LPN'S are NURSES TOO

[imnrs2]

We, LPN'S need to speak up more and grab the attention of administrators,Legislators, (State and Federal) Governors ,the public and anybody else who views the RN as the only true nurse. Just the same way the RN gained their respect in the 80's and 90's . The LPN is a well trained ,valuable member of the health care community. Patient and resident oriented health care provider. We observe s/s ,status change, improved or declining. organize and follow thru with presented problems . To insure the best outcome for that individual. Incorporating the the health care TEAM. I say LPN'S ARE VALUABLE NURSES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I agree also. I was in orientation with a few RNs and one of them asked me if I wanted to become a nurse, and I told her "I already am". I don't envy RNs in any sense of the word, and only wish to assist with the treatment of the patients in the role that I am most comfortable with. I am a proud NURSE...period.

[Jules A, MSN]

It makes me sad and I think its a combination of our own doing as well as the unnecessary competitive attitudes of other professionals. Its the same thing with OR techs (who btw pretty much run the show in there) and veterinary technicians who have almost an identical AA degree as RNs and do the work of a dozen nurses and probably 4 departments when an animal comes in for surgery. But vet techs can't call themselves veterinary nurses, we need to get over ourselves.

As for our responsibility in this I would encourage everyone to join an organization like the NFLPN as well as staying on top of continuing education to expand your knowledge. I know it can be hard and in my experience many of the LPNs I know are single Moms struggling just to make ends meet but without finding the time to take positive steps on our own behalf we certainly can't expect the "powers that be" to all the sudden recognize and reward us for the important members of the team that we are. There are enough of us to make a difference if we work together. Good thread.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Health care in the US and the nursing shortage/excess is cyclical. Jules is right - the way to get respect for a profession is to lobby for it and make the public aware. I'll be honest here, I was an LPN for two years while I got my RN. I worked in LTC and the RN's had no respect for me. It was at that point that I decided that I would always try to remember that we are a team of healthcare providers and we all contribute to the ultimate goal of helping people.

[tatgirl]

I too am a proud nurse. Right now I have no desire to get my RN. I am proud to be a LPN and a valuable member of the healthcare team. We are all NURSES regardless of the initials after our names.

Wendy

LPN

[Lorie P.]

for all lpn's, i am an lpn and darn proud to be one! i have had several veteran rn's tell me that i am one of the best nurse's they have ever worked with.

it seems that there will always be some type of tension between any memeber of the health care team. i had this one rn' tell me that "yeah you are a nurse, but i have more education that you do being an rn". my reply was tell me how all those world history , economics, english etc, ect ect have to do with taking care of a patient?" she didn't answer right away.

yes, i understand that rn's have more schooling, and the apnr has more than rn and the np more. so see it is a never ending cycle.

again i am very proud to be a lpn!! and most of my patients could care less of what title i carry, when they are in pain, stress or anyother crisis they just want their "nurse' to help them.

just me and my thoughts!:thankya:

[Danilpn69]

Hello. I completely agree that no matter rather you are an LPN or RN most of your patients do not care as long as they have the quality care that they all deserve. I have been an LPN for 18 years and have meet many wonderful and professional LPN's and RN's but some terrible RN's and LPN's that have attitude towards the other as if they are superior. We all have to stand up and shout as an LPN WE ARE NURSES TOO. I have decided after all these years to go back for my BSN but I am glad that I waited to get the experience that way I will make a great BSN and I hope that I never forget were I came from CNA, LPN, then BSN. There are plenty of LPN's out there that do just as much as RN's but just do not have the time due to families and work to go back to get the degree. There are some RN's that I have worked with that I wonder how they ever made it through the program in the first place. WAY TO GO ALL NURSES, WE ARE ALL GREAT, LPN'S, RN'S, AND SO ON. Dani

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I mentioned this in another thread, I believe, however, I think that some of this comes from the history of nursing. I read a book that stated that in the past, it took about 5 years to obtain a nursing degree, and during one of the wars (forgot which one), that they trained nurses to fill the gap; earning a practical nursing certification within three to 6 months. This appeared to had been a slap in the face of the RN who worked for years to obtain her degree and to not be able to discriminate the difference between the two in the eye of the patients. However the title of LPN evolved, bottom line is that we have obtained nursing education as well, and deserve to be recognized for our contribution to the health care team.

[kstec, LPN]

I am a LPN and love it now. I've found a facility that treats me like a nurse. I work with RN's who do not try and intimidate. They respect me and visa versa. Because I am a LPN with a 1 year degree, I will not hesitate to ask a RN with more schooling if I have a question regarding the health of my patients. I do not know everything and I never will, that's why there are doctors to ask the ultimate questions of patient care. We (CNA's, LPN's, RN's) all play a great and special part in our patients care and hopefully one day we can just except and respect each others experiences and schooling.

[foxxcat]

:welcome: Welcome to the wonderful world of nursing

I think this has been going on for years LPN-RN thing.

I am pproud to say I have been an LPN for 21 years now;) at one time i wanted to be an RN , Have only 6 classes left, but then I changed my mind:lol2: I am very happy being JUST AN LPN, I AM GOOD AT WHAT I DO AND I DON'T CARE ANYMORE ABOUT WHO IS AN RN, THEY CAN'T HOLD A LIGHT T THE EXPERIENCE I HAVE GAINED IN 21 YEARS:lol2:

LPN'S ARE THE BEST HOLD YOUR HEADS UP HIGH AND DO THE BEST YOU CAN FOR YOUR RESIDENTS FOR THEY DON'T CARE THAT WE ARE LPN'S THEY JUST CARE THAT WE ARE THER E AND TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM

NO PUSH PAPER AND BARK ORDERS(OH THAT WAS MEAN, SORRY)

[imnrs2]

Hi there I can see in the post that I read. All the pride and how you value being an LPN . How your chosen field has really made you happy .Hope this continues this is the type of thinking the LPN should have . Maybe find a button that says proud to be an LPN. That might start making people notice initially . I know that I am proud of my title ,yes it is a title, and I want to get the policy makers to also pay attention to us. Provide the education specific to LPN. Maybe CLPN ,clinical lpn . maybe you could come up with more titles. Yes I wanted to get my RN. But life got in the way and lack of money. Also I have the knowledge . I'm still learning and I can apply that knowledge . I never stopped learning . I just don't have the paper that said I did learn. I think it is how you look at and think about your knowledge in nursing and how you apply it to your practice. I have been a nurse for 26 years and I am a nurse .

[nursekhat]

Oh how I hate it when ppl say or think LVN/LPN's aren't Nurses. Those people use their ignorance in their two cents. The very first person to put me in this position of questioning my Nursing title was my MOTHER IN LAW. Could you believe it? The nerve!!! After graduating the VN program, she asked about someone we both knew, about that person's job. I told her this person she was asking about is an LVN and a DSD, and my MONSTER IN LAW said, "Oh I thought she was a nurse." Oh myy goshhh, she knew I was an LVN too. *****!!!! That hurt my feelings. I replied, "SHE IS A NURSE." Then when I passed my boards, my husband calls his mother (my MONSTER IN LAW) to tell her the great news. I didn't care for her to be informed. You know what this monstrous woman told me on the phone? "Oh congratulations, so are you an RN now?" Knowing for a FACT, that it was LVN that I recently finished... I replied, "Mom, no LVN remember?", and the monster said, "Oh."

When my husband and I were first dating, I remember Monster in law thinking about going back to school in becoming a nurse but felt too old. Mind you, she is in her mid 50's. Then she was pushing her daughter (my sister in law) to do Nursing, but she didn't want to at the time because she claims it's a dirty job and can't deal with blood, crap, and smelly stuff. Yes, they were both describing the Nursing job as a "dirty job" in front of me. Now, the hypocrites that they are, my sister in law is majoring in Nursing too. HAHAHAHAHA....

I think my Mother in law is too old fashioned (from the philippines, where they think RN's are the only qualified nurses, no wait BSN). Little does she know that I am going to be an RN one day, and I opted in becoming an LVN first because it's a requirement for the local RN program at the community college. Nd' I LOVE NURSING, I always wanted to be a nurse. I am not in it because I don't know what to do with my life so I just decided to be a nurse. Or I am not in it becasue I seen in the ad that nurses make 45 dollars an hour. Hence, my sister in law's reasons for becoming a nurse.

SO TO MY FELLOW LVN/LPN's... More power to you all. We are all nurses. We know it, and our patients know, that is all that matters. Whether becoming an RN is in our plans and goals or not, LVN/LPN's are stillll and will always be nurses.