I am (or I should say was) excited because on June 17th I got the call I had been waiting for....I got into the LPN program at Charity School of Nursing in New Orleans!
My happiness what short lived because as news starting spreading, I began to get these awful vibes from people. Here are some of the things that have been said to me:
1. LPN is actually a "nursing" program?
2. Please tell me you are planning on moving on the RN program
3. Why would you go the route where there is no money?
4. Why would you do such a dumb thing?
5. Oh, thats nice.......
6. You will Ace everything in the LPN program because it is such a "huge" drop from the RN program...way too easy.
7. You might as well just go for your CNA certificate....less expensive and you will do the same thing.
8. Do you know how little they make an hour?
9. Are you going into the LPN program because you couldn't get into the RN program?
10. So you are going to become a Little Pretend Nurse......
11. That's stupid
Okay, so from the things you have just read, you can see that I am so disappointed and upset. I can't believe why everyone feels that LPN's are not nurses. To so many people, RN rule the nursing community.
How could people say such things?!!!
When I tell people that I am going to be an LPN, you can see their enthusiasm just drop to the floor.
I'll tell u what, I know this post is old, but I'm seriously enjoying these responses.
It's really helping me since I'm starting class for prereqs this fall quarter knowing full well that I won't even get into the LPN program until next fall quarter. Great post great responses, I'm feeling it!
good luck to all the lpn students. this lpn bashing baloney from families, friends, and basically other people must be part of the curriculum because it seems to happen to all lpn students.
but don't worry because the people who bashed my lpn education when i first started were still working in their $10 per hour job while i made $60,000 my first lpn year with little ot. i got the last laugh! and now i am done with my rn and waiting to take the boards and i got the last laugh again because these people are still working in their $11/hr job.
don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with $10-11 per hour job. but if you are going to bash somebody for pursuing an lpn education, prepared to be laughed at when that person makes double what you make after he or she becomes an lpn.
my advice guys is to ignore these people and just continue and finish your lpn program. so many opportunities with this license, even more if you choose to continue to rn.
I had to throw this in- when I was in LPN school, the instructors would VERY often include material that went above my state's scope of practice. We would be tested on said material and some flunked out of the program based on the increased difficulty of those tests. Why did they do it?
"You'll be glad we did this WHEN you go back to RN school!"
I heard this at least a couple of times a week for the entire year and my blood boiled every time. I wanted to be an LPN because of the hands-on patient care. I had been a CNA for years and wanted to be able to provide a little more (in the way of medications and knowledge) but I had NO DESIRE for that extra headache and I greatly resented the assumption that my LPN wouldn't be good enough!
OMG! that is so true. They do that in my nursing program. They said not to use the LPN program as a stepping stone but that's exactly the way they advertise it in class.
It does seem like they want us all to go further and get our RN degree. So will they hate me if I don't? I took the TEAS exam hoping to get into the RN program and I failed it by like 1.5 pts. At first I cried for like 3 months (I kid you not). I was so upset but now I realize things happen for a reason.
I am pretty happy with going for my LPN program. I work as a PCA and enjoy helping my patients. I like the fact that I am right there next to them for anything they need. Last week I worked in psych and gave my patient a foot rub b/c he was really uncomfortable and just wouldn't go to sleep. I work a 12 hour shift with one patient. The RN's were looking at me like I was crazy! WHY?!
I did it because he is unable to do it for himself. I know just how good a foot massage can feel. I kept looking at the nurses and they were looking at me really weird!!!
Anyway, I am doing well in nursing school and I can't wait to start clinicals!
People that say that are usually ingnorant of LPN's. I didn't know LPN's existed until my husband came home saying there was a nursing program at his school. Boom I enrolled and Bam, LPN 2yrs and love it. I will eventually go for my RN. LPN jobs are usually more abundant than RN...again that depends on the area and hospital polities. Some hospitals only hire RN's...but that doesn't last very long. They always go back to letting LPN's by in. Yea you can pay an LPN less to do almost everything an RN can. But it's a start. During clinicals I had so many RN's, RT and a dr said if they had to choose between a new grad LPN or RN that they would choose the LPN anyday because they are better equipped to hit the floor running.
Wow reading this is making me rethink everything. I am totally and completely confused as to what route I should take into Nursing. I live 1 hour 1/2 to 2 hours away from the University I am admitted too, but i am not enrolled this semester any more because I am experiencing monetary hardship.
So Of these plans I keep going back and forth:
CNA to LPN (required to have a CNA license before becoming an LPN) to ADN or BSN
CNA to BSN
CNA to LPN
I keep going back and forth, and now I found the CNA classes are open, and they tend to fill up very fast, but I have no money to save a spot in one of the classes, and putting one more thing on the credit card is not an option.
So I have to say I do not know what to do. I could continue with the University in the Spring, after getting a job, but that job need to be flexible to allow me to work at nights and study during the day. I am really hoping for a caregiver position. And I really want to be a Nurse.
I am just hoping that I get an opportunity and soon, and that I'm not constantly struggling too badly to just get started. All of you who worked as LPN's for a long time have hoped me see that I could do that. After all I would be a Nurse.
All of this though gives me perspective. It makes me think about LPN as a viable career, not just a stepping stone. Thank you!
Angel,LVNStudent
46 Posts
@ LUV ALZ: That was a great explanation and very helpful towards me