LPN seeking more

[RickieTickie]

Hi everyone!

I am an LPN of 5 years. Recently, I have found myself wanting more out of my nursing career. Since becoming a nurse, I have worked in LTC, Staff Development, and Clinical Nursing. My favorite of these has been family practice/clinical nursing. I've worked at 2 different clinics, but I'm finding that I don't seem satisfied with my career path anymore. In my short 5 years, I have learned how the nursing system works, and it doesn't appeal to me. My current position is LPN II at a large hospital system- I work under their clinic umbrella. I found out that there is no where for me to advance as an LPN: I cannot become a clinic coordinator, because I am too valuable as an LPN. I.e. starting IVs and other tasks not covered by MA certs. I cannot become a manager because, again, I am more valuable to the system as an LPN (and they can pay me less to do more.) In my city, there is only 1 LPN program. However, there are numerous RN and MA programs. There are other employees working in my department - a brand new XRay tech, a brand new Social Worker, and a brand new APRN. I make the least of all of these and I have been here the longest and have the most experience in family practice. I could always go to RN school, but that means student loans and the raise I receive would barely be enough to cover that cost. Plus, that means going back to school for a year, which I do not want to do. I read once that even as an RN, you are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. I'm starting to wonder if nursing is for me. I hate to sound bitter, I but I want more.

My system does offer raises annually, but it averages only 1.5%. I want a chance to advance the career ladder without having to sacrifice all of my time and money.

I want to be recognized as a hard worker and move up to something more.

I absolutely do not want to work LTC ever again - too much drama, not enough help, paid well but worked twice as hard- no thanks.

If anyone has any advice for me I would love to hear it.

Thanks!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I read once that even as an RN, you are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.

This is not true for all RNs. I was overworked and underpaid as an LPN. Now that I am an RN, I actually receive great money for doing minimal work. I know that might sound terrible, but it is also my current reality and I love it.

If you want more out of a career, there is no way to circumvent the fact that you will either need to return to school to obtain RN licensure or become an entrepreneur. Good luck to you.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Try to get friendly with nurse educators. They may already have, or think of, a creative project aiming to decrease readmissions, for one example. I know about one such program employing several LPNs who visit CHF patients at home/by phone, teach, do assessments and draws and work to prevent these folks from gettting back to ER.

But, overall, sorry. Real career progress comes with more school, and it is so pretty much everywhere.

P.S. call your HR and speak with your boss. Many employers give a bit of money for nurses wanting to advance their degree. It is usually not much, but even a little helps some.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Hospitals will paint you into a corner. I have a friend that is an LPN. She hasn't worked in a hospital in years. She teaches at a for profit college and works for a specialist as his clinic/hospital nurse.

Think outside the box, scour the job boards, you will see that you are even MORE valuable out of the hospital.

Good luck, now go for it.

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

I agree with previous posts and there is good advice. But also put things in context. Of course a social worker and APRN make more, those require masters degrees. (Granted, not all social workers are MSW, but most likely are. )

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sad but true. Nursing is at the bottom of the healthcare profession food chain in hospitals. I hope that will change, but probably not very soon.

I work with a really interesting Supply Chain manager. She began her working life (over two decades ago) as an LVN - cross-trained as a Surgical Tech - then went to work with a medical supply company doing demos and such. Meanwhile, she went to business school and moved over to a supply chain support job in a hospital while she pursued her BBA - at which time she went to work as a manager with a medical supply company..... while working on her MBA. She was promoted into management after finishing grad school. She likes to relate the story of her career and tells people that becoming an LVN was the smartest decision she ever made because it set her on the pathway to her current job.

So, an LVN may not be where you want to be, but it sure can provide a great start to where you want to go.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I started out as a LPN; I worked in many settings outside of the hospital and as a valuable member of each team I worked on; I even learned how to make policies and procedures and precepted LPNs and RNs; by the time I was making policies and precepting, I was in school for my BSN, and worked 30 ply hours and went to school nights and weekends to advance; I worked as an independent contractor at the time to stay above water.

I learned a long time ago, in order to be certified in a specialty-which means someone is an expert in their specialty; especially the ones I was working in Rehab and Peds, I had to go BACK to school and be an RN; so I went back and it took me seven years (with life in the way, of course); I but the proverbial student loan debt bullet to achieve upward mobility and flexibility in this business.

I have MUCH more opportunities than I ever had before; I work in a Level I Pedi ED and have begun an educational path where I am teaching new hires, and work closely with the Trauma Program at my hospital; my passion for Trauma nursing started when I worked at an acute Rehab hospital when they hired LPNs; I even started teaching then whenever I got an unusual or and provided strategies for nursing care; now I'm able to get credit for such projects and it expands my future goals, and at this time, it is NEVER a dull moment.