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Hello everyone,
I am in my senior year in a BSN program in Tennessee. I just learned my professor for next Semester is not an RN she is an LPN. I'm curious to see if this is allowed?
Thanks.
Believe me or not, there are people who can rightfully title themselves like "LPN, PhD" or "ASN, MSN". It happens pretty often with foreign-trained nurses, those who get another, frequently unrelated degree after entry-level nursing one and then return back to academia (which looks like the case being discussed), and those who go through "RN to MSN" type programs which never technically grant BSN. All that is perfectly legal.
In addition, some people just prefer to put their first and last degrees after their name for convinience sake. A title like "Dr. Mary Jones, LPN, ASN, BSN, MSN, MEd, PMHNP, PhD" tells quite an avesome lifestory but it is kind of awkward to use.
I can think of several professors teaching nursing-related coursework who have post-graduate degrees plus an LPN. I thought the reason might be that they wanted to enhance their experience with at least some "boots on the ground" understanding of the subject matter. Even if they started as an LPN and later earned several more degrees, as this person for example, Timothy G. Smith, PhD, MPA, BA, LPN I would hardly say he was unqualified.
I'm the kind of student that finds teaching style and personality a better predictor of success, though.
Hmm - this is an interesting situation. Since I would assume that the course she is teaching (psych) is intended to teach RN nursing practice, I really don't understand how she could do this as she is clearly not qualified to do so. Maybe if she was team teaching with a qualified nursing instructor?
I hope some of our academic colleagues chime in with information on the accreditation impact.
If the LVN is her only degree then I would say that is all sorts of wrong, but if she has a higher degree in either education or the subject she is teaching then I don't see a problem with it. The disclaimer here is I don't see a problem with it as long as her teaching is limited to lecture as I don't believe that an LVN degree is appropriate for clinical instruction in any nursing program. Every school I am aware of requires at minimum a BSN to instruct clinically for the LVN program and a Masters degree at the minimum to instruct clinicals at the ADN and BSN level.
Chadnurse
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