Why Does It Seem That RN's Hate Us and Hospitals Don't Believe In Us??

Nurses LPN/LVN

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Im a new PN grad and have been a STNA (state tested nurse assistant) for 7 years; but as a graduate it seems that RN's are threatened by PN's or feel that we don't know anything and hospitals dont want us, at least that's been my experience with my job search here in Ohio and Ga and I don't understand why. We as PN's have to learn @least 80% of the material that a student in a ADN program learns in 11 months vs. 2 yrs, so what makes us different besides the rate of pay, which really isn't any different at least in Oh where a UNEXPERIENCED LPN makes minimally TO START 16.75 w/o differential and more for being IV and CPR certified and a UNEXPERIENCEC RN makes IN OHIO makes 17.00/hr. I don't want to come across as confrontational because that's not why Im writing. I just want to get some other points of view from LPN'S AND RN'S to help me understand.:confused:

you know, either i'm going crazy (which is highly likely :lol2: ), or this thread is!! i'm getting e-mails with replies that are not showing up (very nasty ones, i might add). are they being deleted by the mods :confused:

at any rate, this thread is turning insane :no: why do people have to get so nasty about this subject? a friendly debate is one thing, but c'mon... some of you guys really need to grow up. some of these slanderous remarks (if anyone else can see them) are not based on anything. name-calling?? :nono: and based on some of these responses, i think we've answered the original question (but still haven't answered why).

i have to agree with you!!! the other night when i couldnt sleep i decided to go through alllllllll the pages.

its like a food fight but no own knows who really started it:rotfl:

I dont hate LVN's, I hate the system that allows so many different levels of nurses that the public has no idea. I also hate that I have my own patient load and have to be responsible for patients of the LVN, meaning that unless I just sign everything blindly I have twice the number of pts. Also as metioned LVN's cant do, IV's, ETC. But in many cases the LVNs wont even put together the equipment to enable me to do it...they just sort of say it as passing by me....oh...theres an antibiotic in romm xx that you have to do. Thanks alot.

People in expensive areas sometimes like to brag about their high wages but those wages will often buy little more than a tiny apartment in Manhattan or a small home 50+ miles out of a big city in CA.

Yep, the higher the wager, the higher the cost of living usually.

Yeah ... but people seem to forget that the higher cost of living also means there's a lot of money in that area. And there are ways to take advantage of that by buying into cheaper areas that haven't gone up yet. If you're smart about it, you can actually take advantage of that higher cost of living.

I bought one of those homes 50+ miles outside of a big city in Cali three years ago, but my home isn't small. My lot is 2/3 of an acre. My mortgage is locked in at less than $1200 a month including homeowner's insurance and property taxes.

When I first moved here, RN wages for new grads were somewhere around $20 an hour. But RN wages have gone up so much that when I graduate, I'll be making $51 an hour with full benefits.

As far as the cost of living ... I say bring it on because the RN wages wouldn't have gone up as much as they did without it. If you can lock in a cheap mortgage before an area takes off ... you can really make bank.

Strictly from a financial viewpoint: I personally think an area with great wage growth is still better, because cheaper areas with stagnant wages are ... well ... stagnant. In those areas you're lucky to get basic inflation increases, if you can even get that.

:typing

Yeah ... but people seem to forget that the higher cost of living also means there's a lot of money in that area. And there are ways to take advantage of that by buying into cheaper areas that haven't gone up yet. If you're smart about it, you can actually take advantage of that higher cost of living.

I bought one of those homes 50+ miles outside of a big city in Cali three years ago, but my home isn't small. My lot is 2/3 of an acre. My mortgage is locked in at less than $1200 a month including homeowner's insurance and property taxes.

I hear what you're saying.

I actually looked up Victorville on a map out of curiousity from you and a few others posting about it on another thread.

I wish I could do it, and you are right, it is a smart thing to do, but.....

I absolutely hate long commutes to work and I don't want to move somewhere where we would be the only gay couple in the community.

It's not like I need to live in WeHo or Hillcrest, but I've done it before and even if people are accepting, it still can be a very isolated feeling not having at least a few other gay people around to hang out with or talk to.

Strictly from a financial viewpoint: I personally think an area with great wage growth is still better, because cheaper areas with stagnant wages are ... well ... stagnant. In those areas you're lucky to get basic inflation increases, if you can even get that.

Tell me about it.

Haven't gotten a raise in over two years.

I still make just a couple dollars an hour more than I made as an LVN in Dallas.

I absolutely hate long commutes to work and I don't want to move somewhere where we would be the only gay couple in the community.

It's not like I need to live in WeHo or Hillcrest, but I've done it before and even if people are accepting, it still can be a very isolated feeling not having at least a few other gay people around to hang out with or talk to.

Tell me about it.

Haven't gotten a raise in over two years.

I still make just a couple dollars an hour more than I made as an LVN in Dallas.

I hear what you're saying also. What I did wouldn't work for everybody. There's certainly a lot of drawbacks also.

I work with some gays and they certainly are accepted, at least at work. But the area is still, to large extent, redneck and conservative. So, I'm not sure what the support system, if any, would be like here. Since the area is changing so much I'm sure it will improve eventually but, it certainly isn't San Francisco ... that's for sure.

But who's to say there isn't some Northern Cali town that would suit you better?

As for the commute, it's 40 minutes. I don't have to commute to work but the money is so much better if I do. I am going to buy a new car with the works for maximum comfort, since I'll be able to afford it. In SoCal, a 40 minute commute is nothing but, I realize that for others, that can be a lot.

:typing

Specializes in Surgical Nursing, Agency Nursing, LTC.

I believe that RN's are bothered by the limited scope of practice that we have. It's almost like they are having to do extra work because of our limited scope. The hospitals always piss me off. They act like we were just pulled from the streets and given an LPN license. I worked at an hospital that started me off (with experience) $13.00/hr. I stayed as long as I could but then went to a LTC facility that paid me $19.00/hr. GO FIGURE!!!! Now a days, nurses are going to the jobs that pay more rather than doing the job that they enjoy. I love hospital work but HATE the pay!!!!!!

Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.

Actually that is not true. If an LPN is IV certified they can do IV's. I am IV certified and have had to start IV's for the new RN's I have worked with. So I guess it can work both ways.

I hate to sound rude but is this post ever going to end? It all sounds like a bunch of whinning and boo hooing to me. All I have to say is, if you don't respect yourself then no one else will. Who cares if RN's hate LPN's or MSN or BSN or CNA's. :uhoh21: Be proud and confident of what you are and what you do for your patients. Everyone has a place in life and you all should be happy where you are. If not, do what ever it takes to change it. Everyone needs to just get over it and do their job. Life is too short to worry about what everyone else thinks. We are here to serve each other. That is why we got into the field.

I agree!

Were I work the LVN's start at 17.00. I make 26.00+. After saying this, you should see my electric bill!!!!!!

"Rn's (even ADN's) take more general classes than LPN's. I took Micro, A&P 1&2, english comp 1 & 2, humanities electives, lifespan, a 3 credit human nutrition class, ethics, algebra, psychology, sociology...and a few others"

That's not necessarily true. The program I'm in is a 2 yr. ADN program, but at the end of the first year you can take your LPN boards. For this program you have to take all the RN prereqs to get in.

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I believe that RN's are bothered by the limited scope of practice that we have. It's almost like they are having to do extra work because of our limited scope. The hospitals always piss me off. They act like we were just pulled from the streets and given an LPN license. I worked at an hospital that started me off (with experience) $13.00/hr. I stayed as long as I could but then went to a LTC facility that paid me $19.00/hr. GO FIGURE!!!! Now a days, nurses are going to the jobs that pay more rather than doing the job that they enjoy. I love hospital work but HATE the pay!!!!!!

I have to agree to a great extent. In my hospital, they never quite explained the scope of practice to us, because the actual job description is so vague. In my clinic, we can give all immunizations with a doctor's order except flu and pneumonia vaccinations...those, we have to get an RN to assess them. Makes no sense to me, because I believe that equates to a physician giving an order for Lopressor or Digitalis...we still have to screen the patient...if the pulse is below 60 bpm, we do not administer and contact the physician. It makes no sense to me, and one of the RNs mentioned that with all of this...LPNs having to go to the RN to screen and assess for the flu shot in their busy days that they might as well do it themselves, and I totally understand. We were told a few weeks ago that we cannot write incident reports (something that I did for many years as a psych tech)...however, I was the first to respond to a report that a patient (87 year old double amputee) was on the bathroom floor in my clinic. The RN knew that I wasn't supposed to write one, and told me to do it...so, I made her co-sign, so that administration would know that I didn't do this alone. I did her vitals, listened to chest sounds, checked for bruises and the patient denied pain. I was told by other LPNs that I did an assessment and while I really know that I did, the same thing is called data-collection for the LPN. The RN never responded to the patient until 2 hours later, and then, she did not write a note. When the day was over, it was me that wrote everything, and I told the other LPN that I'd rather be drawn across the carpet for reporting and tending to the patient than just to ignore her. I acted as a NURSE...the RN didn't.

I know that many LPNs decide to become RNs because we do such a similar job in many cases and can be underpaid...that is true. For myself, though, I am not convinced to become an RN simply because I know that even more weight falls under their title and I do not want it. I think that hospitals are not sure of what to do with the LPN because of the vague scope of practice, therefore can reduce our effectiveness and that is an issue as well. If I ever find that they have less use for LPNs, then, I'd do homecare on a fulltime basis...I'd have less stress and I can also give ALL of my attention and care for that one patient in opposed to many.

Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

okay: So this is the greatest time in our life that nurses can make a major political impact in our country that can really changed healthcare and better the entire system. Why ? Because we are in need, and there's power in unity. So lets see, as the heart goes we are all nurses we want to provide good care to our patients. So why in a time when we can together make this change we rather gripe about the differences in LPN,LVN,ADN,Diploma,BSN,MSN and the all the other suffixes we wear. I say lets all use our energy on how we are all alike for now. Gather up the troops..

BTW: I am a nurse and in my career I was blessed to have work with all kinds of other nurses and learn from them...

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