Title war...

[elthia]

I work with a wonderful LPN who is in school to get her RN. she's only doing her academics at this time. She's an excellent nurse, and I think she'll make a good RN; however staffing's been horrible lately and everyone has felt the effects, and now this nurse is starting to drive me crazy.

She goes off at the desk, and rants and raves to everyone including to new staff in orientation about how

1.) LPN's do the same work as RN's and get paid less,

2.) How come LPN's get usually 1 more pt assigned to them than an RN

3.) Most RN's can't manage their time worth crap compared to an LVN

4.) The only GOOD RN's she knows were LPN's first.

5.) Charge nurse is a BS position, and CN really should take the same amount of pt's as every one else.

I've tried talking to her gently once, and she blew up...

I do not want this to be an LPN VS RN war.....

I know she's stressed with school, and work has been stressful...should I just tell her to keep her comments out of the nurses station at this time.

[leslie :-D]

sorry, but this is just shabby and inexcusable.

sure, we're all stressed out.

short staffing affects us all.

if she wants to know why she/lpn gets 1 more pt, i would answer her questions of concern.

but to make it a personal attack, imo, should not be tolerated.

the behavior is unprofessional and creates a hostile work environment.

it's one thing to rant about the workload and the stress one is under.

it's quite another, to be contemptuous of your colleagues.

nip it in the bud.

tell her she's a great nurse and she's a valued member.

but you're all in this together, and any further negative and personal rants, will result in a write up.

period.

and i would feel the same way, if an rn was exhibiting same behaviors.

leslie

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I am an LPN and wish to remain one. But I do hate to hear the constant complaining that some LPNs make when they say that they do the same thing that RNs do...we don't. I strongly think that it is what they PERCEIVE...they SEE an RN doing a great deal of paperwork, doing some of the procedures that the LPN can't do, or whatever it is, and all the LPN sees is the RN "sitting behind a desk". However, if they had the same accountability and responsibility that the RN has (or have acquired it by finally becoming an RN), THEN, MANY of them see as well as FEEL the difference. I remember thinking long and hard when I had the opportunity to go to nursing school, and I made a very careful, and wise (for ME) decision to become an LPN, because, while I wished strongly to be a NURSE (because we BOTH are), I knew that I couldn't deal with all that the RN has to be responsible for, and I was not in denial.

Part of what I think why this does happen, though, is because in many places, there is a thin and confusing line on what a PN and what an RN is supposed to do. Policies are vague, some are stupid and others ignore it all together. And, then, there are (unfortunately), some of the RNs that do not value what a consciensous, caring, observant and hard working LPN can contribute to the job. In the med-surg units in my hospital, for example, most times, the LPNs are administering medications to about 10-18 patients, versus the RN who is medicating 5...that is not my issue. I say this because while that RN is administering drugs to 5 patients, she is also doing admissions, discharges, paging the doctors, other procedures that the LPN cannot do, forms, notes, and a whole host of other things. What I did see on the night shift, that I didnt' like, though, is that the LPN was giving meds to the whole floor while the RNs were sleeping...then, suddenly at 5:00am, they suddenly want to wake up, shout orders and do 12 hours worth of work in 2, then, slow some of the LPNs down who were up all night. That was a poor time management issue, though, in most cases. But, I can see why an LPN would be frustrated with this. She was witnessing these nurses not taking their responsibilities towards the patients seriously. Many times, they would call the LPN down the hall while hanging piggybacks to do a fingerstick, when they could have done it themselves, or waiting until the LPN comes back to administer a pain medication...making the patient wait. Some of these RNs were mismanaging their time, others were not being team players.

Any nurse who cares will do all that they can towards patient care and supporting their team members-may it be an LPN or an RN. The message I try to convey is I am here to help within my capacity. Please, let's just try and do it cohesively so that it sychronizes, not cause adversaries.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Tape record her and save the tape, then play it back for her after she's been an RN for a year.

She'll eat her words.........

I SO agree with this statement!!! One cannot say what they would do until they have walked a mile in that person's nursing shoes!!

[ERRNTraveler, RN]

I SO agree with this statement!!! One cannot say what they would do until they have walked a mile in that person's nursing shoes!!

I remember when I was in nursing school, and was a CNA, I though the RN's I worked with were lazy, and just sat around at the nurses' station all day- boy was I ever wrong. If I only knew then what I know now.....

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I remember when I was in nursing school, and was a CNA, I though the RN's I worked with were lazy, and just sat around at the nurses' station all day- boy was I ever wrong. If I only knew then what I know now.....

When I took a continuing education class last year, I was sitting with an RN that told me when she was a PCA, she used to announce outloud to the nurses that they had better not bother her when she was assigned 10 or more patients. She started working with those same RNs and she had to go straight to them and apologize. She told me that now, every now and then, they joke with her and ask her if she feels the same way.

[NoWaNrN, ASN, RN]

I was an LPN before I became an RN, I worked my tail off as an LPN! I haven't started working on the floor in the hospital as an RN yet, But some LPN as well as RN's have big time management problems. RN can do so much more than LPN's can, but there are many LPN's that are smarted and have more sense than RN's. Take the time and learn from you peers RN, LPN, or APN.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

she goes off at the desk, and rants and raves to everyone including to new staff in orientation about how

1.) lpn's do the same work as rn's and get paid less,

2.) how come lpn's get usually 1 more pt assigned to them than an rn

3.) most rn's can't manage their time worth crap compared to an lvn

4.) the only good rn's she knows were lpn's first.

5.) charge nurse is a bs position, and cn really should take the same amount of pt's as every one else.

i've tried talking to her gently once, and she blew up...

i do not want this to be an lpn vs rn war.....

i used to be an lpn. i don't care if she's an lpn, rn, bsn, msn, phd...there is no excuse, not even stress, to act like that at the nurses station. it shows lack of self control and immaturity and especially after you kindly and gently talked to her. i'd stay clear of her while at work and she'll may end up hanging herself.

[elthia]

I just really hope the next shift I work is better...or I'll just have to tell her to take it to the breakroom.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I'm an LPN in acute care. They (the CNs) do treat me the same as an RN. I'm the one who has to step forward and advocate for myself when something is outside my scope of practice. In fact, the main CN I work with outright admitted that he keeps forgetting I'm an LPN. They cut me no slack. I get the same patients that the RNs get. I know darn well that I don't do the same job, it's my coworkers who seem to forget that little detail, bless their hearts.

But I do think your coworker is wrong to complain about her situation in the way you have described. If she has a beef, she needs to handle it in a more professional and discreet manner, IMO.

Myself, I got my LPN after my first year of ADN school so I could get some experience on the floor and a bigger paycheck than I was getting as a CNA. The bigger paycheck allowed me to cut back on my work hours so that I could devote more time to school. The experience on the floor has been invaluable, and when I start working as an RN, I know the new role will require some adjustment, but the reality shock of going from student to nurse will be much less for me than for those who chose not to work as LPNs in their second year of NS.

I'm looking forward to finally being able to initiate care plans and hang my own blood, among other things, instead of having to find an RN to do those things for me. When I first started working, I was so glad my scope was limited. This allowed me to focus on the fundamentals. Now that I've been at it for six months, I feel ready for the added responsibilities.

The kindness and support I have received from the RNs on my unit along the way, I will repay to the new RN grads who will be in total and utter shock when they start working.

[ShayRN]

I worked with a wonderful LPN on my old unit. Recently when I picked up a shift there I saw her on the floor, but didn't see any RN's covering her. So I went up, smiled at her and said, LET ME SEE THE BADGE! Sure enough, she had gone back to school to be an RN. I gave her a big hug and said, Well? She loves being an RN, she said. Ok, so now that you have that title behind your name and you have been both RN and LPN, how different are they? She said to me, Likes apples and oranges, both fruit but completely different.