Clinicals

[Alt0712]

So I'm curious to know the opinions of others. I am a LPN going through RN clinicals currently. I have been to this facility before and people know me and have asked me how I'm doing etc, they know I am a LPN. And the nurses I get paired with and patients I interact with can tell I have been working comfortable with patients for a while...so they find out I'm a LPN. I never go outside of my scope as a RN student or act like oh I'm a LPN I don't need to do this or I can't learn something new...but a patient didn't want me to do something with her because she saw my uniform. I said ok that is fine, im more than happy to watch if that is ok and she she agreed. With mild manner chit chat in the room amongst the nurse, patient and myself they began to ask me my work history and if I've given injections before, etc. So I said yes I have at my old job and the patient asked if I was a medical assistant and I said no so she asked what I did and I was honest and said LPN. So immediately she wanted me to do the injection again..haha. I told her I do not have to give it, I am a nursing student while I am here not a LPN. But she insisted. I told this to my instructor and she said that I was not allowed to even tell them I have a LPN or the staff that I am....now I understand I can't use my LPN role and do things I'm not supposed to do as a student and I don't. I also carry a higher Liability Insurance than a normal student so it really shouldn't be a liability concern as much as it would be for a traditional student...I'm basically asking, am I wrong to be honest and tell people my title even though I am only acting and doing things permitted for me to do as a student??

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

For me, there was an occasion where instructors, nurses, and pts found out that I was a LPN; regardless, I still adhered to clinical guidelines; I found gracious ways to inform pts that I was an RN student and would be adhering to what was expected at clinicals.

If your pts find out, keep stressing that you are an RN student and will be adhering to you schools policy.

[Alt0712]

Ok that's what I thought, they said it was a legal issue? I could see that if I was practicing as a LPN and not following the role given to me as a RN student but I haven't by any means. I make sure I have supervision (that's what they want us to do) for everything...like even get a blood sugar or sometimes empty urine...so I'm just very careful to stress I am a RN student not a LPN in this setting.

[shannon91c]

My college put my name and LPN on my student nurse ID badge. They have never told me not to say than I am not an LPN and its on my student nurse badge. I also find that the adjunt clinical instructors( I do evenings so never have the FT teaching staff in clinical setting) do not follow me as closely as they do the other non LPN students. Sometimes I wonder if that's a good or bad thing.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

It was common knowledge that all students in my ASN program clinical rotations were LPNs. After all, it was specifically an LPN-to-ASN bridge program that only enrolled students with active LPN licensure.

There were no rules that forbade my classmates and I from disclosing the fact that we were LPNs to nursing staff and patients at clinical sites.

[elkpark]

I don't see any problem with it, but if your instructor is telling you that you shouldn't do it, you have nothing to gain by challenging your instructor's directions.