Opinions please...

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a 29 yr old LPN, and I have a 9 month old son. My boyfriend and I are getting married in the spring and going to try for our second child next summer. My family and being a mother is the most important thing to me, way above work/career.

I work at an assisted living facility that will pay me full time wages while going to school full time to get my RN, as well as give me tuition reimbursement. That is an amazing opportunity, HOWEVER, my dilemma is this:

Would it be a waste of time to go to school considering the only MAIN reason i want to get my RN is out of embarrassment of being an LPN? The increase in pay will be nice, but it's not a necessity considering my boyfriend makes $90,000/yr.

My MAIN priority is to have children, but I dont know if I shoudl take this opportunity or not.

PLEASE, some opinions.

If you really don't want to be an RN, but are not satisfied with the job title of LPN, I personally wouldn't bother with going back for the RN. It's a challenging program and unless it's something you really want, it would be easy to start it and not finish it. I'm sorry you're not happy with your current role.

With regard to wanting to be a mommy, that's awesome. I would humbly suggest that you not rely on your boyfriends income to support a family though. In the event that the relationship doesn't last, you're going to need a solid income of your own in order to raise your children. I'd also suggest that you resolve the career issue before deciding to have children. Lots to consider! :wink2:

Also edited for spelling error so that I don't incur the wrath of RunningwithScissors.

Specializes in sub acute, ALF. Currently in RN school.

I guess my biggest fear in school getting in the way of having our next child. The embarrassment comes from over and over again hearing that LPN's are not real nurses.

Specializes in Cardiac/Tele/Step-down.
Whoa, whoa, and whoa.

I have a very high sense of self-worth, thank you. I take pride in who i am as a person. I am an excellent mother, attractive, and I have a high IQ, need I go on?

However, I am SICK of being told that an LPN is not a nurse, LPN's cannot do this or that, etc. If that were not the case, I would remain as an LPN...

I was asking for opinions only on what I should do. Don't dare assume that I have "underlying issues of self-worth" when you don't even know me.

Just my take on it..... but you list all the great things about you as a person but not as a nurse? Just wondered.........BTW I also made the mistake of saying I was "just" a LPN. This was a one time deal said in front of a LPN of 15yrs and I learned my lesson and I will never say it again and I hope that you learn that same lesson too when you say "embarrassment".

Specializes in Telemetry, post partum, critical care.

They absolutely are "real" nurses. Here in California I rarely work with them - however it seems that perhaps they are working in clinics etc. and I work in hospitals. It sounds as if you will have to work full time to get the tuition reimbursement - then get married and have another baby at the same time? That sounds ambitious! Maybe you should get married, have your baby, wait until the baby is a little older and then enter the RN program. Or, perhaps you should do the RN program before you get married or have another baby. That makes the most sense to me. Then you have all of that out of the way. And because of the higher salary you can work part time as an RN while raising your family. How does that sound? :paw:

Specializes in MedSurg/OrthoNeuro/Rehab/Consultant.

I say get your RN. It never hurts to invest in your education. It also never hurts to have other options for your future, regardless what your situation is right now. Good luck!

Specializes in MedSurg/OrthoNeuro/Rehab/Consultant.

I say get your RN. It never hurts to invest in your education. It also never hurts to have other options for your future, regardless what your situation is right now. Good luck!

Whoa, whoa, and whoa.

I have a very high sense of self-worth, thank you. I take pride in who i am as a person. I am an excellent mother, attractive, and I have a high IQ, need I go on?

However, I am SICK of being told that an LPN is not a nurse, LPN's cannot do this or that, etc. If that were not the case, I would remain as an LPN...

I was asking for opinions only on what I should do. Don't dare assume that I have "underlying issues of self-worth" when you don't even know me.

I said "may" and I would think that someone with a high self worth would be proud of what they chose and choose to do, regardless of what others may think of it.

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
I am a 29 yr old LPN that has a 9 month old son. My boyfriend and I are planning on getting married in the spring and starting on or second child in the summer. My family and being a mother are the most important things to me.

I work at an assisted living facility that will pay me full time wages to go to school full time to get my RN as well as give me tuition reimbursment. This is an amazing opportunity, HOWEVER, my dilemma is this:

The MAIN reason that I want to get my RN is our of embarrasment of being an LPN. The pay increase that would come with it is nice but not a necessity because my boyfriend makes excellent money.

Would I be wasting my time going to school? Or should I just take the opportunity and go with it?

Why would you come to the internet to ask total strangers what you should do with your life? And pizz many off by saying that you are "embarrassed" to be an LPN? Who says you are not a real nurse? Why give that person the power to make YOU feel a certain way? Is it a co-worker? Family? Friend? Take the opportunity to explain to this person what an LPN can do in your state-Go to your BON website.Since you work in assisted living you may be surprised by the LPN's scope of practice..You are a licensed practical N-U-R-S-E..Yes------------------N-U-R-S-E....Your scope IS not as broad as that of an RN.There ARE many things an RN can do that an LPN can not.The truth shall set you free....If you are happy in assisted living,money is not a factor and nursing is not a passion then devote your time to the most important things in your life-your boyfriend and baby.Education is never a waste of time-I don't care if it's a knitting class.It's about what fulfills YOU-and the answer to that cannot be found here.....

I'm still in school, but what I've observed during clinicals at my hospital is that the LPNs are the ones giving more personal care than the RNs. The RNs are too busy paging docs and waiting for them to call back while processing admits and discharges and staying totally stressed all the time.

I am an 'older' student going to school for a second career. My kids are ages 8 and 11, so they're old enough to do their own homework and entertain themselves. Therefore, I'm given adequate study time. My friends in school having a difficult time are those with young children who still need to do for and spent a lot of time with the children. If my kids were younger, I know I wouldn't be able to handle nursing school. I wouldn't want to sacrifice them.

So, I guess what I'm getting at is follow your heart. Be proud of what you offer your pts as an LPN and focus on your young children while you can. They'll be older before you know it, and maybe then you could think about becoming an RN -- and only if you really want to.

Specializes in sub acute, ALF. Currently in RN school.
Why would you come to the internet to ask total strangers what you should do with your life? And pizz many off by saying that you are "embarrassed" to be an LPN? Who says you are not a real nurse? Why give that person the power to make YOU feel a certain way? Is it a co-worker? Family? Friend? Take the opportunity to explain to this person what an LPN can do in your state-Go to your BON website.Since you work in assisted living you may be surprised by the LPN's scope of practice..You are a licensed practical N-U-R-S-E..Yes------------------N-U-R-S-E....Your scope IS not as broad as that of an RN.There ARE many things an RN can do that an LPN can not.The truth shall set you free....If you are happy in assisted living,money is not a factor and nursing is not a passion then devote your time to the most important things in your life-your boyfriend and baby.Education is never a waste of time-I don't care if it's a knitting class.It's about what fulfills YOU-and the answer to that cannot be found here.....

I came to the internet to "ask total strangers" the question I did in the hope that maybe some had ideas that I didnt think of yet.

The comment that LPN's are not real nurses was not directed at me, but in general. A family member asked how many nurses we had on per shift. The administrator told her "Well, we have an RN and LPN's" She went on to say that LPns were not nurses.

I know I am a great nurse as well. I have been told this by coworkers and supevisors. I dont doubt my abilities. I love my job. However I do remember the campaign a few yrs back - the commercials on TV: "Ask for a REAL nurse...ask for an RN" How was THAT supposed to make LPNs feel? (Who by the way sponsered that commercial?)

At the time I did not desire to become a nurse, and didnt know what they meant and didnt ask. RNs that were friends asked me why I was getting my LPN and not my RN. I CONSTANTLY hear things about LPN vs RN.

I appreciate all the advice people have given me so far.

I did not come here to be flamed. I did not mean to offend. I did not say that other LPNs should be embarrassed of being an LPN. I said that i was, and that is it.

Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.

Ask yourself this: What would happen if your boyfriend died at your young age, get divorced, or he were to become disabled and cannot work.

If you can support 2 children on your own, then you don't need it.

No one ever knows what will happen in life, and I was always taught by my grandmother and my mother that you should never have more children than what you can afford to support 100% on your own.

You can't go through life thinking of every tragedy, but when you are as young as you are, you really have to.

Specializes in CVICU-ICU.

I was a LPN for 6 years before obtaining my RN degree. I loved my job as a LPN and never considered myself anything but a nurse. I did not go back to school to become a "real nurse" however the true fact is that RN's do make more money and also have more opportunities offered to them so therefore I chose to advance my level of knowledge. That being said I think that you need to do what it is that will be best for you and your family.

College is expensive and to have someone pay for it is a benefit that isnt easily come by.

I was married with a small child when I went back to school and graduated from RN school 6 months pregnant...married to the man I thought I'd be married to forever. I hear what you're saying about your boyfriend being able to support you and you not needing the money presently however you have to remember things change and even though he seems like MrFantastic now that might not always be the case.....I guess what Im saying is what I tell my daughter all the time........dont depend on someone else to take care of you because things can change at the drop of a hat and you want to be sure you can provide for you and your children because in the end thats what really counts.

Im not saying that LPN's can support themselves or their family either...what Im saying is to be given the opportunity to advance your degree without financial obligations is something not to be taken lightly.

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