Nurses STOP telling me to be a RN ! PLEASE

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in LTC.

so yesterday i was at clinicals and i was sent to nicu to observe. so one of the nurses comes over and was suppose to tell me things about nicu, whats going on with her babies and so on and so fourth. instead, she lectured me for 20 minutes on while i should become a rn first instead of being a lpn first.:banghead::banghead::banghead:

when i initially told her i was a lpn student she looked at me as if i had comitted a major crime !:crying2:

after she finished lecturing me about how silly it was for me to get my lpn first rather than rn, i let her have it ! and after i was don,she had the dummest look on her face and couldn't say anything.:rolleyes:

i was thinking first of all this lady doesn't know me or know my circumstances so what gives her the right to lecture me on my decision. don't get me wrong i don't have nurses giving me their two cents on why going straight for the rn is best. thats their opinion and i respect that. but this nurse was down right nasty !

she then tells me " i have a 20 year old daughter who is in nursing school and i told her don't even bother with being a lpn." after that i had to let her have just a little peice of my mind !

i told her the following: " i really appreciate your advice and all but until you can find me someone to pay my bills for the next couple of years while i'm in rn school then i just may consider it, until then i need to get my lpn to help me remain financially secure !

i then told her: " unlike your 20 year old daugter, i must work in order to make ends meat and everyday is like a struggle. you or your daughter will never know whats is like to work full time while in nursing school and not because its a choice but its not even an option. her or her daughter will never know what its like to be homeless and not even having a decent place to study at night but still standing and going to work and school just to have a chance in life. her daughter who is 20 years old just like me will never know what its like to pay her own rent, phone, bills, insurance, while in nursing school. i've been on my own since 18 years old and i'm so damn sorry that i didn't have a fairytale life where i can go straight for my rn, while my parents paid my way through school and paid for all my bills and allowed me to just eat, sleep, and study.

i have responsiblilities and instead of complaining about them i've decided to work and take each step at a time until i reach my utimate goal which is to become a rn. right now i'm tired of struggling and working most days of the week while in school. getting my lpn soon will mean that i'll have more money in my pocket and i'll be able to find a job where i don't have to go to work 5 days a week just to get by.

i have set myself on a career ladder that will take me from a cna to a lpn to a rn to a rn with a bsn. no i may not of taken the way you rns have tooken to become a rn but i'm going to become a rn someday, and just because i choose to work as a lpn while doing so certainly does not make me a bad person ! :zzzzz

please trust and believe that i will get my rn i'm just taking another route.

whew. it felt so good to get that off my chest.

i love you nurses that don't judge me for the path that i'm taking and still recognize that even if i work as a lpn while finishing up school that i'm still going to be a nurse and provide the best nursing care i can with in my scope. :nurse::nurse::nurse:

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I think you made your position clear. You probably could have said your peace in a shorter response that might not be prone to upsetting the other person. "While I respect your viewpoint, I am doing what is best for me in my circumstances. Thank you for your interest. Can we please discuss the issues with this patient?" would have brought the other nurse back on track just as easily.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I wish you the best! I too did the LPN to ADN to BSN to MSN, etc., and my only regret is that I didn't do the BSN first - like you, I had to work full time - no options.

You seem very determined - keep us posted!

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Everyone has to do it the way that works best for them. I admire the fact that you are willing to work towards your goals and be responsible for yourself. The same qualities that are causing you to stick to it during your education will make you a great nurse!

You go girl!:yeah:

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Specializes in LTC.
I think you made your position clear. You probably could have said your peace in a shorter response that might not be prone to upsetting the other person. "While I respect your viewpoint, I am doing what is best for me in my circumstances. Thank you for your interest. Can we please discuss the issues with this patient?" would have brought the other nurse back on track just as easily.

Initially thats what I did, but she kept dragging on it. Maybe she'll think twice before she looks down on another LPN student, now that she know some of us need our LPNs to get by for now.

She also kept bragging about her daughters 3.59, I was thinking since your daughter isn't working and totally dependant shouldn't she have a 4.0 ??? She also told me that my 3.0 isn't good enough ???? She was just so crazy, I don't know why she acted like that. I had to put her in her place,and I did it in a very nice, way. :D

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Specializes in LTC, MDS Cordnator, Mental Health.

I worked full time nights, as a CNA while going to LPN and then as an LPN while I went ot RN program... It took me 3 years. but I did it. I would have just bit my lip and smile... we do what we gotta do to meet our goals. be strong!!!

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With the info in your second post, I can see why you reacted the way you did. Unfortunately, there are always people like this and it is very difficult to keep from bodily contact to get them to stop their uninvited banter. Keep up the good work.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Note to self: never ever tell someone to be an RN! :D

I'm sorry you had that experience--apparently the one who was talking to you just wasn't thinking things through before she spoke!

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I am in the same situation as you are, but I also have children. Originally I was going to go LPN to RN, but an instructor talked me out of it. Where I am they are phasing out LPN's so my choices would be limited as to where I could work when I graduated. They have pretty much stopped new hires at hospitals, and mainly my work would be at a nursing home where the pay isn't really very good. I would still have to get a ton of pre reqs, and wait forever for my chance to get into a program which would be a year long. Then I would have to get more pre reqs, and wait again to get into an RN program which was 16 months long. I also found out that unless I found a nursing home which agreed to pay for my RN my financial aid would be less once I had my LPN, and was working full time in the field.

I ended up just going into a 16 month RN program, and in 16 months I am done. It is hard to do, but overall it will take less time, and cost less.

It's more than likely different where you are. Like someone else said it depends so much on your life, and what things are like where you are.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept.

Even if you didn't want to become an RN, being an LPN is a respected member of the medical/nursing team. It takes everyone - the secretaries, CNA's, LPN's, RN's and docs (not to mention RT, radiology, etc.) to successfully care for a patient. Having read your post and had time to contemplate it I think a great response would've been - well, if she has the time, money and intelligence, why is she stopping at her RN instead of just becoming a doctor. Everyone has different skills sets and everyone is an important member of the team. Congrats on working your way to becoming a nurse! (LPN or whatever else you desire).

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Specializes in Neuro-Surgery, Med-Surg, Home Health.

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I think the RN's approach to you was wrong. I'm sure she meant well, but she should have been a little bit more diplomatic in her approach to you instead of lecturing you on what you should do.

I hope that you will be a successful LPN after you graduate.

Unfortunately for the LVNs here in the San Francisco Bay Area, many acute care hospitals are switching to an all-RN staffing. In many hospitals here the LVNs are not being replaced with another LVN once they resign or retire. The acute care hospitals have decided that an all-RN staff is more cost efficient over the mixture of RNs and LVNs where the RN has to "cover" for the LVN's own patients. Also, with the ever rising patient acuity the RN is more qualified to take care of those types of patients.

In the hospital where I just retired from, all of the LVNs were pulled away from in-patient nursing care. Some were transferred to the clinics, but most became "phlebotomists"! This arrangement only lasted for less than a year. I heard from reliable sources that those LVNs were transferred to even less desirable positions in the system.

If the practice here in California is adopted nationwide, then many LVNs/LPNs will have less job opportunities. I hope you will find a job that you will like and I hope that you will earn enough so that you can afford to go back to RN school someday.

Good luck to you.

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Specializes in med surg ltc psych.

I'm with you girl. Seems to me that a lot of people and yeah the nurses think we thought it all out and chose to go LPN route first. No. Very few of us would have chose an LPN program if we could have gotten in to the RN program. With only a few NS in your area, wait lists up to 2 years, financing/loans and risking possibly failing out of RN program. why wouldn't a person at least finish school with their LPN to have a completed solid nursing diploma. In the 2 year wait to get accepted into an RN program, a person can at least be a Licensed Practical Nurse which is something to be proud of and allow you to work and become financially stable before applying to RN program. Nursing Student 19; that NICU nurse was just puffing her gills and these are the kind of nurses who actually get entertained doing the downing. YOU will be fine with your choice(s). I too am in an LPN program. Friends of mine that were able to get into an RN have either hardshipped out or failed a semester, or didn't pass HESI's or pharm calculations or a clinical etc. And now have to sit out for a LONG time. Stay on your course. There will be a finish line and you'll be glad you did.

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