Nurses STOP telling me to be a RN ! PLEASE

[NurseLoveJoy88]

so yesterday i was at clinicals and i was sent to nicu to observe. so one of the nurses comes over and was suppose to tell me things about nicu, whats going on with her babies and so on and so fourth. instead, she lectured me for 20 minutes on while i should become a rn first instead of being a lpn first.:banghead:

when i initially told her i was a lpn student she looked at me as if i had comitted a major crime !

after she finished lecturing me about how silly it was for me to get my lpn first rather than rn, i let her have it ! and after i was don,she had the dummest look on her face and couldn't say anything.

i was thinking first of all this lady doesn't know me or know my circumstances so what gives her the right to lecture me on my decision. don't get me wrong i don't have nurses giving me their two cents on why going straight for the rn is best. thats their opinion and i respect that. but this nurse was down right nasty !

she then tells me " i have a 20 year old daughter who is in nursing school and i told her don't even bother with being a lpn." after that i had to let her have just a little peice of my mind !

i told her the following: " i really appreciate your advice and all but until you can find me someone to pay my bills for the next couple of years while i'm in rn school then i just may consider it, until then i need to get my lpn to help me remain financially secure !

i then told her: " unlike your 20 year old daugter, i must work in order to make ends meat and everyday is like a struggle. you or your daughter will never know whats is like to work full time while in nursing school and not because its a choice but its not even an option. her or her daughter will never know what its like to be homeless and not even having a decent place to study at night but still standing and going to work and school just to have a chance in life. her daughter who is 20 years old just like me will never know what its like to pay her own rent, phone, bills, insurance, while in nursing school. i've been on my own since 18 years old and i'm so damn sorry that i didn't have a fairytale life where i can go straight for my rn, while my parents paid my way through school and paid for all my bills and allowed me to just eat, sleep, and study.

i have responsiblilities and instead of complaining about them i've decided to work and take each step at a time until i reach my utimate goal which is to become a rn. right now i'm tired of struggling and working most days of the week while in school. getting my lpn soon will mean that i'll have more money in my pocket and i'll be able to find a job where i don't have to go to work 5 days a week just to get by.

i have set myself on a career ladder that will take me from a cna to a lpn to a rn to a rn with a bsn. no i may not of taken the way you rns have tooken to become a rn but i'm going to become a rn someday, and just because i choose to work as a lpn while doing so certainly does not make me a bad person ! :zzzzz

please trust and believe that i will get my rn i'm just taking another route.

whew. it felt so good to get that off my chest.

i love you nurses that don't judge me for the path that i'm taking and still recognize that even if i work as a lpn while finishing up school that i'm still going to be a nurse and provide the best nursing care i can with in my scope. :nurse:

[txwildflower57]

Good going!! It's funny because I have two sisters that are LPNs and one of them has been mad at me for several years because I went for my RN instead of my LPN. You do what you have to do and I can identify with you on all of it because I have been there and it ain't easy baby.

HANG IN THERE!!! You will make it!

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

To the OP, I'm doing the same thing you are -- but instead of children, I'm home looking after two aging parents and trying to keep their mortgage paid. I get the "why didn't you go straight for the BSN?" question, too, and I finally just narrowed it down to a simple answer: "Because I had to have a job while I went for the BSN." Period.

States are different, and some use LPNs like glorified maids, but I'm glad I had the hands on of the LPN experience; the difference is when we graduate, you and I will be able to put years of experience down on our resumes, as opposed to just clinicals and a 3 month externship. That "useless" LPN behind our names may be the deciding factor in us getting jobs....or advancing where we are.

Thats so true ! My mother is a new grad RN with four years of LPN behind her name, and the hiring manager actually says that he'll hire a LPN with experience over a regular new grad RN anyday !

[nursemary9, BSN, RN]

I'm so sorry you have to put up with this. I have to tell you, it is my experience that for the most part, people who have to really work for things --like an education-- appreciate it more.

I paid my own way thru school--grants & working; my parents offered to pay & I wanted to do it on my own. They initially objected to my way of thinking, but finally came around. That was 43 yrs ago since I graduated. I have worked & loved it this whole time. I know a number of people--including my own sister--who let Mom & Dad pay & they left there "Career" shortly after graduation. Several of these people didn't even work for a year.

I know, this is not always the case, but I really do believe that we appreciate things more when they are harder coming.

I don't mean to offend anyone with this post, just giving you my own experience.

Good luck with everything you do & I do hope you attain all you wish to.

[angel337, MSN, RN]

and then when you get the RN someone will say "you are so smart..why didn't you become a doctor??" it never stops. ignore people and do what's best for you. good luck.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I also have to admit that if my parents could just allow me to focus on school that would be great. I telling my mom that I would kill to live at home again rent free ! ... buts its just not an option now.

What I've been through while in nursing school taught me that I had strength I thought I never had. I'll be a RN soon, and can't wait... but I'll be a LPN sooner and its going to mean the world to me.

[nursemary9, BSN, RN]

I forgot to mention, as a matter of fact, that one of my best friends did it just like you. She went from CNA to LPN to RN to BSN & Certfication. Now she is an Advanced Practice Nurse & has an MSN.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Thanks everyone for ALL the responses and support. I just love my allnurses family. We may disagree at times but you all are always there !

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Don't get me started...I have experienced the same thing. People have said "Oh, you are so smart, you are always reading...why NOT?"

I have heard this so often that my response has been even more intense and passionate than yours, in fact, I have just been plain RUDE and will not apologize for it. People make their own choices for their own reasons...period. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander. The fact that you started out homeless, but are working hard towards your goal shows integrity. So, screw them.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Actually, yes she did tell me neither her or her daughter needed to work while in nursing school so I was no assuming ! She told me that her daughter works as a shampoo girl every other weekend, just to have " extra spending money".

.

Must be nice.......

[PeaceonearthRN]

You go girl. There are MANY of us that had NOTHING handed to us! AMEN, I think your doing FANTASTIC and I APPLAUD YOU. You will find that people in general will often share their opinions, judgments and whatever else they deem to 'evaluate' you. Congratulations for standing up for yourself regardless of how you did it. God Bless you and your tenacious enthusiasm.

[9livesRN, BSN, RN]

I can definately relate to the full time school full time work struggle!!! i hurt everywhere and am sleepy and tired all the time!

[carmedjen]

One thing I have to say: Not everyone who becomes nurses have the fairytale life that is described here. I am 22, I have been on mu own since I was 17. All my family members are back in my country and I recently became a RN so anybody can do it. All you need is the determination and God. Go with those 2 and you will be fine. In addition, there is nothing wrong with being a LPN at 20 before becoming a RN. I wish I were a LPN before I became a RN, I would have lived a different life to the one I lived while I was in nursing school.