"Just an LPN"....does anyone else get discouraged?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jan 19, 2005

I usually reply "yes, JUST an LPN" and walk away.

People really need to put some thought into what they say before they say it.

Had some jerk (never was a guy for politeness, always was a jerk) the other day ask what i did before i became an LPN and i said "CNA" and he said "Oh, a nurse wannabe, then, ha!". To which i replied "Ah, that's what the stupid***ed people call CNAs".

It's frustrating to a point, but not nearly as frustrating as a few of the RNs who have said to me "well if you want people to respect you, become an RN". Shouldn't have to do that for people to think about their insulting remarks before they make them.

hypnotic_nurse · Jan 19, 2005

You will also hear "just the nurse" "just the mom" "just the teacher" if you listen...and those are just the roles I've played in life.

I think it's one of those attitudes that people get towards any profession which is so pervasive it gets taken for granted. So much is expected of all of us with very little appreciation. :) Or maybe it's the whole female role in society thing.

Debbie_LPN · Jan 19, 2005

I am a new nurse, but whenever i tell someone that I just graduated, they look at me funny when I tell them that I am an LPN. I tell them I dont care, it's what I want to do. Don't let other people get you down.....do this because you love it. :)

Nabi · Jan 20, 2005

Respect must be earned. This can be done by using each opportunity you have to explain the difference in the scope of practice between Rn's and Lpn's. This does not need to be a lengthy lecture, but if everyone acts as if their role is insignificant, then that's how you will be seen by the client's. Nursing is a shared profession and one level compliments the other in different ways, at different times. I have been an ®Lpn for over twenty years and this problem has always been around, if you choose to be an Lpn, hold your head up high and do your chosen profession proud !!

tferdaise · Jan 20, 2005

My normal responce when I have a RN call me "Low Paid Nurse", yea real low paid, "I made 65K last year, how about yourself." I am agency, and work my butt off. That usally shuts the staff RN up real quick. At one hospital I go to a lot, I am usally on of the only "nurses" wh can read a Tele Strip while the other "Real Nurses" stand around picking thier noses. I am ACLS also, and I usally get the patients with a lot of drips. Not bad for a "Little Pretend Nurse"

Take pride in what you are doing and excel in it...

Tony/PHX :rolleyes:

"Some where in Texas, a village is missing its idiot"

Fiona59 · Jan 20, 2005

LPN = Licensed PROFESSIONAL Nurse. We really need to change our title.....:chuckle

underwatergirl · Jan 21, 2005

I find these comments as hilarious personally...the other day at work... a patient asked me if I was a nurse I said yes I am an LPN he was like oh your half a nurse then...I simply said no I am a full nurse!!!

He was a new patient to the hem/onco clinic i work at, so I needed to list his medications, I asked him for a list he said he didn't have it but remembered them, well he couldn't tell me half the names....I wanted to ask him if he was just half a patient then? But I kept my mouth shut!!!

See people don't understand, nurses are nurses, we all have roles from CNA, MA, LPN, RN, RN BSN....being a nurse isn't a title but rather a caring perosn...that is what nursing is helping someone get better...all of those titles do it, IMO...

Another point to this is I have met some really incompetant nurses all the way from CNA to RN doesn't matter your title...because IMO being a good nursing is taking the knowledge you have, being capable of applying that to real life situations, wrapping it all up with a whole lot of compasion that is what makes a good nurse...those three combinations.

A title doesn't imply good or bad, or full or not....it is who we are and what we do that is what makes us a nurse or not!!!

michelleicu · Jan 21, 2005

Hello nurses!
I have been discouraged lately...I feel like I am constantly fighting off the stigma of being "just an LPN." When people ask what I do, I always say I am a nurse....they then want to know if that means "RN" and of course what hospital do I work at???!!!!! I work in a clinic and have been an LPN for several years. UGGGHHH!!! Anyone else have this challenge?
Denise

don't be all uggh about your career,you help people everyday get better.I have a question ,do the people that ask you about your nursing status have jobs?alot of people are just ignorant because their not in their dream job ,so when they ask you about your job ,their just jealous.lvn or rn your all still doing the same thing in the long run.helping save lives. who cares what those people think ,their not paying your bills.

HannasMom · Jan 21, 2005

I am "just a LPN" and proud of it!!!!! I planned to go back to college to become an RN, then discovered that ALL my science classes are past the 7 year mark, sooo to be accepted into the LPN to RN program I will have to do all the A& P's over, besides Micorbiology, plus Nutrition, plus Pathophysiology, plus I would need another psych class...ugh!

Just the idea of doing all my science classes over exhausts me, so I have decided that I will remain "just a LPN" and be the best LPN I can be. Besides now on my nights off I can paint my seascapes and landscapes and animal protraits and really enjoy my nights off. What I really love is the fact that I no longer have the need to fight with myself about this decision. I have made my choice and am content with it. From now on I can enjoy my life as a 53 year old Wife/Mom/Artist/LPN. :)

So if someone says you are just a LPN, I'll say "YUP at least I'm doing what I love, how about you?!"

91C_ARMYLPN · Jan 21, 2005

I Have Had The Same Experience Happen To Me!!

AS AN LPN I AM PROUD OF WHAT I DO! And what I do, it is done with competence, compassion, and from The heart. No matter what level /title an individual holds (CNA,MA,LPN,RN,etc.), We are all in the medical profession. Do not allow those petty comments to get to you. If your dream is to pursue another level,then GO FOR IT!!!! We Are All Here For The Same Thing.....to Care :nurse:

TowannaG · Jan 21, 2005

I Have Had The Same Experience Happen To Me!!
AS AN LPN I AM PROUD OF WHAT I DO! And what I do, it is done with competence, compassion, and from The heart. No matter what level /title an individual holds (CNA,MA,LPN,RN,etc.), We are all in the medical profession. Do not allow those petty comments to get to you. If your dream is to pursue another level,then GO FOR IT!!!! We Are All Here For The Same Thing.....to Care

First off let me say that those types of comments are awful. I am a RN and I would never make a comment like that. As a matter of fact I have a sister who is a LPN and a very good nurse. I believe that as stated earlier all our positions compliment each others. I get very offended when I hear someone say "I am just a LPN" or "She is just a CNA" and so forth. I am a RN with an Associate Degree. And let me tell you the BSN nurses are quick to let you know that they have a BSN and what trips me out is that we learned the same things except my classes were harder and compact. When I was in school I heard BSN students say the the ASN program was to hard and intense because we had to learn things faster and every thing was together. I am happy to be a nurse and that is what I feel we all are nurses and should be proud. The only difference is our paychecks.