[Sue Damonas]

I was listening to a patient's heart and lung sounds one day and when I was finished one of her family members said"I didn't know nurses knew how to do that".

[LPN2RNin6]

Originally Posted by blueberrybon

"
I think it's similar when LPNs talk like they're RNs. Some of them probably do just as much work or more, but still aren't an RN and didn't go through the schooling that the RN did. But they seriously want to be "more useful, more knowledgeable, more admired", whatever it is that they seek from being a nurse.


Blue

Not to sound snarky Blue...but just how does a LPN "talk like an RN"...if being knowledable and answering pt questions intelligently means talking like an RN than I guess I do that often...sorry if I misunderstood the comment.

[Kelly_the_Great]

Originally Posted by Works2xs

In just the short time that I've been a nurse, it's been pretty clear to me that while we, as a profession, can't come to grips with how to define ourselves, there's precious little chance that we'll be able to communicate our true skills to anybody outside of the profession.

... to borrow a phrase from Dennis Miller... "that's just my opinion.. I could be wrong."

Well, Works2xs, I for one am in agreement with your opinion!

Here's a quote from the Royal College of Nursing (4/15/03), upon surmounting the colossal task of attempting to define nursing and their stated purpose for doing so, 'If we cannot name it ... we cannot control it, finance it, research it, teach it or put it into public policy.'

[blueberrybon]

Originally Posted by LPN2RNin6

Not to sound snarky Blue...but just how does a LPN "talk like an RN"...if being knowledable and answering pt questions intelligently means talking like an RN than I guess I do that often...sorry if I misunderstood the comment.

No problem, I have a rep of not getting my point across..lol.

Just trying to give a possible reasonable reason for the mind frame of these people who "talk like nurses" that the previous poster was mentioning. I always try finding a reason for people doing the things they do, or saying the things they say.

I'm just using the example "LPN / RN" and "CNA / nurse" as similar. Some people who aren't really nurses won't quickly throw that fact into conversation when talking with nurses because they want to be a valuable part of the conversation, and feel they might lose credability if the fact were known that they're a CNA (for example). Similarly, I think, LPNs sometimes won't inject the title "LPN" into the nurses conversation unless it is necessary or warranted. Even though I don't have plans to move on to RN, I must admit I have been guilty of exactly this sort of thing, and have a couple LPN friends who say the same.

If someone says to me, "I'm a nurse, what are you?" I'm going to say; "I'm a nurse too". I'm not likely to say: "I'm a nurse too, not and RN, but an LPN". There are times when it's natural to just answer, "I'm an LPN", and times when I just want to answer with "nurse".

Does that clear things up? Not bashing LPNs in any way, shape, or form; I'd be bashing myself!

Blue

[Marie_LPN, RN]

I think it's similar when LPNs talk like they're RNs. Some of them probably do just as much work or more, but still aren't an RN and didn't go through the schooling that the RN did. But they seriously want to be "more useful, more knowledgeable, more admired", whatever it is that they seek from being a nurse.

It's called 'professional behavior,' and it's not limited to just RNs. Has nothing to do with some supposed need to be admired, knowledgeable, or useful. Has to do with the professionalism that the pt, family, docs, etc. expect a nurse (LPN or RN) to have.

[charlies]

Originally Posted by SharonH, RN

In fact, I have noticed over the years that the more and more we have moved away from the "dumb" care plan into strictly implementing physician's orders the worse outcomes patients have. Nursing care IMO is far more influential than physician care on patient outcomes and it can make the difference between life and death, I don't care how good the physician is.

I, for one, would prefer that all I had to do was carry out the physicians orders. How easy life would be if that is all I had to do.

nursing care more influential than medicine on patient outcomes? lol. If i have a ruptured abdominal aneurism, I'll take a physician over a nurse anyday.

ps. In school, I used disturbed energy field all the time on my care plans. I think it is enormously ridiculous. Laughable even, how are we supposed to get any respect when we entertain such notions? Next thing you know we are going to break out the crystals, lol. I was challenging my teachers to tell me it was ridiculous and to rewrite. Not a single teacher ever even blinked an eye.

These are just my opinions, please don't get mad at me.

[GardenDove]

What is a 'disturbed energy field'? That sounds like New Age mumbo jumbo.

[PANurseRN1]

I agree that careplans have their place in teaching students--if only we could ditch NANDA. Why can't we just call it as we see it? Instead of saying, "Ineffective airway clearance AEB blah, blah, blah" just say "Shortness of breath." Instead of taking seventy five sentences to state a simple intervention, just state the intervention. We get so bogged down in self-important nurse-lingo that what we actually do gets lost.

God forbid you use a medical diagnosis in a nursing careplan; that was like grieving the Holy Spirit of Nursing. When I was a student, you could never just flatly say your pt. had a "PE" or "pneumonia." You could dance all around the diagnosis, just as long as you never said it directly. How stupid.

[charlies]

from nanda: disturbed energy field: the state in which a disruption of the flow of energy surrounding a person's being results in a disharmony of the body, mind, and/or spirit.

lol

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Originally Posted by charlies

from nanda: disturbed energy field: the state in which a disruption of the flow of energy surrounding a person's being results in a disharmony of the body, mind, and/or spirit.

lol

Sounds like me when i've pulled a double shift.