Something interesting, I'm very interested how would you respond to this statement:
This is your first position upon graduation from The School of Nursing and receiving your license as a registered nurse. You are working as an RN with an LPN who has been on the unit for 20 years. On your first day she says to you, "The only difference between you and me is the size of the paycheck."
Demonstrate how you would respond to this statement, using assertive communication techniques.
As a new grad, the LVN of 20 years does know more than you. Can she do more than you? No. Can you learn a lot from her? Yes. Unless she tries to practice out side of her scope of practice (since she is working under you) I would not even make an issue.
To HopeitworksDNP. First, put the boxing gloves away please. 2nd please know that I have nothing against LPNs. I work with a lot of good LPNs that know their stuff. I don't know what state you're in and I admit I don't know every states law as far as the scope of practice for the RNs vs LPNs. However in FLORIDA, as I stated in my earlier post...our LPNs aren't legally allowed to do IV pushes, aren't legally allowed to take telephone orders either, and aren't legally allowed to document in the assessment section of the patients medical record although they can freetext their assessment in a note. Also in FLORIDA, the LPN can't start a blood transfusion....they can only monitor it after the RN has already initiated it and watched the pt for the 1st 15 min. I know b/c I've had to assess the LPNs pt, start her blood transfusion, take her telephone orders, give her morphine IV q3h, sign off her rhythm strips, etc. Quite frankly, if I'm going to have to do all of that...just give me the patient. B/c of this most of the LPNs on the floor where I used to work have either become RNs or are in the process of becoming a RN. And I've met both nasty RNs and LPNs....my sister is a LPN so I don't have anything against them. New grad RNs definitely shouldn't sell out...don't sell out til you know what you're doing...but the point is that the LPN in the OP's post was completely out of line...end of story. And I would hope in a code situation that you'd be more concerned about saving your patient than trying to get back at a nurse....leave the pettiness on the sidelines. Nonetheless, OP learn from the more experienced nurses on your unit...including the LPNs...take advantage of everyone's brain. I know that at a SNF, you may have nothing but LPNs on the floor and one RN supervising...some of those LPNs know their stuff. Try to not give into the pettiness...although sometimes you'll have to stand your ground. Good luck.
I work in FL, in a hospital, on a cardiac floor with an LPN- she is allowed to give IV drugs pushes- however it is a very limited list. For instance she can give 1mg of Dilaudid but not 2mg. She's not allowed to give heparin boluses. There's also been a policy change to our blood administration- she can initiate blood because now it just says licensed personnel instead of registered nurse. The IV medication administration for pushes is a secondary certificate that allows her to do it. She can do assessments however she can not do plan of cares.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Why oh why another RN vs LPN thread?
:smackingf:banghead:
siigghhhh. . . I know. . .I await the OP's return to explain the context of the scenario. My own feeling is that people are free to pre-judge me based on their little mental totem pole game, I will just continue to be who I am and let my performance speak for me. If you start to build fences between yourselves and others, you lose. Period. End of story. I could go on and on about that but I already talk too much so I won't. Suffice to say I approach everyone the same way. I ask myself what I have to offer them. Many times I ask the CNAs and caregivers how they do something that I can learn from them. Then I have to revive them with an ammonia ampule hahaha kidding!
allnurses would have had to exist by smoke signals when I was a student.
This is true, and we missed out but on the plus side it means that I lived most of my career blissfully unaware of the truly ghastly "nurses eat their young" theory. Blech.
To Ivorybunny. Well I guess my hospital just wanted to make the RNs work more and create a not so great situation for both the RNs and LPNs..It stinks when both the RN and LPN are busy with their patients and then the LPN who doesn't want to ask you to do anything has to come to you to give IVP Protonix although you have to medicate 6 people already...neither the RNs or LPNs enjoy that. Even during codes where it was the LPNs patient, they would literally be calling out for the RN covering the patient when all you did was assess the patient. Maybe my hospital was scared b/c of the acuity of the floor...not only did we give IVP...but we also titrated cardiac drips...like nitro, bumex, natrecor, cardizem, etc. I heard different things at different facilities. However, I've never been to a facility where the LPN can do an IV push. At my old facility, the LPN couldn't even do the care plan...so basically the RN had to do everything...that's the reason I told my LPN sister to not apply at my hospital....b/c she wouldn't be doing anything to make her feel like a nurse. The scope of practice for the LPN at my old facility was so limited that the hospital unit secretary made almost as much as them. I guess everything must depend on hospital policy as well as state law. At one hospital, the RN only had to do the admission assessment and after that the LPN could assess. At another facility, the RN had to do all admission and shift assessments. If you go online,LPNs and IV administration on ADVANCE for Nurses
, it gives you an idea of who can and can't do what. And apparently LPNs in FL can administer IV meds...but I'm guessing the ones on my floor never did the IV certification course like my sis did...b/c we had to give everything IV push. In Illinois, according to the site, LPNs can't do IVP or even co-sign blood....at my facility although it was in Florida, I guess they were operating according to Illinois law...b/c they wouldn't even let the LPN co-sign blood...it's very limited. But I only have love for LPNs...wish my boyfriend would become one already. Thank you Ivorybunny for addressing my knowledge deficit I guess I just assumed that my old facility operated according to Florida law..which apparently is was going above and beyond that...that's the good part about nursing...always learning something new.
I would say... " Oh really, well then YOU should go back to school and get YOUR RN because that would be a shame for your to know all that I know and settle for less pay, that's just not right..." ( in a subtle sarcastic tone of course lol).
Truthfully, there's no excuse for someone to "posture" against you when you're new and hadn't yet done anything to deserve the immediate disrespect.
something interesting, i'm very interested how would you respond to this statement:
this is your first position upon graduation from the school of nursing and receiving your license as a registered nurse. you are working as an rn with an lpn who has been on the unit for 20 years. on your first day she says to you, “the only difference between you and me is the size of the paycheck.”
demonstrate how you would respond to this statement, using assertive communication techniques.
the lpn is being bitter but i would let it go because i am new there and could learn so much from her 20 years experience. i'll say something like "yes ma'am" and move on and later that day when i go to lunch (i will have all the time since i'm still precepting) i'll ask if she needs something from the cafeteria. then when i've proven myself on that floor, i'll challenge her on a peeing contest!
This is your first position upon graduation from The School of Nursing and receiving your license as a registered nurse. You are working as an RN with an LPN who has been on the unit for 20 years.
I would have turned it around.
"Gee Mrs. LPN, I'm a new grad and a bit out of my element, would you help me learn the ropes a bit?"
This problem arises in EVERY job. I've worked food, entry level retail, and everything else considered "low wage." You just can't have a big head in your work... period. The truth is, if the LPN knows more than you, she knows more than you (and with 20+ years experience she probably does).
So listen and learn and bite your tongue until she steps out of line and crosses your boundaries.
I was a manager at CVS for a year (a shift, not a salary manager) and would constantly have to learn from cashiers who had been there 20+ years. Sure I was their boss and had to assert myself at times, but for the most part, I knew they knew some things more than I did. Only on rare occasions did I have to pull the manager card and take them down a notch.
Something interesting, I'm very interested how would you respond to this statement:
This is your first position upon graduation from The School of Nursing and receiving your license as a registered nurse. You are working as an RN with an LPN who has been on the unit for 20 years. On your first day she says to you, "The only difference between you and me is the size of the paycheck."
Demonstrate how you would respond to this statement, using assertive communication techniques.
As an LPN, if I overheard that conversation, I would have probably taken the LPN aside and asked her why she felt the need to attack another Nurse in such a manner. I would also have taken the new RN aside and assured her that all LPN's are not going to attack her and to ignore such comments as much as possible.
HeartsOpenWide, RN
1 Article; 2,889 Posts
As a new grad, the LVN of 20 years does know more than you. Can she do more than you? No. Can you learn a lot from her? Yes. Unless she tries to practice out side of her scope of practice (since she is working under you) I would not even make an issue.