Why do LPN's get so disrespected?

[Health-Nut]

I was working today on my unit and I overheard a Doctor talking to a Tech's and a Charge Nurse the conversation was about our facility never hiring LPN's. They were saying they can hire Tech's and expect them to move up the clinical ladder to become RN's hopefully BSN's where LPN's are just tech's who were stupid enough to pay money to make $3 more an hour and get to call themselves Nurses, the charge nurse laughs and says," yea, LPN mean little pretend nurse,they're just Nurse Assistants they have to have a RN over them. They look at LPN's as just tech's who were stupid for paying for the first semester of nursing school because that's all they learn he says it's like they got into Nursing school and dropped out after the first year. I was so shocked to hear this, I looked over at the patient and she said wow, maybe I should tell my daughter to drop out of her LPN program. I apologized for the stupid comments but the thing is I hear this ALL THE TIME about LPN's even the Nurse Manager said they do not hire LPN's in hospitals cause it's a waste of money and they're under educated. I am so sick of this I'm better than you mentality and the funniest thing of all is I bet the Doctor talks about the Nurses with his fellow Doctors. Why are LPN's so disrespected? I have even been told jokingly after I made a silly mistake charting that if I keep making mistakes they're gonna have to stick me over at the LTC with the LPN's and everyone laughed. I thought they're just being silly but I hear comments like this all the time, especially from RN's they roll their eyes and say ugh, I hate LPNs. What exactly does a LPN do, and aren't they Nurses or Nurse assistants

[Midwest4me]

agldragon said:

plus i know many lpns who carry higher degrees in another field so they are definitely not under educated. those ignorant people are just that ignorant! anyway, who do think will take care of the baby boomers in LTC?

Damn straight we're educated! I am an LPN with a BS in psychology and some master's study beneath my belt too--many rns don't even have a BS!! So tired of the belittling remarks and general disregard for us lpns! Wonder if the pas or nps get belittled too (because they just didn't continue on to get the MD)?

I've believed for years that cmas need to be replaced by the lpns so that total nursing care is provided. The fact that we've been getting phased out of hospitals as well as medical clinics in favor of hiring cmas irks me to no end.

[cebollita]

iluvdetroit said:

He said, "Oh, well. Who cares, as long as they come when you tell them to." :angryfire Talk about disrespect!!! And I won't even get into the difference between how some male doctors treat male nurses and female nurses. ARGHHHH!!!!

Ugh, you should have told him you weren't a dog. With that sort of attitude, I have a feeling women in nursing aren't the only females he treats that way.

[OldnurseRN]

I have 2 LPNs who work me, where I am the only RN. We are small hospital and we cover it all, in-pts, registration, respiratory therapy and ED. I sometimes have a 2nd RN and only LPN. I wouldn't trade ANY of these LPNs. They are knowledgeable, caring, and more than competent to care for our patients. I worked one place where an LPN asked the DON when she could get on 1st shift. She was told never because she (the LPN) wasn't qualified to handle the floor while her "nurses" were off the floor. What the H***?? To be so disrespected by the DON is inexcusable!

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

That makes me sad. My mom was an English Professor. In the early 80's, she wanted a more flexible schedule and loved the idea of nursing--she wasn't in the mood to take her time either (ADD as well, like me =)--so off she went for her LPN!

She was an LPN for 5 years, and then went on for her RN. She is now retired. She is a brilliant woman who performed exceptionally as an LPN and then an RN.

I can only hope to be as good as her someday.

Jo, daughter of a former LPN, and proud of it.

[Ruthiegal]

Whoa!!! No disrespect from me to LPN's. I worked my butt off to become an LPN and then I went back years later to become an RN. I've seen LPN's work circles around RN's at the bedside. I wear both pins proudly! Let this junk roll off your back, hold your head high and never let anyone make you feel bad!!!

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

agldragon said:

Plus, I know many lpns who carry higher degrees in another field so they are definitely not under educated.

Agreed. I'm still a pretty green rn, and I've learned a lot from the lpns I work with. Quite a few of my co-workers are on their second degree and/or career.

Quote

Those ignorant people are just that ignorant! anyway, who do think will take care of the baby boomers in ltc?

Not them.

[greenbeanio]

I'm in the 2nd year of an RN program and we have an agreement with the LPN program in our school to take LPNs into the 2nd year of our RN program. The LPNs are doing way better than the rest of us in clinicals. They know so much more than we do. I'm wishing I had done the LPN course and worked as an LPN for a couple of years before starting the RN program.

[linzz]

I am Canadian and because we have two different levels of LPN's and two different levels of RN's, and one level of LPN works at almost 100% of one of the RN levels in certain environments, it gets pretty crazy.

When I encounter someone rude, I just tell myself that this is their issue, be it anger, fear, whatever, not mine. I try to defuse the situation by being polite and doing my best in order to cover my but. If and when I obtain my BsN, (I got in but had to put if off), it will be for me to further my career, not to escape judgment.

[maxthecat]

Well, the emphasis on Magnet status hasn't helped LPN's. As an RN I'm sometimes embarrassed by the way facilities word their memos, etc., as if the only nurses who matter are RN's (preferably BSN's). This attitude spills over to the way physicians, management, etc. treat LPN's. "We tolerate you and use you right now because we have to--hopefully in the future we'll have enough 'real' nurses that we can do away with you." Then there's the ANA with their campaign, "Every patient deserves a professional nurse."

I support BSN as the entry level for Registered Nurse, even though I am ADN (with bachelors in another discipline). I do not support belittling other levels of patient care workers. LPN's are nurses, just not "professional" nurses. They bring a great deal of experience and "street smarts" to the table, and I believe there is still a place for them on the healthcare team--and not just in nursing homes. As an RN I coordinate care and the LPN's who work with me are invaluable.

Those doctors you talked about are idiots who are parroting what they've heard from other doctors. They're an example of "too ignorant to know you're ignorant." You could report them, but that won't go anywhere unless you have a supportive facility. Likewise, you could assert yourself, "I don't appreciate you speaking about me or to me in a condescending manner,"

but again, unless you're in a supportive facility that probably won't make much difference. So you may just have to resort to giving them pitying looks while you think to yourself "you fools."

[vanderth]

Hi Health nut,

I have been trying to re-find this post for about 30 minutes. I lost it due to computer freeze..ugh.

Anyway, let me first tell you that I am married to a surgeon and all he does is talk smack about the PA's (physician assistants) and the PA's talk smack about the nurses and it goes on from there. ( I am also going to be attending nursing school in two months). I wanted to be a physician but I didn't get into medical school.

I have noticed that no matter the level of education or the age, you will always find people who talk poorly of others...especially if they "think" they are superior.

We are all here to be a team, period. Those that make it their goal to talk poorly about someone else, regarless of whether they are on the same "academic" level or not, are just hiding weakness's they haven't sorted out since childhood. In other words they are still childlike. I do realize that there are incompetent people in every field so don't get me wrong. I am talking about the the good people who get degraded, like yourself.

So, two quotes come to mind. Gandhi says, "be the change you want to see in the world". Meaning don't talk smack if you don't like it directed towards you. Also, from an unknown author (I can't remember) defensiveness/gossip are weakness disguised as strength.

You are awesome! Don't let their insecurities get the best of you!

[SunnyAndrsn]

Agreed. I work with a lot of LPNs who are fabulous nurses and a lot of RNs who suck. Mostly, the RNs are disappointed to not have a hospital job at this point. They see LTC/rehab as the bottom of the barrel as far as nursing goes, and are therefore having a hard time embracing the fact that they ARE nurses and that they still have a lot to learn, AND that they are in a fast paced environment with a steep learning curve.

I recently took a new job at a similar facility for more pay, with a staff comprised mainly of new grads. It's been a tough transition, the orientation sucked (one of the nurses I oriented with had been a nurse for 2 months, another for less than that--she was 3 days off of HER orientation) and if it wasn't for the fact that this was a new facility that was paying me a lot more money I wouldn't be staying. I am working NOCs and I end up cleaning up a lot of messes from very inexperienced RNs.

There are good nurses and there are bad nurses--some are RNs some are LPNs, and the mix of who is good and who is bad is about equal.

The nurses I love working with the most, and following, are all LPNs with the exception of one.

iluvdetroit said:

I don't know why, but as an RN, I have worked with some wonderful LPNs who leave a lot of RNs in the dust in terms of knowledge, skill, and patient care. Not all of them, but a lot of them, because a lot of them are older nurses with tons of experience. I hate to see them disrespected too!:angryfire

[Health-Nut]

I agree I started my job thanks to a Older wiser LPN at my facility and ALL the Nurses always say ask Judy she's been a LPN for many years never needed to be a RN she makes a comfy living and has a awsome husband who supports her well. She is very happy where she is. I even hear Doctors say Judy knows her pts. listen to her espeially the young ones. I believe Nursing is all about the years of experience npt about the alphabetical letters behin your name.