare. Combined with your nursing background, this can make for a dynamic professional package.
When choosing a major, find a program with coursework and curriculum that is interesting and exciting to you. What matters is that you get the degree. The actual major is less important. The one exception is if you want to teach nursing, in which case you typically need a degree in nursing. For additional tips and advice for choosing a major and other practical aspects of returning to school, read the article “How to get back to school.”

Best wishes,
Donna