Tell me why an LVN/LPN is a "real nurse"

Nurses LPN/LVN

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Hey allnurses!

So today I was upset by a comment/question one of my coworkers made.

I am currently working as a CNA but I graduated from an LPN program and passed the NCLEX (currently looking for an LPN job). I don't want to let people know that I passed the boards or that I'm looking for a job, so as far as they know, I've only graduated from the program.

Anyway, today one of my coworkers asked me if I was a nurse, I said "no, not yet" she then asked "but you went to school to be a nurse right?" I said "yes I did" she then asked "so are you going to be a real nurse, or just an LPN?" I was VERY bothered by this question and I absolutely DESPISE when people don't see LPNs as nurses.

LPN, for people who are ignorant, stands for Licensed vocational NURSE! LPNs need to take and pass the NCLEX (the board examination that "real nurses" take) to be able to work as a NURSE. We need to apply and get accepted into a program which is NOT very easy. We study human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, AND pass those courses with A's or B's to get into a program. We spend clinical hours in various settings not only shadowing nurses but also getting hands on experience as the role of a NURSE. We've been in clinics, hospitals, long term care facilities, sub acute, psych units. I've passed meds (PO, SQ, IM), I've seen a live birth (assisted as much as I was allowed), Did trach care, reported with other nurses/doctors... I mean, I'm not going to go on and explain what I did as an LPN/LVN student. Point is, I went to school to study to be a NURSE, period. I passed the NURSING board to practice as a NURSE in my state. I really hate to be label as "just an LVN", "LVN" or "Not a real nurse". I'm a NURSE, darn it! And just because I did LPN/LVN doesn't mean it was easy, it was a very complicated, long, difficult journey!!

So, Why do people think that LVN's are not nurses? Is there a reason I don't know about as to why LVN/LPNs are not respected as "real nurses"?

Just wanted to know reasons why we ARE nurses. Maybe there's something I don't know.

Also, just to have reasons to tell other people why we ARE nurses. The only thing I was able to tell my coworker was that we do everything "real nurses" do except IVs (even then some states can do IV's).

Thanks guys, just a little annoyed, can't formulate words that well lol

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

LPN - Little Play Nurse

RN - Real nurse

Just kidding. My wife is an LPN and a much better nurse than me any day of the week. Our state allows LPNs that are iv certified to do central line draws/meds, push iv meds except a few meds, etc etc. Ive got zero problems with LPNs, they are real nurses, just wish we would utilize them more on the floors.

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
You just stated that you find it fun to pick on people who are easily offended or vulnerable!!!! Hope I never have to work with you or worse, be one of your patients if that is the kind of person you are! maybe you need to add an additional title to your username Sour Lemon, RH, Bully.

You can try and rationalize, normalize and dismiss your own comment, now you have been called out on it, but it does not change the facts... I am sure you are a source of horizontal violence where you work too. IMHO, of course

Are you serious? I took that statement to mean probably fun to pick on for people who have fun picking on others. I certainly have no reason to believe Sour Lemon is one of them. I have read many posts from Sour Lemon and always find them insightful and forthright. I have never read anything from her that suggests all the things you are alleging. I don't recall reading stuff like this from you. Did someone hack your AN account?

Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

RNs and LPNs are not the same, hence the distinction. That being said, that does not mean LPNs are not real nurses. Obviously, you are a real nurse. You are an LPN and you should be proud of what you have accomplished. It is your choice whether to bridge to RN at some point. You owe nobody an explanation for your decision. Be the best nurse you can be and don't get caught up and waste your anger on people who have something negative to say about it. There is always going to be someone who has something to say no matter what you do. The best thing you can do is succeed by being a great nurse.

I once explained the difference between LPNs and RNs in terms that people could understand. I live in a military town. LPN = enlisted. RN = officer.

Both roles/ranks valuable. Many skills overlap.

Are you serious? I took that statement to mean probably fun to pick on for people who have fun picking on others. I certainly have no reason to believe Sour Lemon is one of them. I have read many posts from Sour Lemon and always find them insightful and forthright. I have never read anything from her that suggests all the things you are alleging. I don't recall reading stuff like this from you. Did someone hack your AN account?

That is nice of you to rationalize and normalize her comments and step up an defend her. Reread her statement, which started, "You are very easy to offend and probably fun to pick on because of it" which was stated in first person. Having been bullied as a kid, because, I guess I was fun and easy to pick on, I will continue to speak out when I notice direct or veiled comments that perpetuate that this line of thinking and action is okay. Fortunately I learned, a long time ago to grow a thick skin as Sour Lemon said. But I will certainly continue to call people out on it. You may be totally correct and she did not mean this, In which case I apologize to her. But that is how my life experience had me interpret her comment. Maybe I have made him/her, or others aware how their comments can be interpreted in a much different light by those who are on the receiving end of this type of "fun".

You just stated that you find it fun to pick on people who are easily offended or vulnerable!!!! Hope I never have to work with you or worse, be one of your patients if that is the kind of person you are! maybe you need to add an additional title to your username Sour Lemon, RH, Bully.

You can try and rationalize, normalize and dismiss your own comment, now you have been called out on it, but it does not change the facts... I am sure you are a source of horizontal violence where you work too. IMHO, of course

Well, that's ...dramatic.

Specializes in Nursing Home.

It's not a matter of opinion it's a matter of fact. LPNs are real nurses, because the Boards of Nursing in every state grant them legal authority to practice nursing and call themselves nurses. Anyone who doesn't understand that are can't comprehend that simple fact, is just not a person worth arguing with ! Let it roll !

Hey there! DO NOT be discouraged by this person's ignorance, put on your nursing cap and do some teaching with them as you would with a patient. I have been on both ends of the spectrum where I started my career as a Licensed Practical Nurse and then became a Registered nurse 7 years later. The only thing(s) that differentiates RNs and LPNs is their scope of practice in their state, as well as the state board you take and length in curriculum. As a person who has sat for both NCLEXs, the PN and the RN, they are both very similar accept the types of questions you receive on the NCLEX-RN are more focused on assessments, implementation of care plans and teaching, as well as delegation. Either way the bottom line is you are 110% a "REAL NURSE" and don't let others lack of knowledge tell you otherwise, thats like saying a ADN is not a real nurse because they are not a BSN! Keep your head up, it is not the title of LPN or RN that stand behind the type of nurse you are, it is the care you provide in your role as a nurse that defines you as a nurse!

I'm sure I will get the same question as I am now an LPN and job hunting. And I'm sure I will go with my awkward laugh, turn, and exit stage left strategy.

I have been in healthcare for 35 years. First, I served as a private companion to a stroke patient. I did a lot of things that a CNA, LPN, and even RN might do but not ALL by all means and I didn't have the knowledge base and skill set of the others. I then went on to get certified as a Nurse Assistant. I ASSISTED nurses, I was NOT a nurse. The public gets very confused by this in nursing homes and especially in assisted living facilities and even in some hospital settings. I wasn't required to take many prerequisites to get into my LPN program. I graduated in one year with primarily a FOUNDATION in nursing. I think it's important to look at the terminology and at what is actually on the NCLEX that distinguishes one exam from the other. LPNs/LVNs are practical, vocational nurses. They are very skilled at performing practical, technical tasks. The thing I remember drilled into us as we bridged from an LPN to an RN was CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, prioritizing, looking at the whole picture, and delegating. The NCLEX reflects this. Less about memorization and more about rationalization. The "whys" not just the "whats." Still, ADNs are trained primarily to serve on MedSurg floors at an entry level. They go on to do amazing things after years of experience and moving from novice to expert in their specialities. The BSN is being recommended as the PROFESSIONAL level of entry for RNs. The Future of Nursing campaign calls for 80% of the nursing workforce in our hospitals to have BSNs. There is a reason. Bachelor-prepared nurses are trained beyond the MedSurg floor. They are trained to take leadership in their institutions and in the larger scope of healthcare in this country. They are trained in Community Health/Public Health. Not just a foundational understanding of these roles but an indepth application of these roles in the larger healthcare system. Additionally, numerous studies show that there is better patient outcomes and fewer re-hospitalizations within 30 days of discharge when a facility has 80% or more of their nursing staff Bachelor-prepared. It is not that the LPN/LVN is not a "real" nurse, it is that they are limited in their scope and depth of the nursing process and it's application. While I, too, love the field of nursing because we can enter into at various points and move through it in unique directions, this also creates a great deal of confusion for the public and the rest of the medical community, in general. We see such a cross-over of terms and skills and scope from state to state and facility to facility (LPN1, LPN2, etc). This is all in response to the tremendous understaffing and need for qualified nurses. Unfortunately, we also see medication and other nursing errors because nurses are pushed to perform outside of their scope of training. I have the utmost respect for all levels of the nursing profession, I have been all of them.

I have known LPNs who would work circles around BSN educated nurses. I am not saying that was the case when they first graduated, experience and organization counts for a lot.

Don't worry about it. A CNA cannot administer meds, and cannot replace a g-tube (nor inject air/water into a g-tube. Your NURSE license gives you authorization to do things that only a licensed medical person can.

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