RN bashing

[SCRN1]

I don't know about the rest of you RNs, but I'm sick of seeing all the posts where we are being bashed by those who aren't one. When I joined here, I actually thought it was a place for nurses to communicate with other nurses by sharing things about their work, asking each other's opinions on things, etc.

What I keep seeing more and more of is a CNA or LPN complaining about how registered nurses are so bad in how they treat them. True, there are some registered nurses who may have a thing against them. But, most seem to appreciate all the help they receive from them and those who come here are constantly trying to tell them that.

Why can't we all just get along and do our jobs in which we were hired?

[SarahCeleste]

Thanks, SCRN. It's nice to have someone understand... :)

[Jayonoway]

I guess I've been pretty fortunate in this aspect...I have only had fairly good experiences with most co-workers. Now there have been a few, but I didn't attest it to the fact they were an RN, more to the fact that that was their personality defeict! :rotfl:

I love being a nurse and I still feel a sense of pride when I write LPN after my name! :)

My best co-work was my preceptor, a 18yr veteran RN who took me under her wing and helped me to succeed at my job, and as such a memory I still try to "pay it forward" and help anyone I can.

You'all have a gentle night...

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

It's aggravating as heck, but sometimes you just have to realize some people just want to put others down to make themselves feel better. They don't know any better. I hear ya though! Let's stick to the topics and stay calm. LOL

[IamRN]

P.S. I continually get asked "Oh, you're a nurse? What, RN or are you JUST an LVN?" Makes me wanna scream!

JUST an ADN is up there too! :rotfl:

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Y'all I've been "attending" here since the year 2000...I think. This topic seems to surface regularly. Venting is one thing, but remember to leave the problem to the ventor and not take it personally. I will guarantee you that you will get your feelings hurt here if you search long enough. When someone gets on your last nerve remember that their personality is NOT defined by their job description.

I don't believe I'd ever seen or maybe even heard the word BASHING before I met all the fine folks here. Eating our young...yes...but not bashing. The Golden Rule applies as much here as it does in the real world. That RN/LPN/CNA/DOCTOR you "hate" is not representative of all members of that group.

P

[Dayray, RN]

I too have been a CNA and an LPN and am now an RN. Being a CNA is frustrating especially when you want to further your education and become a nurse and even more so when you start to learn about nursing. There are nurses out there that will treat you like dirt. Some that think that your sole purpose in life is to clean up poop and pee.

The frustrating thing is that those menial tasks are a big big part of the job and although they aren't fun, they do give you a sense of satisfaction when you see the effects your work has on your patients. Keeping a person clean warm and fed is a noble thing. If it weren't for the benefit to the patient I would have never been able to endure the tasks of that job. CNA's should be proud of what they do. The problem comes because many nurses/doctors/patients don't see it that way. They only see the menial tasks and not the intentions behind them.

As an RN I am very careful to respect and appreciate our tech's (CNA"s). However at the same time CNA's or tecs are not nurses and are there as a support for the RN. Some times it's difficult to separate the feelings/resentment for how one is treated from the feeling/resentment one is feeling because they are limited by there current role.

During a clinical (back when I was in Rn school) a group of us students were working with a CNA. I had worked with her when I was a CNA too. She sat there and told us all how she knew more then us and that she could do an RN's job better then the RN and she should get the RN pay and we should get the CNA pay. I just sat and listened and stopped my friends when they were going to correct her. On one hand, yeah she knew more then we did about many things and she was very valuable but on the other, there are aspects to the RN role that you will never understand until you get there. The legal and ethical implications of what you do or don't do are sobering and constantly weighing on your mind. Having to know EXACTLY what you do or give to a patient is difficult. It's hard to juggle all those things with the patient load you are expected to handle. The CNA (my friend) had no concept of these things but I didn't want to burst her bubble. She was happy doing her job and thinking she was a better RN then the RN's. Even though she really was'nt an RN she was a damn good CNA and worth her wight in gold. If saying those things made her able to do her job as well as she did then I was willing to quitly listen.

I try to remember her when I see posts or hear CNA's ranting about how lazy RN's are. It ticks me off but I try to remember that those rants are how some people overcome there dissatisfaction with their circumstances and that hopefully after ranting they are able to go back and help patients and feel good about it.

For those that are CNA's working toward being an RN, expect to be unappreciated and know that it is wrong however try not to get to angry. Once you become an RN you are still going to be mistreated and unappreciated people are still going to look down their noses at you and you'll have to make peace with that at the same time as bearing a huge responsibility for the welfare of those you care for. You don't have to take abuse but just know it's going to come. Know that it is wrong and choose not to turn around and pass that abuse on to those under you.

[KacyLynnRN]

I hope that I have not contributed to any "RN-bashing" on these boards, considering I will be one in 10 months!

One thing that I think frustrates a lot of us LPN's, CNA's. etc...is that the public image the ANA and others put out is that if you are not an RN, you are sub-par. I know last Friday when I worked, I was getting ready to do a sterile dressing change, and a patient happened to ask me if I was an RN, I said "no, I'm an LPN." and the patient says, "well, do you know what you are doing?" Things like that make me feel bad, and sometimes maybe frustration from those types of experiences are vented on these boards. It is sad that when I tell most people I am an LPN, they have no idea what an LPN is, and what we are qualified to do. I wish the ANA, who is supposed to stand up for NURSES, would educate the public that LPN's do exist, we play an important role in healthcare, and that we are properly trained and educated to do many of the tasks an RN can do.

I am fortunate to be an LPN that works with a great staff of RN's, other LPN's, and CNA's. The nurses on my floor respect me and in turn, I respect them. It makes me sad that others don't go to work and have the same great experience.

[CAMMIERN]

THERE IS NO "I" OR "ME" IN TEAMWORK...I TEND TO SEE ALOT MORE OF OTHER BACKSTABBING TO GET BROWNIE POINTS:angryfire ...THATS WHY NURSING UNITY IS NOT AS STRONG AS IT SHOULD BE...FACT, WHEN WE SEE A COWORKER GETTING CHEWED OUT BY A DOC OR FAMILY, WE ALL TEND TO SHY AWAY, ME... I STAND RIGHT BESIDE MY COWORKER FOR THEIR SUPPORT...ON THE UNIT I WORK, THEY ARE A BIG FAMILY:)

[nurseunderwater]

I try to remember her when I see posts or hear CNA's ranting about how lazy RN's are. It ticks me off but I try to remember that those rants are how some people overcome there dissatisfaction with their circumstances and that hopefully after ranting they are able to go back and help patients and feel good about it.

For those that are CNA's working toward being an RN, expect to be unappreciated and know that it is wrong however try not to get to angry. Once you become an RN you are still going to be mistreated and unappreciated people are still going to look down their noses at you and you'll have to make peace with that at the same time as bearing a huge responsibility for the welfare of those you care for. You don't have to take abuse but just know it's going to come. Know that it is wrong and choose not to turn around and pass that abuse on to those under you.

nice post dayray :)

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

It's aggravating as heck, but sometimes you just have to realize some people just want to put others down to make themselves feel better. They don't know any better. I hear ya though! Let's stick to the topics and stay calm. LOL

I agree. As for RNs making more money- more education> more knowledge> more responsibility> more money.

I think the complaining that RNs make more than LPNs in not justified.

I know that docs and NPs make much more than I do as an RN. They've earned it. If I felt that I should be making the same as them, well then I darn well should get the education and earn it.

Same goes for nursing- LVNs, LPNs and RNs.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Even among PHYSICIANS there is a HIERARCHY. No one is safe from so-called "bashing". Don't take so much so personal; grow a thick skin and get over it. It's in being secure in what you do and who you are that counts. Someone will always be around to criticize and "bash" you. I say, let it roll off your back, be professional, or confront the person who is doing the bashing. Be assertive and proactive and see the respect you garner in return. It really works!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

This kind of behavior really goes with any job. If people would concentrate on getting their work done and doing their best job of it, then maybe there wouldn't be so much time on their hands to put others down in order to boost their own self-esteem?