I Will Never Call Myself Just an LPN anymore!

Working on an subacute floor proved I had more in me than I ever thought possible. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

I Will Never Call Myself Just an LPN anymore!

After all most comments made were negative comments such as "you will never pass A&P", but I did. I also heard, "I don't trust you giving out meds." This comment was made by the Head of Nursing program at the community college I attended who had never seen me give out meds. Prior to that comment I had had my exit interview with my clinical instructor and she stated that "if I did anything right, it was giving out meds". She made these comments prior to my pharmacology final. Later after I got the graded test back and noticed that some of my answers had actually been erased! You get the message. Anyway I was .3 of a point short to continue in the RN program, but not before I heard more negative comments from the same Head of Nursing program. She came and got me out of the hallway! She said, "you think you passed, right?" From there it was a visit to her office where I heard, "we all can't be astronauts,"! What? I thought. Wow is she way off and out of line. As far as I was concerned I had had enough of her and her program. She wanted me out and she got it. When I walked away from the campus I thought a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This was not worth the demoralizing. All I ever wanted to be since a little girl was a nurse.

But to make a long story short, and even after being denied passing into Nursing II, I thought long and hard finally decided to go for the LPN program. After taking the RN prereqs, LPN schooling was easy!

I already knew most of the info being taught. Unknown then was just how this handy this prior info would be in more years later.

I went onto be a "desk nurse" on a subacute floor. I was the only LPN working the floor amongst all of the RNs, my boss wanted me at the desk to run the floor! I really didn't want to have that much responsibility, I wasn't getting paid for it, but I did learn so much than being a floor nurse.

One Sunday afternoon I was working, an RN came to me telling me a patient had pulled out his trach tube. I had her call RT, in the mean time he was bleeding and I went back to the desk to check his chart, he was an DNR. She did not find him in a passed state so life saving measures were imminent. He was later taken to the hospital once his condition stabilized.

The young girl who was a so called manager called me over to the side and told me he was a DNR. I was aware of that, but you do life saving measures if the patient is still living, which he was.

The next day at work I was called into the office by my boss and he said I did everything right!

That was the day I told myself I would never call myself "just an LPN."

What a great day after being put down so many times by nurses with so much more education than I!

Nursing is a love of people and knowing what is the right thing to do at the right time.

I have always lived in FL, I waited until my youngest started school before I got into nursing, worked as a pool nurse for 8 years before quitting to take care of my dad who died of cancer. Now I am thinking about getting back into nursing

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

No one is ever "just" an LPN. You're a nurse and you did a fine job!

Thumbs up and kudos to you!

I Love when people ask the LPN's, "so, are planning to go back to school to be a nurse?" ... Idiots! they usually get a quick lesson on what a Licensed Practical Nurse is!

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

tifokcis---

Not to hijack the OP's original thread, but I got the same reaction from someone after I had completed my RN to BSN program. This person could not wrap his mind around an RN graduating from a (mere) AD program and said he was soooooo proud of me for "finally" becoming an RN when I got my degree. (I think if he would have said he was proud of me for "finally becoming a nurse" I would have smacked him.)

People can be so ignorant!

Wether you are a nurse or LPN as long as you know what you are doing. fight for it! Good job...That's something that you can be proud of...I also had the same experience when a doctor and a staff nurse blamed us when we had our OJT. Only to find out that the doctor's order was all wrong... The bad thing is we never heard any sorry from the doctor...maybe because of pride :)

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Thanks for sharing your story, queen777. We never know when we will be tested by an emergent situation-- you kept your cool and understood specifically what was and was not meant by the DNR. Gotta give a kudo to your boss for calling you in and sharing his praise with you, too! :up:

wether you are a nurse or lpn as long as you know what you are doing. fight for it! good job...that's something that you can be proud of...i also had the same experience when a doctor and a staff nurse blamed us when we had our ojt. only to find out that the doctor's order was all wrong... the bad thing is we never heard any sorry from the doctor...maybe because of pride :)

hmmm.. freudian slip?

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Hmmm.. Freudian slip?

I think the poster of that meant well :)

OP: great article and good for you! A LPN/LVN is just as much of a nurse as an RN, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise or let them call you "just" an LPN. Some of the finest nurses I know are LPNs who know a lot more about nursing than I probably ever will.

Specializes in LTC.

Thanks so much for this article! Lord willing, I'll graduate from LPN school in August. People who know I'm in nursing school are already asking "are you going back to get your RN?" An LPN is just so limited nowadays. I plan on going back BUT STILL! It's like some of them don't feel like it's an accomplishment until you get your RN. LPN's are great too!

I work for Wellstar in marietta, at kennestone hospital, and I'm pretty sure they only hire RN's

Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

"Wether you are a nurse or LPN ..."

THAT is not right. An LPN is a nurse!!!!!!!!!!

The LPN in charge of my husband after abdominal surgery was amazing; better than most of the RNs who cared for him that week. My dad's nurse was an LPN two weeks before he died and we loved her. She always felt so bad when she had to poke his finger for glucose and it was like she could feel it. She went out of her way to make him comfortable; his hands were so cold and she filled a surgical glove with warm water for him to hold. I will never forget her, and that man's family will never forget you.