I wish RN schools would quit teaching the RN students LPN's can't do anything!

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I am getting so frustrated with some RN students in these NCLEX review groups. They keep saying that LPN's can't do any assessments, they can't do any patient teaching, or evaluations, that it is illegal. I think it is important that RN understand the real scope of practice of the LPN. To hear them talk LPN's are no different than medication aids. It makes me sad that they are taught to think so little of our education and training.

Specializes in critical care.
When people ask what I do, I say I am a nurse. "Oh, you're a RN?" No. I am a real nurse. I am a LPN! I do assessments every day.I add to the care plans. I once had a supervisor tell me once that LPNs are over-achievers because LPNs have 3 initials while RNs only have 2. LPNs are nurses. We may not go to school for 2-4 years but I have worked with some nurses and wondered how they made it through school. I have been a LPN for 20+ years and proud of it. We should all work together, side by side, and forget about the initials behind our names. If you treat me with respect, I will return the same. If not and you look down your nose at me, well, good luck with that patient you need help with.

While I love your sense of pride in what you do, following, "I am a real nurse", up with, "you look down your nose at me, well, good luck with that patient you need help with", is not at all helpful in closing the "my license is better than your license" divide.

In my BS-RN program, we didn't focus at all on nurse practice acts or on the LPN scope of practice. The thought process behind this was that there were so many people who would come here from out of state, or who would work a few mile north in a neighboring state, that that level of detail regarding scope of practice would potentially confuse things. So we were told to look into it in our future employers' states, but little more than that was said.

For the purpose of nclex delegation, always give the most stable, least complicated patients to the LPN or new nurse.

The state I work in, all I've learned so far is LPNs don't do push meds, unstable drips, or initial assessments. Beyond that, I still don't know! We have a total of two LPNs in the whole facility, and no more will be hired. The two we have promised to get RNs. That promise was made like 5 years ago. These ladies have been there about 20 years and they're great at politicking. ☺️

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I don't think she thinks she's better than them. She's just stating that she can do a lot as an LPN and good luck to the RN that asks her for advise on what to do if they previously treated her like she was beneith them. We should respect everyone in our profession, from CNA to ARNP

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I'm an LPN and I worked Poole for 8 years. I spent most of my time in ICU. I am currently back in school for my RN..no political BS involved.

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The fact that LPN scope of practice varies so much from state to state to state (not to mention facility to facility) is likely a large part of the reason some RN programs don't even broach the subject. Better to let the new RNs find out on their own, I suppose.

We all know that, in practice, it is the setting that determines the definition of an LPN's role. Teach them that "LPNs don't assess" and their LTC coworkers will laugh themselves silly. Teach them that LPNs do assess and their hospital coworkers will clutch their pearls and demand the smelling salts.

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It does vary state to state. In mine, we assess, and when I went to school it was a must. Heck, our boards were based on assessment and which patient to assess first!

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For instance, in my state, an LPN may NOT call themselves a "nurse" as a stand alone term. They HAVE to say LPN. I know of no other state that the BON has verbage like this.

Oh I don't like that all!

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I really do not like it when Lpn's think most Rn's do not understand them.

When in fact-- most Rn's were previously Lpn's.

(I do wonder the % of Rn's who were previously Lpn's.)

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I really do not like it when Lpn's think most Rn's do not understand them.

When in fact-- most Rn's were previously Lpn's.

(I do wonder the % of Rn's who were previously Lpn's.)

I could be wrong, but I really doubt most RNs were LPNs. "Many" maybe, but not most.

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My newish current job is private duty and I'm the only RN I've run into yet :D . I've been oriented and trained by LPNs on every patient I've taken care of. It took me a week to realize all these nurses were LPNs, when I finally saw a signature.

I would have never known, and frankly I wasn't paying any attention to what their credentials were. It matters very little in this area of nursing. If the patient has a central line, that would be an RN's job to deal with it but otherwise? No diff.

And certainly I experienced no 'diff' in the orientations, the hand offs, the description and performances of care. We're basically equals in private duty, with a rare difference in maybe a couple of procedures.

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LPNs are on the front line in the Navy. Hospital Corpsman are the equivalent to an LPN in the Navy. And we do it all. LPN's rock

Amazon.com: CafePress LPN Caduceus Pink Tote Bag - Standard Multi-color: Kitchen & Dining

Really? I haven't felt that way. I was a medic in the Army prior to being a Navy Corpsman and I feel like I do less. If you don't mind could I inbox you a few questions?

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
When people ask what I do, I say I am a nurse. "Oh, you're a RN?" No. I am a real nurse. I am a LPN! I do assessments every day.I add to the care plans. I once had a supervisor tell me once that LPNs are over-achievers because LPNs have 3 initials while RNs only have 2. LPNs are nurses. We may not go to school for 2-4 years but I have worked with some nurses and wondered how they made it through school. I have been a LPN for 20+ years and proud of it. We should all work together, side by side, and forget about the initials behind our names. If you treat me with respect, I will return the same. If not and you look down your nose at me, well, good luck with that patient you need help with.

In my state, if you are an lpn, you cannot say "I'm a nurse". You MUST say "I'm an lpn". Only an rn can call themselves a nurse with no title/letters.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
Oh I don't like that all!

i agree! I had my lpn license before my rn license! Of course, so many things in my state don't make sense right now...

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