Needed to vent

I'm from PA and I've heard similar things said about and to LPNs faces. It's disheartening.

A lot of people seem to think that they're interchangeable with CNAs and I think this is mostly because of a misunderstanding of nursing for the layperson in general???

I think you're right. But I think other things factor into it...at my old facility they were trying to push LPNs out of their rehab floor with the reasoning of, and I kid you not, RNs could provide more skilled care. So they started hiring a bunch of RNs who just graduated expecting them to be the cats meow and it turned out 3/4 of them either made so many repeated mistakes they got fired or they resigned because they couldn't handle it. I trained a lot of them, which I also found to be sort of ironic. You wanna push me out but it's ok to use me to train your new RNs that are taking my spot.

Please don't take me wrong, I have nothing against RNs, I worked with a lot of wonderful RNs, but I also worked with a lot of LPNs who could run circles around some of our seasoned RNs. All I'm saying is that LPNs are damn good at their job, too. I hate that we get looked down upon sometimes.

When in public, I do not divulge that I am a nurse, even if someone asks. I am a nurse while on the clock, but once I leave work, I'm just me.

The reality is that some misguided people will always frown down upon education that was received at community colleges or trade schools. They assume the coursework is watered down. They conclude that the students who attend these types of schools are not 'university material.'

I was accepted to three universities during my senior year of high school, but for certain reasons, I entered the entry-level workforce after high school graduation. I worked a string of low-paying dead-end jobs for five years before enrolling in a trade school LVN program at age 23.

I worked as an LVN for several years while completing prerequisite coursework at my local community college. At age 28 I enrolled in a trade school LPN-to-ASN bridge program and earned my RN licensure the next year. I am now enrolled in an online RN-to-BSN completion program with 7 more credits to go before I receive the BSN degree.

My LVN work experience is the foundation upon which my nursing career has been constructed. My community college and trade school education was the springboard upon which my postsecondary educational pursuits have been launched. If some uninformed fool thinks I'm a lowly person for having attended community college and trade school, so be it.

The 'N' in LPN stands for 'nurse.' Many LPNs have more earning potential with their one-year trade school certificates or two-year college diplomas than many unemployed university-educated people who majored in humanities or art history. Stand proud and don't allow the opinions of uninformed strangers to rent space inside your head.

Good luck to you!

Well said.

In my area of PA, LPNs are known for their weight in gold, although there are a few that either don't know about LPNs in the full capacity, or don't use them in their capacity, either way, it matters with the knowledge and skills that are displayed; that's what really matters.

Commuter, thank you. I do try to hold my head up high, but ignorance sometimes grates my nerves.

I'm following in your footsteps, so to speak. I also didn't attend college right out of high school. And now I'm taking prereqs for the LPN-ASN program at my community college. My goal is to have as little debt as possible. And in the meantime, I'm trying to save as much as I can because I plan on attending a local university in the future for their ASN-BSN bridge program. :)

General Rule of Life #526: There are idiots everywhere. Pay them no mind.

PS: Former LPN- I feel ya!

Just a patient, but I wouldn't let a strangers rude comments get you down. YOU know the knowledge and skills you possess, you make difference in the lives of others, not many people can say that. If I had seen you, I would have thanked you for what you do. I'm disabled due to cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair to get around, and nurses have helped me so such throughout my life, because of this I respect and really admire them. I'll say what SHOULD have been said to you.... "Thanks for doing what you do, Nurses Rock!!"

Just a patient, but I wouldn't let a strangers rude comments get you down. YOU know the knowledge and skills you possess, you make difference in the lives of others, not many people can say that. If I had seen you, I would have thanked you for what you do. I'm disabled due to cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair to get around, and nurses have helped me so such throughout my life, because of this I respect and really admire them. I'll say what SHOULD have been said to you.... "Thanks for doing what you do, Nurses Rock!!"

:) That truly lifted my spirits. You are wonderful. Thank you.

Ps, you rock too!

"What do I do for a living? Why not a blessed thing!! I lunch with ladies...." HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Don't sweat it! Best wishes!

Wouldn't it be nice to just ask these people how many 'aides' do you know who can administer IV meds, do sterile dressings, insert NG tubes, etc? People really have no idea. I have been lucky; nobody has ever pulled that crap on me, but I would not hesitate to correct them.

Must wonder what Miss Uninformed does for a living.