canadian lpn not a "nurse"?

[char1976]

Hello all,

let me begin by saying I am in the lpn program and loving it. The other day, I was told by a presently employed lpn that lpns are just NOT nurses. She firmly told me that the world "nurse" was protected by the resgistered nurse and was NOT to be used to describe an lpn. I was really surprised and hurt by this. All that I am putting into this I won't even be recondnized as a "nurse"? If this isn't correct, does anyone have some kind of legal document that I could read that tells me that I will be able to identify myself as a NURSE and not feel like I'm pretending to be someone I am not?

Oh, and I'm in New-Brunswick.

Thanks so much in advance.

Love this site

[nursemama2be]

I live in Ontario and the RPN will be more commonplace in hospitals soon.

The floor I work on has 3 sister units... 2 are more critical care and hire RN's only and 1 is a geriatric unit and has RPN's. They are now hiring 8 new RPN's to float on all 3 units. So RPN's are starting to pop in places where it was normally RN's before.

I am in the RPN program and its 2 years... alot of the girls i work with said they only did one year...The school I am in is using the old 2 year RN program as the RPN program. So I am doing the program they did when it was only 2 yrs in length.

I have seen some incompetent nurses come out of our BScN program here with absolutely crap clinical skills and no bedside manner.

[me_ewe]

Oh me! When I was in training in 1983 a working RNA (we were known as Registered nursing Assistants at that time--now RPN) asked me what in the world was I doing there and that they were "phasing out RNA's anyway" and I'd never "find a job". There is always somebody who knows everything. In fact there is one on every unit. I'm in my 24th year of nursing now and I've always been employed except when I took fourteen months off because I wanted to. You are a nurse! me_ewe

[linzz]

According to the CNO compendium, of which I have a copy at home, practical nurses and registered nurses are both allowed to use the title "nurse" in the province of Ontario. But we all know that there are many differing formal levels of qualifications in nursing but the public often just sees "nurse". I try to remember that what people remember is not what your badge says but how much you cared, which I do note is often a huge challenge in the many horrible work environments we have to endure as nurses.

[Vida]

BAH!

My worst memories of the LPN program I did are of some of the floor nurses (RN's and RPN's included) we ran into at clinical. It was shocking to go to school and learn to take everything so seriously, to watch absolutely everything you say and do, to try to be the most non-biased, non-judgemental person you could be, and then run into the jerks who A) treat you like a piece of dirt and act like they know everything but they're not going to tell you anything (how pathetic that you dont know where they keep X), B) like a slave while they take a break, and C) talk about you behind your back - even to your teacher instead of trying to help you or even confront you if you did something wrong!!!

AAAAaa!

Ahem. Sorry. Rant rant rant.

:typing

[nursemama2be]

i am currently going through that this term which is making me hate my clinical area right now...

last term the nurses were nice...

[rntoon]

I work in a department that consists of three teams. Each team (one RN and one LPN) cares for ten pts. The LPNs introduce themselves to the pts. as "nurse". I've read several replies to this thread and its obvious to me that LPNs want to be recognized as a vital part of the health care team.(which they are...make no mistake) However, when the code team is surrounding a crashing pts. bed and the doc wants to know who the "nurse" is, I don't ever recall an LPN stepping up and saying "I am" So, I guess that you have to look at the fact that there's more of a difference between the two than just the ability to hang an IV med.

[loriangel14, RN]

RNs,LPNs,and RPNs can all legally call themselves nurses.

[Fiona59]

RNtoon: I was glad to see it was LPNs who answered your previous posts. How long have you been a working nurse?

In the hospital I work in, even if a PN calls the code they cannot take charge under a doctor, it is a hospital policy that the RN takes the charge duties. We are only permitted to assist and on our floors even the RN cannot IV push meds only the doctors.

Our scope of practice is outlined by each individual hospitals policy not our training or experience. Currently in my health region there is only one hospital that allows PNs to initiate an IV and do their own meds. Dialysis Assistants (who are all PNs) also mix and hang their own IV meds and the only difference in their skill set from Dialysis RNs is the ability to IV push medication. They both take the same dialysis training and recieve the same certificate upon completion of the exam.