I almost have my RN and have been an LPN for 33 years. I have been doing case management for the last 7 years and now am accepting a position as a director of nursing in a personal care facility. I also hold a BA degree. I make 70,000 a year with bonuses. If your an LPN do not think your experience is insignificant to a degree.... Rns have deeper education but bedside nursing experience translates into huge assessment skills, LPNs take first merit in this arena... I have advanced knowledge in A and P and micro B from my RN classes but the core nursing stuff I already know for the most part. LPNs, DO Not be afraid to go back to school ! I am 50 and an honors student ! Being a nurse is what I do with the knowledge I have been given and how well I can assess and nursing diagnose my patients... I am a medical detective. I search for the clues and i find a way to solve the medical riddles.
Taking Pathophysiology and advanced Pharmacolgy really does help me see things better.. The care plans are in my head from diagnosis to interventions to outcomes.... LPNs are diploma RNs now without the title.... Im blessed to have come this far after 33 years of many nursing experiences.. ICU to home care... Ive done it all... Its been an honor to serve the sick. Now Ive been given a place of leadership and only hope I can take all that I have learned and direct it towards building a great team of nurses which will allow patients to receive the best care possible...
TRULY, I am a very blessed LPN... almost RN, but always an LPN in my heart !
Specializes in Pediatrics, Case Management, Administrat.
WoW ! What a misunderstanding... Why are you guys so insulted and taking my posts WAY out into left field... No wonder nursing cannot move ahead educationally into new areas... I was trained and educated too.. But you would need to attend RN level classes to understand what I am saying and until then you do not have a foundation to compare it upon.... Nothing I said was meant as or for an insult... You guys are insecure , touchy or both.. Where is Professional maturity in this forum? If you have attened RN level classes what about this dont you get?? UNless your a new nurse in the last 20 years you wouldnt get the whole picture...
Specializes in Pediatrics, Case Management, Administrat.
As a former LPN, I didn't "just" get "bedside training"...care plans and thinking like a nurse were part of the educational piece, even patient teaching.
My "arena" has been policy making, education, as well as QA as a LPN, so my "arena" has rivaled RNs, and my foundation has made me a better RN-a choice I decided to make-it was basically a lateral transfer with an (slight due to my state's practice act) increase in scope.
The context of my post was emphasis... Back in my day experience was valued more than education...I guess I realize things have changed in LPN school but I prefer a combinational advancement... Id like to see nurses be accommodated more easily.. We have a nursing shortage and an aging population that needs nurses quickly. The current educational structure is NOT meeting the need....
Specializes in Pediatrics, Case Management, Administrat.
Yes they do... But the emphasis today in nursing is management for a good majority of RNs and bedside for LPNs... Thats all I meant. Things have evolved...from back in the day...
Specializes in Pediatrics, Case Management, Administrat.
Wasnt devaluing at all... There is a difference between devaluing and differentiating... Emphasis and focus were different back in my day or at least in my state..... Today we are seeing many changes... Personally I would like to see educational reform. Training is not a bad word in nursing.. we all got plenty of it ! Every nurse needs to be valued for her performance with the patients she cares for,.. not her education or experience alone.... I get that.. 100%. Id never devalue any nurse even if she wasnt doing a good job.. Building up people makes them successful, not taring them down.
".... Rns have deeper education but bedside nursing experience translates into huge assessment skills, LPNs take first merit in this arena... " ~ athenaspell2
I'm sorry, but I don't understand this. The clinical portion of my RN program was 2 years long; LPNs that worked alongside me were graduates of a 9 month LPN program. How do you justify a blanket statement such as "LPNs take first merit"? On what are you basing such a ranking?
The context of my post was emphasis... Back in my day experience was valued more than education...I guess I realize things have changed in LPN school but I prefer a combinational advancement... Id like to see nurses be accommodated more easily.. We have a nursing shortage and an aging population that needs nurses quickly. The current educational structure is NOT meeting the need....
How do YOU know it's not being met??
Are you a part of a standards and practice committee? have you evaluated across the country compared transition to practice?
I'm just wondering where your thoughts are coming from.
ALL licensed nurses are educated; how they hone their practice by experience and advance their knowledge base is the key, regardless of licensure.
My experience is a "combinational advancement"; that has been happening with many nurses I know and have mentored with for DECADES, this is nothing knew.
Maybe in your experience you have not seen people expand their knowledge, but trust me, the "combinational advancement" is the norm, at least in my experience.
athenaspell2
16 Posts
last post was meant for person above