Discouraged nurse

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

Hi everyone,

I am an LPN working in a family medical clinic. I love being a nurse and working in family medicine but recently I am becoming more and more discouraged because of the comments I receive because I do not work in hopsital or acute care. I am always told " Your job does not make you a real nurse or a " medical office assistant could do my job". I still d nursing skills and majority of my job is critical thinking. Anyone could measure vital signs or do weight/height or do health history but as a nurse I have the medical background to understand what a patient is sick with based on their symptoms. I am just frustrated with being told I am not a real nurse. Does anyone else that works in a clinic feel this way? I try to push it away as much as I can but it is starting to get to me. I feel like maybe I made a mistake by going into community nursing or clinic nursing and I should have gone to the hospital or acute care instead.

( I didn't go into the hospital or acute because I did not like it during nursing school and I knew I wanted to go into ltc or clinic nursing)

Yes, spent nearly all 8 years of my LPN experience in a clinic. I just got my RN because I did want to be in an acute care. Unfortunately, this will not be a rare attitude you will encounter. You either have to not care or do something else. LPNs in general get the whole "your not really a nurse" comment regardless of where you work though.

I think I may get my RN in a few years as I have only been an LPN for just under a year now. You are right, I just need to not care about what others say and do what makes me happy. And also ignore that comment as well.

I love being a nurse and working in family medicine

End of story.

Others' opinions about this fall under the category of "Things Not to Care About". Your professional satisfaction comes from having a job you love and doing it to the very best of your abilities.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to LPN forum

I have to agree with JKL33. Who cares about what other people think (except for my thoughts, of course!)

I was once a CNA and went through the process of becoming a nurse. Would your employer hire a CNA to do your job? No. A CNA doesn't have the qualifications, credentials, or training that you do. There's a reason why an LPN is truly a nurse while some other medical positions are not.

Where I work, a certain patient usually won't take her meds...except from a certain CNA. But that's illegal because the CNA isn't licensed to administer medications. (Gee, I hope the BON isn't reading this!)

Anyway, I hope you catch my drift. Your position is important and it requires a licenced nurse to do it.

The only opinion that matters about what you get up and do each day for a living is YOURS. YOU are the one who is putting in the time/effort..if nursing were so easy that anyone could do it there wouldn't be the need for nurses that there is. The majority of the people who make these comments have NO idea what the TOTAL scope of nursing is or are those who have not furthered their own healthcare careers/education. If you are happy doing what you do, who cares what some random stranger or even a coworker or non clued in family member thinks? Hospital nursing is not for everyone & even w/in the hospital setting not all nurses are placing tubes in people, running codes, assisting w/surgery etc. and many, many nurses who work in acute care are very unhappy and would very much like to be in a position they enjoy. Forget what others say, you seem to have found your nitch so enjoy it.

If you like where you work and like the kind of work you do, care not a flying flounder for what others have to say. You work your job, make your $$$, pay your own bills. I agree with other posters here, why should you care?

If YOU want to get your RN and get a different job, that's another matter. But if you already like where you are, why turn your life upside down for other people's opinions?

The sniping, unfortunately, doesn't stop at hospitals. If you work inpatient acute, you're not as "tough" as ED or ICU nurses or your work is "easy" (what)? And it goes on amongst the MDs as well. Surgeons say the house docs have it easy; house docs scoff that the surgeons only work "on one person at a time"

I have learned (and I worked urgent care and loved it) is that every position has unique challenges, people will always be "measuring" for some nitwit reason and if you like where you work and the kind of work you do, it's a blessing.

( I didn't go into the hospital or acute because I did not like it during nursing school and I knew I wanted to go into ltc or clinic nursing)

BOOM, as another poster said, here you have it, this is what matters. If you didn't like it then, you surely won't like it later having given up a position you DO enjoy.

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

I'm pretty sure you have a license with the word "nurse" on it. That's all you need. If you were a brain surgeon, people would be reminding you that you aren't a rocket scientist.

Next time someone tells you that you aren't a "real" nurse, say "Yes, you only think you see me. I'm really just a figment of your imagination."

Just look at your paycheck and remember when you made CNA salary. That usually makes me smile!

OP,

They see you rolling. They hating...

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