Just an LVN is historical

1. My husbands grandmother is a retired nurse, so when ever she sees me she asks me about how my schooling is going. She was asking me about my path and I was telling her that when I graduate from my BSN program I plan on applying for midwifery programs. I then asked her about how things were when she was a nurse and she said, "Well, I was just an LVN..." of course I did my little song and dance and told her she was still a nurse and should not think "Just" but it make me wonder just how long have LVN/LPNs been feed this "Just and LVN" line/garbage!!!
2. 

   About HeartsOpenWide

   Joined: Jul '05; Posts: 3,067; Likes: 2,035
   "Birth Center" Staff Nurse; from US
   Specialty: Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne

   4 Comments

   Topic Closed
3. 
   Dec 18, '07

   Occupation: CRRN, now a case management RN Specialty: Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych ; From: US ; Joined: Feb '05; Posts: 38,032; Likes: 69,287

   As long as I'm contributing something that is helpful and assistive to healthcare, I'm definitely more than "just an LVN." No one can make us feel inferior without our consents, and nobody will fully respect us as contributors to healthcare in America until we are able to bestow some much-needed respect upon ourselves.
4. 
   Dec 18, '07

   Occupation: Licensed Practical Nurse Specialty: Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health ; From: US ; Joined: Sep '05; Posts: 9,297; Likes: 8,221

   They feed it to me, but I regurgitate it back at them immediately. In most cases, people will leave you alone. Folks that have made the mistake to say such a thing to me more than once seem to think I am insane, but the rudeness stops.
5. 
   Dec 19, '07

   Occupation: Float Charge Nurse Specialty: 2 year(s) of experience in Emergency Medicine pre-LVN, hospital cor ; Joined: Dec '07; Posts: 5; Likes: 4

   Just an LVN is an insult, some of the most knowledgeable nurses I ever worked with were LVNs.
6. 
   Dec 19, '07

   Joined: Oct '04; Posts: 8,588; Likes: 9,746

   I usually hear it from the RNs that I work with that are in their late 50s and are ready to retire. They have a hard time dealing with the fact that today's PN has more skills than they did when they completed their hospital based training. They forget that they too had to learn new skills over the last three decades.
   
   I'm not "just an LPN", I've been told by more than one patient "I'm a really good nurse". Patients usually haven't a clue as to my nursing education and those who question it are usually older nurses (who we all know are often on the first step to patient from hell status).

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