Life as a CNA vs LPN

Fed_RN14 · Sep 17, 2017

Well. I was a CNA, then LPN, ASN, now BSN. Everyone is working their tails off. My back hurt all the time when I worked in a skilled rehab center as an LPN. The thing is, it will always look like the people "above" you aren't working as hard. But we are all dealing with high stress, just some have more physical and others have more mental. So, yes, every step of furthering my education was worthwhile. I'm so glad I did it... but not because things got easier. That never happened.

caliotter3 · Sep 17, 2017

Imagine yourself doing the physical work of a CNA at age 72. It can be done, but not by everybody. Better to be doing LPN work at that age. And, you could still be working then, lots of nurses continue to work into their seventies.

LPNuser · Sep 17, 2017

Well thanks for the input. Its appreciated.

But i must ask, why did your back hurt? See as i said, I see what LPNs do in the nursing home. The major lifting, transferring and body work is not done by them.

They do majority brain work, minority body work. As a cna i do majority body work, minority brain work.

So what was back breaking for you?

And that does make sense. Everyone does have their stress, it just seems like theirs is not as much body stress.

LPNuser · Sep 17, 2017

Thanks for the input. Thats what my plan is. I want to be a nurse, working with my brain. Not so much my body

Sour Lemon · Sep 17, 2017

Well thanks for the input. Its appreciated.
But i must ask, why did your back hurt? See as i said, I see what LPNs do in the nursing home. The major lifting, transferring and body work is not done by them.
They do majority brain work, minority body work. As a cna i do majority body work, minority brain work.
So what was back breaking for you?
And that does make sense. Everyone does have their stress, it just seems like theirs is not as much body stress.

It seems like a lot of nurses I know have issues with back and neck pain. CNAs may collectively do more physical work, but they're probably collectively younger, too.

Purple_roses · Sep 17, 2017

Well thanks for the input. Its appreciated.
But i must ask, why did your back hurt? See as i said, I see what LPNs do in the nursing home. The major lifting, transferring and body work is not done by them.
They do majority brain work, minority body work. As a cna i do majority body work, minority brain work.
So what was back breaking for you?
And that does make sense. Everyone does have their stress, it just seems like theirs is not as much body stress.

As a nurse in a hospital, I can tell you that I get 10,000 or more steps in every shift. My feet sometimes ache by the end of the shift. And I always always always help turn patients as I have told all of the aids I work with that I do NOT want them injuring themselves trying to move patients themselves because they feel nobody will help them. I was once a CNA who didn't ask for help and injured my neck. It still acts up from time to time. I don't want that for any of my coworkers.

Now, in the hospital, I would say that nurses and aids alike do similar amounts of running around. In LTC, your nurse will be doing less because he/she has dozens and dozens of meds to pass, assessments to do, AND has to document on all of that to save his or her ass should a lawsuit pop up. They are just as stressed, just in different ways.

Good luck to you OP! I really think you should continue pursuing nursing :) I'm not speaking as someone with LPN experience, but a nurse is a nurse.

dream'n, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2017

OP, please remember your post once you're working as a LPN, I think you will be very surprised. When I worked the floor, I almost couldn't get out of my car after driving home because my feet and back hurt so much. Then I'd cripple around the house for the first couple of days off work.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Sep 17, 2017

16 years licensed nurse here. I have chronic back pain. I finally had an MRI done (which I paid for) and my doctors response, "It doesn't take a doctor to see that's screwed up. You're cock-eyed". Undiagnosed scoliosis from teen years, three herniated discs and spinal stenosis...and I have at least 30 years until retirement age. I'm normal weight so I cannot even lose weight to improve the pain.

OP, becoming licensed isn't going to relieve the physical exhaustion that comes with our profession if you are planning on working bedside.

oceangirl1234 · Sep 17, 2017

I would just like to point out that even as an LPN you may be doing CNA work more often then you think.

On my unit there are NO CNA's. It's just us LPN's and RN's. And let me tell you, it can really make or break your day when you have a hundred things to do that (in my opinion) are higher up on my priority list then giving someone a shower (I know that sounds bad but eh it's the truth). BUT we get it done as a team. And I honestly enjoy doing personal care because I get to know my patient's better.

Just food for thought.

Julius Seizure · Sep 17, 2017

I think working those long hours can cause back pain for anybody, honestly. The floors in hospitals and nursing homes are hard and unforgiving to those who spend 8-12 hours a day on their feet, no matter how good your shoes are.

LovingLife123 · Sep 17, 2017

You think you know what the LPNs do, but really you don't. And unless you are filling those LPNs around their entire shift, you have no idea how much physical work they do.

I do total care for my patients. I'm responsible for every aspect of their care. I very rarely get to sit, so I'm often on my feet for 12.5 hours plus for every shift I work. It kills my back.

Yes, your job is very physical. No doubt about it. But so is the nurse's. And if you think going from CNA to LPN is going to change the amount of work you do, you are mistaken.