Attitudes towards LPN's

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Hi, I am a nursing student, and after year 1 of my RN, Ive realized I can't afford to finish RN so I'm doing the 2 year LPN course instead. One day I do hope to upgrade but for now it will just be LPN. I've been reading alot of discussions on here and alot of what i read is people (RN's) talking about how bad LPNs are and how unsafe they are. I don't want to end up in a career where I have no respect from my colleagues. I thought we were all nurses, and although RNs do have a greater scope of practice what is the purpose of disrespecting LPNs?

Thanks

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I worked with many LPNs in the hospital setting and didn't find it particularly burdensome to have to perform certain tasks that they weren't permitted to do. We worked as a team.

Interestingly, when I worked LTC, most LPNs were resentful when they had to work with TMAs (trained medication aides) because there were things that they were not permitted to do. It got to the point at which some of the TMAs refused to work with certain LPNs as they grumbled so much about "having to do their work". Funny---I never grumbled and the TMAs offered to help me with my work whenever I'd go to their halls to, say, give their residents insulin.

I don't like complacency either. However, complacency is not the only reason nurses don't advance to the next educational level. Perhaps this amazing clinician simply did not want the responsibility of being an RN. There's a huge difference between being complacent and being content with what one is doing or what one has in life. If the LPN with 26 years of experience feels satisfied and fulfilled in her job, then that's what's right for her.

I wish my mom hadn't been complacent. When I finished my ADN, she was still very young, 45 or so. She expressed wistfulness at my nursing career and said she would have liked to have gone back to school to be an LPN when she was younger. I asked her why she didn't go then? At 45 she thought she was too old. It's thirty years later and she regrets not having had a career. At age 50, I'm planning on going back to school for my PhD. Lesson learned from my mother!

I will politely quibble with you regarding your statement, "if you are smart enough to be an LPN, you're smart enough to be an RN." While I have worked with intelligent, competent nurses who come from a variety of educational backgrounds, I've also worked with a few LPNs and RNs who have not been quite so capable. I'm thinking of a couple of nurses with whom I have worked who lacked critical thinking skills; they would be stymied if they had an unexpected problem with a LTC resident, could not figure out simple medication dosages, and made numerous medication errors. Also worked with an LPN who went through an RN program but did not know how to do physical assessments, write care plans and chart properly. :banghead:

Well said!

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Please keep in mind that money isn't everything, and some are happy with their vocations, regardless of how much money they make.

Did you consider that maybe the 'veteran' LPN is happy in her current position, and doesn't want the added stress of additional responsibilities? I don't call that being complacent; it is realistic.

Just my $.02

Best,

Diane

I have to agree with this. My situation is a bit different than most. My mother passed away 5 weeks after I got married and I was her only child. She left me a house free and clear with no mortgage. I am nowhere near rich, LOL, but, I don't have to fight the same way as most do in this current economy wondering whether or not I can pay the mortgage next month. I have very friends that moved on to become RNs that have borrowed money from me on occasion! While they have not seemed to regret their decision, they also are in a higher tax bracket, have to pay at least $40 for each prescription (mine are free because we are in different unions) and they are still looking for second and third jobs to make ends meet.

I made an honest assessment of myself when I was making the choice of whether to become an LPN or RN and I felt that it was better for me and safer for the patients I care for to take on what I can personally handle. I am more of a task oriented person that can throw critical thinking within my scope of practice in the mix and know if I did become an RN because it would gain perceived respect, it would not bring about positive outcomes for the patients or the facility that hired me because I would be too annoyed with the crap I see. I still take continuing education classes for both, job and personal enrichment, have great friends and a healthy marriage/family life. Being an RN does not necessarily make that better.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I was going to post to say that by and large, I see very few posts "disrespecting" LPNs...then one of the first responses says they disrespect LPNs. Well, do you have a BSN? Do you think you deserve to be disrespected by nurses with master's degrees or APRNs? Or should all doctors disrespect nurses because the nurses were too complacent to become MDs? I don't get your attitude at all. Everyone's life and circumstances are different.

I also wanted to say I would never work in a hospital because I don't want to be in the position of chasing RNs for IV pushes, etc. I would feel like a constant pain in the ass to my colleages.

I like rehab., I have a reasonable amount of autonomy.

I have seen this also. In fact, at my hospital, many of the physicians don't show respect to the nurses that have earned their Doctorate Degrees and they almost laugh the Nurse Practitioners out the door. They see the word 'nurse'= bedpan expert.

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Specializes in Hospice.

Its all just nonsense. LPNs typically do more of the clinical work, and where I work, LPNs have to train RNs on alot of the clinical hands on stuff. I'm going to LPN school in Jan. and what I've learned is the better RNs are the ones who use to be CNAs and LPNs first. That RN who has placed his/her position on a pedastal is probably intimidated by the LPNs who they work with. The LPN probably did something the RN cant but might have made a mistake so the RN blows it out of proportion. Like with any position, you have bad LPN good LPN and same goes for RN, so the RNs making those comments are probably bad RNs, because good RNs would not dwell on such negativity, they would stay professional at all times.:smiley_ab

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

I might also add that I am an RPN and I have a degree that I earned right out of high school. I have also been accepted to an RN program by early acceptance but life got in the way this year. I don't consider myself complacent but a person who has many things to consider outside of my own career aspirations.

I wonder where the op has gone. Interesting the way some posters drop these shocking posts.

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Totally agree Linzz.

We are never "just" anything in life. I've pointed this out to several who have said "I'm JUST an LPN". I work with LPNs who have degrees in other fields (which were deemed not acceptable for admission to the two year BScN courses), LPNs who are working towards degrees in other fields. LPNs who are considered experts in their field and are utilized as resource nurses (bear in mind I work in an active treatment hospital that is a regional resource centre).

Several LPNs I've worked with have determined at their age it's just financially worth it to go back for the degree. Factor in lost income (because we have to attend a full time university programme), changing unions, lost seniority, lost pension benefits, student loans and family stress to many it's not worth it. I realized that to return for my BScN that I would have to work full time until I was 62. Not realistic, I'm a hospital nurse and know what I enjoy at work and public health is not for me. My husband would already be retired and I'd be working full time to pay back a student loan!! Never mind my kids are in college.

So, I'll stay where I am, I don't see myself as a failure. I master the new skills added to my scope. I attend my workshops AND I have a life outside of nursing.

My job doesn't define me.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I might also add that I am an RPN and I have a degree that I earned right out of high school. I have also been accepted to an RN program by early acceptance but life got in the way this year. I don't consider myself complacent but a person who has many things to consider outside of my own career aspirations.

I wonder where the op has gone. Interesting the way some posters drop these shocking posts.

Totally agree Linzz.

We are never "just" anything in life. I've pointed this out to several who have said "I'm JUST an LPN". I work with LPNs who have degrees in other fields (which were deemed not acceptable for admission to the two year BScN courses), LPNs who are working towards degrees in other fields. LPNs who are considered experts in their field and are utilized as resource nurses (bear in mind I work in an active treatment hospital that is a regional resource centre).

Several LPNs I've worked with have determined at their age it's just financially worth it to go back for the degree. Factor in lost income (because we have to attend a full time university programme), changing unions, lost seniority, lost pension benefits, student loans and family stress to many it's not worth it. I realized that to return for my BScN that I would have to work full time until I was 62. Not realistic, I'm a hospital nurse and know what I enjoy at work and public health is not for me. My husband would already be retired and I'd be working full time to pay back a student loan!! Never mind my kids are in college.

So, I'll stay where I am, I don't see myself as a failure. I master the new skills added to my scope. I attend my workshops AND I have a life outside of nursing.

My job doesn't define me.

I feel the same way...my job does not define ME. And, it is interesting that the LPN basher has not returned as of yet. Maybe she feels she can do it ALL...the phlebotomy, the nutrition, the ADLs, the housekeeping, the maintainence and engineering as well. This is why we do have several titles. Heck, in the past, the nurses used to clean the chimneys, and damned near build the building to keep it afloat...and they were still looked down upon and had to get out of their seats when the almighty doctor rolled in.

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I am a RN however I found it interesting that in Canada patients would ask the other nurses and I, when I first started, as to whether we were RN's or RPN's. I found it interesting as patients appeared to view the two roles completely different and would refer to the RN or double check with us what the RPN's had said to them. I guess my point being that patient perception is an important factor for you to consider.

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I guess you worked in Ontario because that is the only province to use the term RPN for a LPN. In Western Canada an RPN is a Reg. Psychiatric Nurse, an entirely different species.

My patients have never asked what my designation is. Frequently on my unit on one shift a patient will have an RN followed by LPN followed by an RN.

Unless the patient requires TPN or a transfusion either grade of nurse can care for them. I can count on one hand how many patients have required blood or TPN in the last month on my unit. (Knock wood the rest of the year is that quiet)

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Specializes in oncology, trauma, home health.

Complacent? That would be like a runner scoffing at another runner for "only" doing a half marathon.

Geez.

Becoming an LPN is a huge accomplishment.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

The way I see it, we all are nurses and need to work together. I am an RN, but I dont think less of anyone who is LPN. There are good and bad in everything, bad RNs as well as bad LPNs. To disrespect another because of their degree is very unprofessional. To become an LPN is a great accomplishment. We all need to work together and support each other. We all are there to help patients and make a difference.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

People are really amazing; remembering the LPN basher here that said we are complacent and too troublesome to work with. I had to reflect on some of the posts here yesterday because I found out that I have an LPN friend who wanted to become an RN, but due to certain chronic illnesses, he discovered that if he elevated to RN, he would have to pay more cash for his already expensive medications. He said to me that he would not see the upgrade at all if he had to pay cash for his monthly prescriptions...some that he has to take for the rest of his life. He told me he was a bit disappointed, but he also said "At least I got to become a nurse".

It is not about being complacent for many of us, even for CNAs, housekeepers, etc... In fact, I know a housekeeper that owns two spacious houses. She told me that she has a lucrative side business and she just remains a housekeeper for the union benefits. Heck, she is living better than I ever can. She's intelligent and by no means, is a lazy, unambitious person.

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