or do you say you're an LPN when talking to people? Is it common to make a distinction? I know I have friends who say "I'm and RN" when people ask what they do for a living, but it is standard to distinguish between the two, or do most people just say "I'm a nurse"?
When I start LPN school in August, will I say "I'm in nursing school" or does that imply I'm in RN school?
Sorry, probably a dumb question but I just wondered what is normal.
I work with carers - I call them nurses -- just seems logical to me. They provide nursing care - so they nurse. Nursing to me is about caring - primarily.
Thank you , you have been very specific in detailing your duties. What you have described is no less than an RN does ,and what each nurse should be expected to do. Thank you. Now does everyone have a more clear idea of what an LPN is?
whoa! yikes! nursing is NOT primarily about caring!
caring IS an aspect of our profession, but it is certianly does not proceed our skills.
we don't go to school to care primarily - we study for hours about terminology, disease processes, pharmacology calculations, how to safely manage and prevent a pt's diagnosis from getting worse.
yes, we are caring by doing these actions, but we also are using all of the skills we were taught in school in order to keep this patient alive and well to the best of our ability.
also, to be fair, calling a nurse who is not a nurse is not correct. this will only confuse the public more and is actually considering lying ..
(i've been reading 'from silence to voice: what nurses know and must communicate to the public.' -- it touches on the public's perception of nurses, how we need to get rid of their stereotyping and how we just hold patient's hands, maybe give them a bath and then smile at them. it's just not true. we do so much more and need to convey that to the public in a proper manner.so many nurses don't speak up or say 'oh it's not big deal .. it's just my job .. when it fact, we must give ourselves credit instead of saying 'oh, just following doctors orders when you were the one who advocated for the pt. and said 'no, this is not right. she needs medication for this pain, etc .. )
The tone was a bit negative. I work with a RN who looks down on LPN's and sounds alot like what I've read here. This RN doesn't pull her weight (conveyed by most staff that work with her, even those who are not nurses of either degree). I know LPN's who have gone onto RN's and they agree that it would have been easier to go for the RN in the first case because of the slower pace. LPN's have to cram a lot in a short period of time. They deserve more respect.
While I fully appreciate all the different ideas and povs displayed in this thread (and I am ECSTATIC that some are learning about what LPN is and what we do) I still a little saddened that we have 12 pages of NURSES defending their right to call themselves nurses. How did we get here? I guess where my confusion comes in is the ignorance of some of the LPNs and RNs on this thread. Ignorance as in lack of knowledge, not as an insult.
NO LPN should feel like they are misleading anyone by calling themselves a nurse. You are subject to inquiry by the BON in your State if you make a serious error~you are a NURSE.
RNs delegate to the LPN, and LPNs work under the guidance of the RN, so theoretically shouldn't all RNs fully understand the LPN scope of practice, as prescribed by the state BON and KNOW that the LPN is a nurse operating under his/her own NURSING license? If I were an RN I would want to know what I could and could not delegate to both the LPN and the CNA, and therefore that would mean reading the Scope of Practice of the LPN, which certainly indicates the LPN is a nurse and has every legal right and obligation to refer to themselves as such.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I feel the same way...how can it be that nurses have to defend that fact that we attending a NURSING school, took a state board examination that allows us to practice within our state and as you said, we have to be investigated, possibly charged and then disciplined if found guilty. If our licenses are suspended or revolked, it does not become business as usual...passing meds, doing procedures, etc..., where we can continue to practice if we were not NURSES to begin with.
There was another thread in the General Nurses Forum where a person stated that LPNs are lazy because they wanted the quick way out and also to avoid working at Walmart. This is what people really believe about us all?? Horrible!!
please clarity yourself. You say it is wrong toidentify yourself as a nurse if you are an LPN. Exactly what do you think an LPn is and do you really know what their duties entail? If you do not please contact your nearest Board of Nursing, actually any one in any of the 50 states and you will see there is not much that an LPN does not do. Hopefully by the time you graduate you will learn what Real Nursing is. It is not just a title and if that is the only reason you have gone into this beloved field please leave it now as you will find yourself burned out quickly. These are the lives of human beings that you take into your hands as a "nurse" LPN or "RN". What else would you call an nurse assistant , they assist the nurses so what would you suggest they be called or do you downplay that field also? Please learn quickly how much more difficult your job will be without a good "nursing assistant" at your side. You have so much to learn. I welcome your response. By the way I have been an LPN (NURSE) for 14 years and have a wealth of experience . I would welcome the opportunity to "work next to you":nurse:
i agree with everything you say about nursing assistants. in the real world, having good nursing assistants can mean a good shift. they can make you or break you, atleast thats what ive learned.
There was another thread in the General Nurses Forum where a person stated that LPNs are lazy because they wanted the quick way out and also to avoid working at Walmart. This is what people really believe about us all?? Horrible!!
i wouldnt mind working at walmart, if they paid me the same wage i get now in nursing but really, nursing is a lot of hard work. just being in a facility tires me down.
this has haunted me for too long, i no longer go through the arduous process of this.... person- so what do you do?? me- oh i'm an lpn.person- lpn?? what is that?? me- i'm a nurse. person-but i thought you were in school for nursing?? me- yeah i am, i'm going for my rn. person- so your not certified right?? me- oh no i am, i'm a licensed practical nurse, i just can't do as much as an rn can! person- oh (confused). take note at just how complicated this conversation is, now when someone asks it goes alittle something like this.... person- so what do you do?? me-im a nurse, and i'm going to school for my second nursing title + a bachelors! case closed!! whew! wasn't that better??
I think that a nurse is a nurse is a nurse. An LPN with 15 years experience would have sounder knowledge than a newly graduated RN due to their experience. Wouldn't it be a better use of time to work as part of a team than to divide nurses into categories in such a devisive manner?
The only time I state a difference between nurses and their knowledge/training (outside of duty statements) is when I am talking to my sister-in-law, telling her that RN stands for "Real Nurse" is gauranteed to make her splinter!
I introduce myself as the nurse. If people ask, then I clarify. When there is a skill that I can't perform (pushing IV meds, hanging blood, etc.), I explain to the patient why I need to have a Registered Nurse perform the skill. I've never had a problem.
At my hospital, we have a great relationship between the RN's and LPN's. At some other local hospitals, there isn't one. The RN is responsible for all of his/her patients and ultimately responsible for those of the LPN he or she is covering. This can lead to double duty, and the many of the RN's don't like being in that situation. If that is hospital policy, they prefer to work on a shift with all RN's. I don't agree with this at all, but I think that it explains some of the hostility that RN's feel for LPN's.
Every once in a while I will get a patient who will ask what the difference is between an LPN and RN, but it is never meant to insult. Actually, where I see the biggest discrimination is between the Physician Assistant and Physician. In the ER, people would downright refuse to see a PA - even though they stubbed thier toe or needed sutures. Having to explain that 50 times a day would drive me crazy (as a future NP, I guess that I should get ready for the straight jacket!).
whoa! yikes! nursing is NOT primarily about caring!
caring IS an aspect of our profession, but it is certianly does not proceed our skills.
we don't go to school to care primarily - we study for hours about terminology, disease processes, pharmacology calculations, how to safely manage and prevent a pt's diagnosis from getting worse.
yes, we are caring by doing these actions, but we also are using all of the skills we were taught in school in order to keep this patient alive and well to the best of our ability.
also, to be fair, calling a nurse who is not a nurse is not correct. this will only confuse the public more and is actually considering lying ..
(i've been reading 'from silence to voice: what nurses know and must communicate to the public.' -- it touches on the public's perception of nurses, how we need to get rid of their stereotyping and how we just hold patient's hands, maybe give them a bath and then smile at them. it's just not true. we do so much more and need to convey that to the public in a proper manner.so many nurses don't speak up or say 'oh it's not big deal .. it's just my job .. when it fact, we must give ourselves credit instead of saying 'oh, just following doctors orders when you were the one who advocated for the pt. and said 'no, this is not right. she needs medication for this pain, etc .. )
sorry for the tangent!
I disagree completely, my take on my role is to primarily provide care and support. Physical, emotional and spiritual care and support.
I didn't train to be a nurse to be a doctor, while having an understanding of physiology and and pharmocology is important, it's importance relates to my being able to provide an optimal level of care.
My speciality is palliative care, keeping patients alive and well is not my objective when giving care as a nurse.
To nurse some one means to provide care.
I am not concerned with the publics perception of me, I don't work as a nurse to get recognition from the public for my role. I work to satisfy my own ethics within a caring therapeutic relationship between two people, patient and nurse. Of course there are others involved in the health care team, but when dealing one on one with a patient, my role is that of a carer / nurse.
I am studying towards masters papers - I do this to improve my ability to provide an optimal level of care.
I am not ashamed to be a carer. I perceive nursing to be more of an art than a science. You can study all you want, but this won't make you a good nurse. The ability to be a good nurse is based on a passion and a will to provide an optimal level of care.
but really, nursing is a lot of hard work. just being in a facility tires me down.
ellen 12
79 Posts
Churlgirl - I am curious - what is an RPN.
I work with carers - I call them nurses -- just seems logical to me. They provide nursing care - so they nurse. Nursing to me is about caring - primarily.