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:

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I think people should NOT ask LPNs this. It basically violates nursing etiquette in my book.

It's like asking someone when they are going to get busy and have a baby. It's really nosy, presumptuous, intrusive and would totally annoy me if I were an LPN. All it's going to do is make someone feel looked down upon and disparaged. I don't blame the OP for telling that busybody off.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

I think people should NOT ask LPNs this. It basically violates nursing etiquette in my book.

It's like asking someone when they are going to get busy and have a baby. It's really nosy, presumptuous, intrusive and would totally annoy me if I were an LPN. All it's going to do is make someone feel looked down upon and disparaged. I don't blame the OP for telling that busybody off.

unfortunately, and most LPN's will agree with me, it's quite a constant nag that we deal with.

i can't tell you the amount of times i've heard "why aren't you a RN?", "you wasted your time becoming a LPN", "LPN's are being phased out, you know", "LPN's are of no use anymore, that's what they have CNA 2's for", "LPN's put our license on the line"....... and my favorite.. "what is a LPN?" and "oh, so you're the real nurse?"

it's quite a shame that we as LPN's should HAVE to expect it and HAVE to explain ourselves and even hear negative comments, especially from our RN counterparts, who should be our team mates--after all, we both have a license, we both have endured the horror of nursing school, and whether people like it or not... we ARE nurses.

it's really quite aggrevating. you almost feel like a second class nurse. no one really thinks "RN/LPN". they just assume when you are a nurse you are a RN... and then tons and tons of questions follow. i can't even join a professional association besides the NFLPN. there is a Florida Nurse's Assoc, but i suppose i am not enough of a nurse for them, bc i cannot join.

there have been times when i have myself felt like i made a mistake because of these comments, when in reality if i had not become a LPN i still would not be a nurse. i am not the nurse's aide. i am a nurse.

sorry for getting heated.

oh well.

like i said, keep on what you're doing and be proud.

don't let other people rain on your parade--you are trying to live your dream, some of us just have to take baby steps to get there. :redbeathe

[stilltrying]

Be encouraged and keep up the good work:yeah:

[lovehospital]

unfortunately, and most LPN's will agree with me, it's quite a constant nag that we deal with.

i can't tell you the amount of times i've heard "why aren't you a RN?", "you wasted your time becoming a LPN", "LPN's are being phased out, you know", "LPN's are of no use anymore, that's what they have CNA 2's for", "LPN's put our license on the line"....... and my favorite.. "what is a LPN?" and "oh, so you're the real nurse?"

it's quite a shame that we as LPN's should HAVE to expect it and HAVE to explain ourselves and even hear negative comments, especially from our RN counterparts, who should be our team mates--after all, we both have a license, we both have endured the horror of nursing school, and whether people like it or not... we ARE nurses.

it's really quite aggrevating. you almost feel like a second class nurse. no one really thinks "RN/LPN". they just assume when you are a nurse you are a RN... and then tons and tons of questions follow. i can't even join a professional association besides the NFLPN. there is a Florida Nurse's Assoc, but i suppose i am not enough of a nurse for them, bc i cannot join.

there have been times when i have myself felt like i made a mistake because of these comments, when in reality if i had not become a LPN i still would not be a nurse. i am not the nurse's aide. i am a nurse.

sorry for getting heated.

oh well.

like i said, keep on what you're doing and be proud.

don't let other people rain on your parade--you are trying to live your dream, some of us just have to take baby steps to get there. :redbeathe

Unfortunately,this is often the case....not long ago we had one of the doc telling our LPN student that she isnt a real nurse,then he proceed to ask her with an sarcastic voice...do you guys even pass meds,and she said "yeah" and then he replied "Since when?":(

[I_LOVE_TRAUMA, RN]

I agree that this person was rude, but maybe you took the comments a little too personally. I too was an LPN, then went straight on for my RN, I too never had any help, and worked (2 jobs) to pay for school. But I ended up paying way more than if I had just done my RN first. And now after getting my BSN and being in a MSN program, I can tell you I wish I had done ths years ago. I have not met an LPN-RN who was glad that they got their LPN first, they all say, I wish I would have gone straight through, it's cheaper (about 20,000 in my area), and all of those quick fast track programs are still like 2 years after you do you pre-reqs. I just kinda think you overreacted. It may have been none of her business, but she has probably heard several co-workers say that they wish that they would have gone straight through. Good luck to you!

[SmilingBluEyes]

Do what works for you. Smile and say thanks for your opinion and walk away when someone offends you. That is my best advice. Good luck.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

What you know now, from hearing the experiences of others, is that you're going to hear similar comments over and over again. The only thing you can really control is how you respond to them. Will you let people drive you to an early grave, or will you be able to shake these things off and continue on the path that works for you? Venting here is a good tool, but so is coming to a little understanding.

When you're trying to understand why people make remarks that seem unenlightened and inappropriate, it helps to think about things from that person's own perspective. You saw what happened when the nurse didn't consider your situation before making her comments. In the same way, it can help you to understand her comments if you think about where she's coming from with them.

As a NICU nurse, she probably doesn't work with many (if any) LPN's. Hospitals seem to be hiring fewer LPN's in many areas, and intensive care areas are probably at the top of that list. If you were just a typical student passing through the unit, she probably wouldn't care what kind of license you earned. But if she saw that you were enthusiastic about the NICU and that you seemed like a good fit, I can see where she might feel an urge to nudge you in a certain direction with your education.

This nurse obviously took a completely incorrect approach, but it might be easier to understand if you think about it like that.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

What I notice is that some people are saying that the OP over-reacted, to just let it roll off of her back, etc...

I disagree, because the bottom line is that people feel free to make derogatory comments about someone's personal choices and that is inconsiderate. It is the same as saying "Why don't you lose weight" or "Why aren't you married with children", "Why don't you have a better house than the one you have now?". And, if you hear these sorts of things day after day, it does become annoying and it is a complete intrusion on your privacy as well as respect for you as a person. There are times that GROUPS of RNs will say embarassing and derogatory remarks to LPNs about their career choices...and we are supposed to SMILE?? Sometimes, you get what you get.

[surgnurse1]

Everybody has to find their own way in life, not every way is easy. I was an ST and worked full-time while going back to Nursing School for my RNI got about 4 hrs of sleep for 4 years, with two little girls to raise as well. No it wasn't easy, but I was able to help them out with their college as a result. They respected my sacrifice and realize the value of an education. One of the keys is finding good scholarships and grants as well. I know I couldn't do it now again, but if you are going to do it, do it when you are under 30!! :) I need my sleep now...

[AnnieMae*]

"It should not matter whats behind your name, what matters is the care you provide thats with your scope"

That's it! Well spoken. You hit the nail smack on the old head!

Years ago, I was a candy striper in high school. You know who I remember the most? A CNA who showed care and concern for patients and in her mentoring of me. No title made her that way. She was excellent independent of her title.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

What I notice is that some people are saying that the OP over-reacted, to just let it roll off of her back, etc...

I disagree, because the bottom line is that people feel free to make derogatory comments about someone's personal choices and that is inconsiderate. It is the same as saying "Why don't you lose weight" or "Why aren't you married with children", "Why don't you have a better house than the one you have now?". And, if you hear these sorts of things day after day, it does become annoying and it is a complete intrusion on your privacy as well as respect for you as a person. There are times that GROUPS of RNs will say embarassing and derogatory remarks to LPNs about their career choices...and we are supposed to SMILE?? Sometimes, you get what you get.

Totally agree. It's like when you're pregnant and people ask you when your husband is going to get a vasectomy. It's rude and if they catch you on a bad day they'd better watch out. Sometimes enough is enough.

Some people seem to think they have a right to ask any nosy question they want. They are such insensitive clods that the only way they'll catch on is if you go off on them.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Initially thats what I did, but she kept dragging on it. Maybe she'll think twice before she looks down on another LPN student, now that she know some of us need our LPNs to get by for now.

She also kept bragging about her daughters 3.59, I was thinking since your daughter isn't working and totally dependant shouldn't she have a 4.0 ??? She also told me that my 3.0 isn't good enough ???? She was just so crazy, I don't know why she acted like that. I had to put her in her place,and I did it in a very nice, way.

Sometimes, you just reach your limit. I understand that, even as I think maybe it could have been done a bit differently! But then again, i wasn't there, and I know me - and that means I would have probably done exactly the same thing. . .

Do what you need to do to get where you need to be. Good for you for having a plan and sticking to it. :nurse:

One of the best float pool nurses I've ever worked with is an MLPN (medication LPN - means she can give all meds, is how I understood it) with about a million years experience.