Wondering something here. Hoping it doesn't turn into a rant, but I'm pretty perturbed just now. I've personally had NO issues during school, as a student working with RNs or LPNs, about who was "better" or had it "harder" in either school or work. We all just did our thing, for the most part, and I didn't really see too much animosity. Occasionally maybe, but I didn't see it as a problem widespread.
And then I had a conversation today with someone who made me so angry I had to wonder if it was just her, or just her school, or....what? Maybe there IS more animosity than I knew of??
While we were watching our kids play, she asked me what I 'did'; I told her I recently graduated NS, recently got my RN license, and was now needing to make some decisions about job offers :) . She told me that she had gotten halfway through LPN school (a local vocational school that teaches LPN courses amongst many other types of vocations), had to drop out for family reasons, and how much harder it was to do that than "your RN school". Huh? I asked her how she figured that program was "harder" (I KNOW that program, btw, so this was very curious to me). She said the RN students could "do what they wanted, wear what they wanted" and so on. I told her that if the DRESS CODE was a measure of how "hard" a school was, wasn't that a bit silly.....and anyway, NO, we had specific uniforms that were enforced, as well as clinical criteria that was certainly enforced. She said that their instructors commented on how much more "professional" the LPN students were. I smiled, thinking it ridiculous to say; I'm quite aware of what standards WE were held to, thank you very much.
She told me that there were students who "couldn't make it" in her school but then went into the RN program at the college and did great (a double 'HUH?' here). Never heard of that; actually, have seen it the other way around, but who's counting. We had quite a few LPNs IN our program, but certainly no one that had not been able to achieve an LPN license first. I asked her if it really made sense to her that it was "harder" to get an LPN license than an RN one; did she REALLY think that RNs were getting their licenses so much easier, when it's a higher level in the nursing hierarchy? Was that logical? She didn't answer exactly, but continued....
She told me that LPNs were more "hands on" nursing and RNs were more "paperwork". Another "HUH?" since we had to learn to do at LEAST as much 'hands on' work, even a few MORE things in our program than they did in theirs, PLUS the paperwork.
I really began to resent the outright statements that LPNs were "better", even more professional nurses; as a subtle suggestion it would be laughable, but as an outright statement it was ludicrous. The thing is, *I* had not and would not suggest that RNs are "better" or "more professional"!
Which leads me to wonder if RNs overall are more secure in what they are and do to NOT degrade LPNs, or am I just not seeing it? Is this woman a fluke, or (since she said her whole class and instructors felt this way) there's a jealousy or resentment issue for those of us who are RNs not LPNs??
What gives? Here I am thinking "treat everyone with the respect they earn" and I'm faced with someone who automatically places herself (and other LPNs-to-be) in a position of pseudo-superiority??
RN34TX: lol! Yeah, I once had someone tell me that she got "halfway" through the RN program; upon questioning, however, turns out she got "halfway" through one semester's pre-reqs! Not even "halfway" through all the pre-reqs; she failed A&P and I think chem.
Yet she tells people she was "in the nursing program" and "didn't get through clinicals". Ummm....couldn't get TO clinicals, but why be picky.
I just thought of something that made me wish I had thought of it while she was in front of me: I have to be able to absolutely everything an LPN does in their scope of practice, in ADDITION to doing everything in my scope of practice....how does that translate into an "easier" education??
There's nothing an LPN does that I am not also required to do or be able to do as needed. Doesn't go the other way around, so....argh.
sounds like misery loves company there, i get that alot in my southside 'hood, where getting out of jail gets you more respect than graduating college!!!!
i don't think it was an LPN vs. RN thing, i think she was just bitter that you accomplished something--and for whatever reason, she DID NOT. don't let ANYONE get you down, one should be proud of themself no matter what they accomplish--LPN school, CNA school, RN school, computer school, anything!!!!:balloons:
I work with a RN who acts as if she is better than everyone else. She told a CNA one time that it was "beneath her" to answer a call light! Sometimes we wonder why there is so much contempt between the two!
I think a big part of her problem was that she didnt finish her program. I recently just graduated from an LPN program the end of July, so I know what an LPN program is like, but I have no clue what an RN program is like. I don't agree with her assumptions, but I can kind of see where she is coming from, LPN programs are usually 1 year long, versus 2, so the instructors seem like they cram stuff down your throat, and before you even have a grasp on it, they move on to something else.
I'm leaning toward it being a jealousy thing (that I finished) based on what you guys have said. I just hope to heck I don't have to work with her classmates if they do hold that opinion, though!
Nothing is "beneath me"; everyone needs to answer call lights in my world. But if I can do the LPN's job along with my own, I sure am not going to deal well with how she's really better at nursing than I am.
btw, she was going part-time so she'd have gone for one year out of two; most everyone in the RN program now counts on that 2-year program being at least 3 because of added features
That's IF she got that far, of course....like I said earlier, I find people tell me they were "almost" through something when they hadn't even gotten close to that. I remember a classmate telling me that she didn't really think she'd stick with nursing but since she was "almost done" she would just finish up--and we were only in the beginning of the second semester!
I have only come across one that really stood out. She was an LPN to RN school drop out (I don't know if it was for failing or what) but she made sure to inform me when she found out I had just finished an RN program that the NCLEX-PN was harder than the NCLEX-RN. When I asked her if she had taken the NCLEX-RN she looked a little taken back and admitted she had not.
She seemed to really be struggling with issues regarding LPN's and RN's. She never missed an opportunity to downplay RN's with comments like, LPN's have more clinical hours than RN's coming out of school and how LPN's can make as much or more than RN's (which I know is a true statement but it was the context in which she said it that made me want to roll my eyes). She told me she taught a BCLS class but let me know it wasn't like "others", it was very tough and she held her students to high standards...whatever...
I am an LVN and the only thing Im jealous of is the fact that other RNs are practicing and I have one semester to go before I graduate with my RN. I respect RN's and know the responsibility that comes with RN's AS WELL as LPNs.
Sounds like her issues weren't LPN vs RN at all but Nursing School Drop Our vs Nursing School Graduate!
I bet if she had dropped out of the same program as you she would have found a way to make you beneath her. "It was harder when I started a year before you!" "You must have passed because you sucked up to the instructor"
I have only come across one that really stood out. She was an LPN to RN school drop out (I don't know if it was for failing or what) but she made sure to inform me when she found out I had just finished an RN program that the NCLEX-PN was harder than the NCLEX-RN. When I asked her if she had taken the NCLEX-RN she looked a little taken back and admitted she had not.
She seemed to really be struggling with issues regarding LPN's and RN's. She never missed an opportunity to downplay RN's with comments like, LPN's have more clinical hours than RN's coming out of school and how LPN's can make as much or more than RN's (which I know is a true statement but it was the context in which she said it that made me want to roll my eyes). She told me she taught a BCLS class but let me know it wasn't like "others", it was very tough and she held her students to high standards...whatever...
Mama - you're right, how would she know?!! I took LPN and RN boards - at the time, the LPN boards were a one day thing, and the RN boards were two days. I wanted to transfer from one program to another, so I had to get my LPN first, then transfer into the other program. Of course, this was back in the old days, where we wrote our answers on slates!!:rotfl: :rotfl:
Most of the LPN's I've worked with over the years have been good, just as most of the RN's were. I'm having a little trouble with one LPN now at the LTCF where I started a couple of months ago, but another one is my mentor!
I respect RN's and know the responsibility that comes with RN's AS WELL as LPNs.
I took LPN and RN boards - at the time, the LPN boards were a one day thing, and the RN boards were two days. I wanted to transfer from one program to another, so I had to get my LPN first, then transfer into the other program. Of course, this was back in the old days, where we wrote our answers on slates!!:rotfl: :rotfl:
RNsRWe, ASN, RN
3 Articles; 10,428 Posts
RN34TX: lol! Yeah, I once had someone tell me that she got "halfway" through the RN program; upon questioning, however, turns out she got "halfway" through one semester's pre-reqs! Not even "halfway" through all the pre-reqs; she failed A&P and I think chem.
Yet she tells people she was "in the nursing program" and "didn't get through clinicals". Ummm....couldn't get TO clinicals, but why be picky.