Just an LPN...

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"Oh, you're just an LPN?" How rude is it when someone dismisses your occupation!?!? If you insert any other occupation here (ex. garbage man, stay at home mom) you would sound like a complete A-hole but somehow it is ok to say in the nursing field! What are some good comebacks to this remark?

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MMMM. ... SO, you're not even an Lpn?! Idk. Who cares what they think

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Specializes in Home Care.

In your life you will hear plenty of stupid stuff. It just doesn't matter. Don't sweat the small stuff

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To me it's right up there with all the RN drop outs/failed a course ones who want to know "can I challenge the LPN exam?"

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You'll never be enough for some people. And usually these people aren't even in the healthcare field period.

You're just an RN? Why can't you prescribe meds? You should be a NP.

Oh, you're an NP? Why didn't you just go to medical school? You could make more money etc, etc.. :rolleyes:

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Well, my uneducated client states that the patient's doctors don't know what they are doing and when anyone asks them what medical school they graduated from, they say that they know what is best for their child. They have an answer for everything but what medical school they graduated from and how many years experience they have as a family practitioner, neurologist, pulmonologist, etc. This person did not graduate from high school, but asserts that they know everything. I have to listen to their rants every day. Yes, it gets hard to blow them off, but I know that I must. If they have no respect for doctors, how do you think they approach me as a licensed nurse? I got called "the babysitter" one day in a phone conversation made in my presence. Yes, they know everything!

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I work with two LPN's who use that statement more often than any other human beings I have ever encountered. Any task they don't feel like doing we hear "Oh, I can't do that, I'm just an LPN". "Better go get an RN, I'm just an LPN". Trust me, we don't like hearing it from them any more than you like hearing it from ANYONE.

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Specializes in Peds Homecare.
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Specializes in LTC.

Comebacks? I got none. I ignore them and go about my business. Some battles are not worth fighting for me.

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Specializes in LTC.
I work with two LPN's who use that statement more often than any other human beings I have ever encountered. Any task they don't feel like doing we hear "Oh, I can't do that, I'm just an LPN". "Better go get an RN, I'm just an LPN". Trust me, we don't like hearing it from them any more than you like hearing it from ANYONE.

They refuse to do tasks that are in the LPN scope of practice for your facility/state?

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"Ummm last I checked, and according to my Board of nursing, LPN has the word NURSE in it.... Are you a nurse??"

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

If a resident falls, they won't assess b/c they say "they're only an LPN". Um, in this state an LPN ca't do an INITIAL assessment, but fall assessments aren't initials. Or they will defer to an RN on a policy situation--something she can easily look up in a facility handbook. It's pretty ridiculous.

She called me over a few weeks ago to look at a toe that was reddened. She asked if I would call the Dr. As it didn't hurt the resident, I said I'd probably wait until the morning instead of 9:30 on a Sunday night. She did NOTHING about it and then tried to tell people that "the RN said not to call the Dr". Um, no, that's NOT what the RN said and the RN did her own documenting on that toe that totally disproves what she said. Guess who will no longer be doing things for that LPN that she is fully licensed to do. If she needs an IV, I'm there. Otherwise, she will not get another opportunity to play the LPN card and crap all over me again.

They refuse to do tasks that are in the LPN scope of practice for your facility/state?
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