I went to school in Pa. Every state is different.

my story.(copy and pasted from another question I answered, hope it helps)

I went to school for LPN, thru regular college, not a votech. The votech here is 10 months.It took me 18 months but I went that route because I knew I was going on for my RN and wouldnt have to take all the other courses later.

After I got my LPN, I worked for 5 years. I then went back for my RN. 1 year and I was done.

I make $45.00 an hour as a travel nurse. I travel the US. They pay all my housing costs and I get to pick where I want to go. I paid a total of about $20000 for my schooling. My employer reimburses my loan payments monthly.

now with that said, its not easy. I took all my pre-requirements beefore going into nursing so all I had in nursing school was my actual nursing classes. Which made it much easier.The entrance exam is offered twice a year here and you get on a waiting list. The entrance exam is almost like a GED exam. Its general knowledge, not nurisng stuff. The higher the score, the higher the chance you have of getting in the first time.

Once in, your classes are hard.Find a partner at the beginning and study together or in groups. It helps a great deal. Find people that graduated before you and get their notes.

Be ready to be humiliated, stressed out and have no "me time". The teachers are insane,the course work is insane.

Once you graduate you pay Pearson Vue $200 to take the NCLEX which is even harder. You also pay the state fee, whcih varies by state($25.00 to $200) to sit for the boards. Once you pass, you are an RN. (You have to take a similar test to be an LPN)

Is it hard? yes. If it was easy, there would be a million nurses. But its worth it. I dont always like my job but I pick where I want to work. I pick the hours I want to work. I can haggle for pay raises. I work agency and travel so I get a lot of perks most regualr hospital nurses dont.

Psych nursing is the easiest of all the nursing(to me) its interesting. The day goes fast.

You will always have a job.

Go to the college and talk to someone about the program, what you need to get in, all your clearances etc.

It was the hardest thing I ever did...but I dont regret it for a second.

Why don't you just get an associates degree in nursing at the 2 year college? After you do that, you could either become an RN or get your bachelors degree.