DebbieRN45

I think a point needs to be made that not all RN's are taught the same skills as LPN's (LVN's) are. I was an LPN for 10 years and could run circles around most RN's I ever worked with. The focus of their education is on assessment, delegation, and charting. I went through a bridge program and got my ASN....they assumed a LOT of knowledge because we were all LPN's. I agree with the post that said that LPN's make better RN's. I work with new RN's now that have gotten through school and can't start IV's, put down NG tubes, foley's, and can't imagine how to do an enema! Sad, but true!! I would rather work with an LPN any time!!

I worked in a small hospital like the one you describe for 10 years as an LPN. When I got my RN, they were not going to pay me anything over starting wages for a new RN (which I was, but they weren't going to even give me credit for years of service), so I decided to leave and go to our sister hospital. I went from a hospital that employed 350 to one that employed 10,000. It was quite a shock, but a good one. I learned so much more, and there is so much opportunity to move around and experience different areas. The pay was much better, too. I am very happy with my choice. Although I do miss my co-workers, I will take those relationships with me. In the end I did what was best for me and broke out of my comfort zone. Good luck!

I am working on the mother/baby floor where we also take hysterectomy patients. To me it is boring....all the patients are the same. I am used to a much faster environment and bigger variety of patients. I work in a large hospital so there is a lot of room to move around. I also just accepted a HH job PRN.

I also work in SW Missouri and starting wages for new grads in my facility are $16.50. They give credit for LPN to RN of 2:1. Sounds like many other states are friendlier to nurses!! Hmmmm....

I was an LPN for 10 years and got my RN two years ago in a bridge program. I worked full time (nights), raised my son as a single parent, and went to school to get my prerequisites. It was a battle, but I don't regret it a bit. I doubled my wages when I passed boards, and some facilities give you 1 year of RN for every 2 years of LPN work history. If you can do it, by all means go for it!!

I had my HH interview and they hired me on the spot! I am going to do one weekend a month to see if it is something I am going to like before I quit my hospital job. I am excited and needing a change! The hospital is a bit of a drudge!

I have two stories that stand out over 12 years. The first thank you came in the form of a birthday card from a supervisor that I had a love/hate relationship with. Her son had AIDS and had hidden the fact that his health was rapidly declining. She had a mission trip in another country she had been planning and he didn't want to ruin it for her. A few days after she had left he came into the hospital. He talked her into not coming home, even though they both knew he was dying. Everyone was afraid to care for him; it was a small hospital and he was our first patient like this. Myself and another nurse cared for him every night for the three nights he lived. I walked into his room to give him pain meds and knew he was taking his last few breaths, and I woke up his father and brother so they could be with him. His father told my supervisor what a good job I did in caring for him, and she gave me a card that said....."I felt very good knowing you were caring for my son and my family in my abscence. I can't think of anyone I would rather have had there." I still have that card!! The second thank you was from a girl that I had cared for her and her new baby when she delivered him. He came into our ER three weeks later a SIDS death. Two years after that she delivered a baby girl and the same nurse and I were both there to watch everything come full circle for this family. My thank you was to God for letting me share in this miracle and heal a little bit myself!!

I moved from Texas to Missouri in 1990. I was newly divorced and had a young son. My landlord was an instructor for an LPN program and encouraged me to try to test into the program. I passed and was accepted (250 applied and 30 were chosen). I wasn't sure I could do it because I was 33 years old and didn't have a lot of confidence. I worked hard and got all A's! I graduated with honors and worked for ten years at a local hospital, all the while raising my son and getting my pre-requisites for an RN bridge program. I graduated (with honors) in December of '04 with my ASN. It was a struggle and required a lot of determination and sacrifice. I love the pride I feel when people ask me what I do and I tell them "I am a nurse." That one sentence tells people that I am intelligent, dedicated, and caring. What started out as a way to survive and raise my son has turned into something that defines me and has been a source of strength for me for years of hard times. I can't imagine doing anything else!

I am thinking about switching to the neuro/trauma area of my hospital. I was an LPN for 10 years and got my RN two years ago. Since graduation I have completed the med/surg intern program for new grads and most recently have been on the mother/baby floor. The application asks what skills and experience I have that qualify me for this position and I'm not sure how to answer that? Any words of wisdom out there?:icon_roll

What made you decide to change jobs? I work in the hospital in mother/baby. I don't use my skills and am used to a faster pace(med/surg history). I also work nights which I hate! I have an interview with a HH agency tomorrow and wondering about it......