Im proud to be an LPN !

[Loveuandme]

Hi everyone Im new here at allnurses.com and I am a new LPN. I want every nurse to be proud whether they are RN or LPN. I have noticed over the past few months when I tell people that I am a LPN they always say "Arent they phasing LPN's out". I think a lot of people are unimformed and dont realize that LPN's are nurses too. I love all nurses , but I want people to know all over the world that I am proud to be a LPN ! I have started a Facebook page!

[Dyannap]

WOW I am so glad I found this thread. I am starting my LPN courses this fall and whenever I tell anyone I will be doing the LPN program I get the same response "you know they are phasing that out" and "why don't you want to be a real nurse". I stopped telling anyone at school what I am doing because I am tired of defending my personal decision. There is nothing wrong with being an LPN or working at McD's as long as you enjoy what you are doing and do it well. Thanks everyone for your posts and wish my luck when I start this fall.

[nursel56]

WOW I am so glad I found this thread. I am starting my LPN courses this fall and whenever I tell anyone I will be doing the LPN program I get the same response "you know they are phasing that out" and "why don't you want to be a real nurse". I stopped telling anyone at school what I am doing because I am tired of defending my personal decision. There is nothing wrong with being an LPN or working at McD's as long as you enjoy what you are doing and do it well. Thanks everyone for your posts and wish my luck when I start this fall.

Good luck, Dyannap- and to everyone else- if you advance your education do it for you. If you do it to gain acceptance from some nebulous group, I guarantee you will be disappointed. As others have said, no matter what you do, there will be naysayers- and the naysayers are never satisfied. But that's their problem, huh.

[rayshetta]

Proud to be a LPN,I agree it's amazing to hear folks say why did you want to do that? I explain to them,that's what I wanted to do and proud of it. I have a couple of people who try to put me down for becoming a LPN,they didn't finish LPN school(to busy partying)! I'm glad I did it,working on my RN and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm the only LPN on my floor who finished and didn't walk around just talking about school,I studued and passed my boards on the 1st try.

[NurseLil-lea]

Proud to be a LPN,I agree it's amazing to hear folks say why did you want to do that? I explain to them,that's what I wanted to do and proud of it. I have a couple of people who try to put me down for becoming a LPN,they didn't finish LPN school(to busy partying)! I'm glad I did it,working on my RN and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm the only LPN on my floor who finished and didn't walk around just talking about school,I studued and passed my boards on the 1st try.

YOU GO GIRL!!

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

I am proud to be an LPN . I love what I do in both acute care and LTC. I will probably go back to school to become an RN as there is just so much more opportunity for advancement and of course, higher pay.

The other day at work, I had a resident's wife ask me "Is Teresa a nurse or an LPN?"

I said "Teresa is both. An LPN is a nurse. That's what the N in LPN stands for."

She said "Oh, I thought LPN is a step below a nurse"

I said "well, we are not a registered nurse, we a licensed pratical nurse. Still a nurse though"

Grrr...honestly, what do people think the "N" stands for????????????????

[nurseshante]

I say kudos to all Nurses!!!!

I use to work at Banner in Phoenix, AZ and they have team nursing there. Everytime the RN, LPN and CNA would do rounds the RN would say" my name is so-so I'm your nurse, this is the LPN and the CNA". Wow the RN's there are very disrepectful and think they are hot stuff. Sad though because the LPN's ran circle around most of them. And with that being said again I say kudos to all nurses!

[OldMareLPN]

Thoughts on the subject......

One of the free magazines you can subscribe free to (FloridaRN or something like it) had a cover last month proclaiming how some RN nurses are now getting in touch with their patients to improve their health. H-E-L-L-O isn't that called nursing?

All those RN's who get called off due to low census in their hospital must have money trees in their back yards. The only calls I get is to work more hours. RN's might get more per hour, but I get the hours.

As hospitals look to save money, watch the pendulum swing to staffing preference to LPN's for skilled patient care.

The ANA is short sighted excluding LPNS's, but then again what does the ANA do. Give me the SEIU (sorry Glen).

The two LPN organizations are ineffective in their efforts to communicate their message (which is what?), capture the enthusiasm of LPN's in the profession as displayed on this thread. Have you looked at their websites lately? Promoting the 2009 conventions and 1985 web sites.

LPN's have a major role to play in the near future, whether it just be with the growing elderly population or in the new healthcare for all. Whether LPN leadership be in the hands of something like SEIU or ANA or some new entity is up in the air. Anyone who thinks LPN's are being phased out is probably a RN who bought the story.

[nursel56]

I agree LPNs/LVNs really don't have effective union representation and the ANA chooses not to have us, all it does is dilute our power and message in the interest of maintaining some sort of purity, I don't know.

What I do know is that, since 1976 when I got my license, all nurses, including RNs and advanced practice nurses have seen their respect levels, benefits and relative pay go downhill. Could our lack of unity and infighting just maybe have something to do with that?