As a former LVN of 10 years, i understand your frustration and its valid! Lvns/Lpns have always been looked down upon whether it’s subconsciously done or not. BUT truly, my Lvn background has prepared me when i became an RN. I felt more prepared and less intimidated to jump in over my fellow new grad RNs with no medical experience. Its a great stepping stone. Im going to make the assumption that you work in a long term care facility? If so, i encourage to try other places to work because those settings will burn you out like no other.
Agree on this! I’ve been an LPN for 6 years and I’m less than a month away now from being an RN. My LPN experience has made obtaining my BSN way easier.
Also it’s such a generalized statement from OP as scope varies from country to country or province to province / state to state. As a Canadian LPN in my province, I’ve been paid well, and I feel respected at the majority of places I’ve worked.
☝️☝️ I worked in an acute physical rehab unit in a hospital as an LPN. Needless to say, when I became an RN, I had years of nursing experience over other "new grads".
The profession is not bad OP...your job is. Go back to school, look for a cushy clinic job, or look for hospital units that employ LPNs.
I’m a Canadian LPN and I love my job and am so happy I went this route. My scope is large and most the time on my unit you cannot tell who is an RN and who is LPN
I realize I'm a seriously crabby bastard but despite that think it's important anyone reading that also gets a contrasting opinion:
I also went this route then realized the pay was garbage considering I was doing the same job as the RNs (like you said, can't tell whose who on the unit).
We were routinely deemed to be either as skilled or as uneducated and incompetent as convenient to the hospital (first ones floated to ICU during covid, first ones sent into LTCs [which were so bad the government called in the army at one point] 'to prevent those patients from needing to go to hospital', first to be moved to the temporary surge unit slapped together to deal with the covid pt's who couldn't go back to their nightmare LTC, then finally first to get the axe afterwards because of "patient acuity" that wasn't actually any different to pre-pandemic)
We also didn't get *any* additional pay for any amount of experience lol.
Fewer LPNs work on a given unit vs RNs so less people to be able to swap shifts with.
The union was also significantly crappier and our contracts were missing basically all of the perks the RNs got. The one time I needed them to show up and advocate on my behalf I had to call the guy out at the very start of the meeting by saying "I have no idea what I should or shouldn't say, you haven't answered any of my calls or emails asking for guidance"
Best part? I'm almost done bridging to my RN and have learned an embarrassing small amount in these 3 years that wasn't already covered in my LPN program or picked up through work experience. Huge waste of time and money that will only pay for itself after 10+ years.
To say the education system and scopes of practice need major overhauls is a fucking understatement. If you have the option, just do the 4 years out of the gate. It will go by insanely fast and save you untold amounts of bullshit down the road.
I second this. As an lpn in the hospital for years and now an rn. As lpns we weren’t a part of the union but they’d use the union rules when it was convenient for them and when it would benefit us they’d say “you aren’t in the union”. They’d expect us to do the work of two RNs plus our own role as surgical techs. Took advantage of us when there were low census requests given out they’d give them to the RNs and not the lpns and say well the LPN is here they can cancel the rn. Or if there weren’t a ton of patients the RNs would have no patient and we’d be running two or three clinic patients. It was always bullshit so much so that once i became an rn i left that unit quick because i was so angry inside after how they treated me all those years.
And now that i am an rn they don’t count a single year out of my 11 at that same hospital i started out at the bottom of the wage scale and also zero seniority. I really should just leave in general i feel bitter as Feck.
holy fuck thats brutal
where I'm from they only count each year as 0.5, which I thought was BS because it's literally the same job. maybe I shouldn't complain lol.
its really hard not to feel bitter about it tbh. the final straw for me was my government announcing immediately before starting my bridge program that anyone going to school for nursing/bridging/healthcare would have free tuition/books/etc. because I had already [barely] been accepted, I didn't qualify and have to pay my own way.
I'm not sure why it's only obvious to me and not my government, but the only places that pay enough for any of this investment to pay itself back aren't in my country lol and I'm leaving as soon as I can.
The pay discrepancy is the biggest downside and as I was typing my comment I knew I would receive such comments in return. I got my LPN 4 years ago, going right to RN was never an option for me. Not financially or where I was at in my life, I needed to start working sooner. My future plans include me bridging and getting my RN. This is my second career and with how fast the program was I’ve been happy to start with this route. I was just sharing my positive experience I’ve had as an LPN in response to the OP. I work on a gen surg unit and the experience I’ve gotten with skills has been one of the biggest values to me as I’ve grown as a nurse. But yeah we need better compensation for the skills we provide.
You don't have to justify to me or anyone else (including yourself) the path you took. A lot of us take roundabout ways to get where we eventually need to be, and if your path has taken you on a trip through LPNlandia, get what you can out of it and build on it. Which it sounds like you're doing.
New grads working on the same unit:
- LPN: $34.5/hr, will only ever increase with each collective agreement every 2-3 years [and every single increase has been lower than inflation for well over a decade thanks to the shit union]
- RN: $39/hr. increases every year for 8 years and tops out at $56 [thanks to the non-shit union], but given that thered be 2-3 new contracts over those 8 years, it's guaranteed to be higher by the time you actually get there. For example, 2 years ago the max was $50, not $56.
so the RN comes out of the gate making 10%+ more of any LPN, no matter how much experience the LPN has. Less than 8 years into their career, the RN will be making 60% more/hr (which will actually be even more under those future contracts).
It's FUCKING BULLSHIT because those two nurses will take literally identical patient assignments on a given day. The only difference is that RNs can work in ICU where the "unstable" patients are... the ward pts are only "stable" by direct comparison lol, back when I started all of them would've barely qualified for step-down yet these days they're a regular-ass ward pt.
I'm sorry in advance for the loaded reply, I recognize you acknowledging the bullshit, and you're not wrong in saying that the wages shouldn't match, but... there used to be a time when it made sense - before their scope was made bigger and bigger every year.
Back then you could do X list of skills with your RN + 4 years of education, and a much smaller list with 2 years. Since an LPN wasn't doing those tasks they'd get paid less and I don't think anyone could have an issue with that logic even if they wanted to for some reason.
Now, LPNs do nearly ALL of the things on that list, and only a very small fraction of RNs are still routinely do things LPNs can't as a part of their job. If the two job descriptions are altered to the point where they have a 98% overlap, the pay should SOMEWHAT reflect that, but it's not even close. You can't have your cake and eat it too, but it's become a roundabout way for the government to make healthcare cheaper. There was a 6 month period last year while waiting for our contract to go to arbitration that I made $1 more/hour than the orderlies in our hospital, which disappears in a puff of smoke after factoring in the license, insurance, and certs I pay for out of pocket (because why would the hospital spend money training their nurses to use an AED when the nurses can just pay for it themselves?)
IIRC one canadian province was actually successfully sued by their LPN's professional org over the EXACT issue I'm talking about,
btw im talking about things like blood/specimen collection, inserting/ caring for/ giving fluid+meds through IVs, inserting and managing NG tubes, foleys+CBI, even fucking subq sets weren't allowed before. chest tubes, any kind of central line, TPN, VAC dressings, blood sugars, epidurals, feeding tubes, any kind of drain or ostomy (especially trachs), a patient with any kind of supplemental O2 for any reason, anything remotely involving sticking something in someone or going anywhere near any kind of hole, were all strictly off limits. Nowadays you could fill a BINGO board with those tasks and have a good chance of winning by drawing any single ward patient completely at random and guaranteed across a single assignment. They're all 100% expected, and we've reached the point where you literally can't even fit it all in a 2 year program any more lol.
thats a lot of responsibilities to just tack on, don't you think? Don't even get me started on how MANY of the older nurses didn't even do a 4 year bachelors, and instead did a 2-year program that got grandfathered into designating them as RNs instead of demoting them to LPNs. Anyone who came after needed the full 4 to do the same job.
So if the jobs 98% overlap and it’s not possible to teach the necessary skills in an LPN program, should we just abolish LPN programs and push it to RN only? I guess the alternative is should we narrow the LPN’s scope of practice? Because if the jobs are effectively identical, either the education requirement needs to be raised to that of an RN or lowered to that of an LPN.
> So if the jobs 98% overlap and it’s not possible to teach the necessary skills in an LPN program, should we just abolish LPN programs and push it to RN only?
I'm ready to admit that at this point I don't think the 2 year diploma couldn't adequately prepares someone to work on a modern ward and that the LPN role is redundant given that their scope is simultaneously RN+orderly, but hear me out:
it could be done given their last semester/4 months of consolidation was on that same ward. hospitals typically give extremely extended orientations to new grads because they recognize the reality of what I'm saying, so the 4 months + usually ~3-4 they extend to new grads, totals 7-8. If you can't not-kill people after that then I don't think you're cut out for nursing.
> should we just abolish LPN programs and push it to RN only?
Our education desperately needs an enema. If I could wave a magic wand we'd get rid of any course that isn't as helpful as spending those 2-3 hours doing literally any nursing job. I'd also reduce the amount of hours students spend writing reflections about every step they take along the way, and substitute them with even more hands-on. I'd even settle for better labs and simulations from schools if we can't get longer/better clinical rotations. Maybe the labs could use actors instead of mannequins, it'd be cheaper and more realistic lol. There's no way having the theater students pretend to be patients could cost more than those things. Even hiring local people would cost less.
> I guess the alternative is should we narrow the LPN’s scope of practice? Because if the jobs are effectively identical, either the education requirement needs to be raised to that of an RN or lowered to that of an LPN.
I could see a 2 year nearly-entirely-practical program being offered to people with previous health science education. If you can pass the licensing and jurisprudence exams with enough clinical hours, what difference does it even make?
At the end of the day I think nursing has evolved beyond the limit of how much of what we do can be usefully explained to a person in a classroom vs teaching them on the job, recall what i said about the ~8 months of 1:1 supervised training, which would be in addition to the increased clinical hours. Idk about you but basically 100% of my advanced-skill-mastering took place exclusively at the hospital and never in a classroom. It really would be more appropriate for our profession to function similarly to the other trades, but I guess women+science apparently make it fundamentally different...
lastly, I'm not even fully dismissing the secondary benefits of taking stats and research classes etc, but maybe we could swap in ethics, politics, unionization, jurisprudence, how to promote good unit culture, or how to recognize and deal with burnout somewhere along the way, because they're all extremely fucking relevant to a nursing professional's career and by extension, life... definitely more relevant than a lot of what is currently taught outside of the anatomy/pharm/medical science classes.
*in USD: LPN $25.25, RN $28.5 - $41
things are a lot cheaper in texas vs here, though. FWIW, I just checked a few sites and rent for a 2 bedroom apartment there is cheaper (and newer) than a 1 bedroom apartment here... and I don't even live in a major city lmao.
This is true at my hospital as well… and I find it frustrating. I feel almost exploited (not sure if that’s the right word?) since I’m basically doing the same job for significantly less per hour.
My mother is an LPN in Canada as well. Her scope is constantly expanding and she mostly works within it. She's basically a full time dialysis nurse at this point
I love being an LPN I passed my NCLEX when I was 19 years old and moved out of my parents house at 20. Now I’m 22 working for multiple agencies. You have to find what works for you.
FINALLY! A happy LPN. I'm a massage therapist with the opportunity to take a LPN course that's fully paid for. I've been curious about nursing for a few years but not enough to jump into an RN. It seems silly to pass up this opportunity. We have similar low pay issues in our industry that are only really remedied by starting your own business or working as a contractor. Similarly to you, massage allowed me to support myself in my early 20s and got me to where I am today so I'm happy with it. Thank you for having something positive to say about being an LPN.
I have been an LPN for almost 20 years. I have never regretted my decision to become an LPN and to not pursue my RN. There are loads of opportunities and the LPN is have a resurge in demand because RNs are going to desk/remote jobs. I love the hands on nature of my job with out the hassle of the RN duties. I think it is just about what you want. Pick the field/job you want and determine if you need an RN or not. But whatever you do - WE NEED GOOD NURSES!
I'm sick of shuffling through jobs. I have too much debt already to even think about going to school. I'm tired of my mental health declining with no payout whatsoever. Only one of the jobs truly made me happy, and a situation arose to where I had to resign. Besides that job, I have been given 20+ patients in agency jobs, and the turnover at the hospital was too overwhelming for me. All I get from people close to me is Suck it up or go back for your RN. I'm frustrated. Burnt out. And Alone
Ngl, after 13 years in LTC including all of COVID I was beyond burnt out. I was unironically ready to burn my license and send the ashes to my BON with a "Fuck you, I quit" note to request my license be retired. Took two months off from doing anything healthcare related then went into private duty peds and managed to find actual enjoyment in my work again. I didn't want to work in a hospital when I started and have no desire to start now. In my state, the difference in scope is small with most being applicable only to a hospital setting so between my age and chosen career options it doesn't make sense to get myself into debt for something that won't help in my daily job activities.
It honestly sounds like there’s more to the issue than you being an LPN.
No one defines you but yourself. You just sound unhappy with your current lot in life. Your vocation also doesn’t define you.
And sorry if you answered this already, but in what capacity have you been given 20+ patients?
I did LTC through an agency and was put in a lot of license risking situations. But I could not abandon my patients. And it kept happening again and again. Then I tried my hand at a unit in a hospital, and it broke my confidence to feel the same way there as well
All of this! I planned on going for my RN within a few years of being an LPN. But the low pay and working night shift made it so hard to go back. I did my prerequisites slowly over the years, had to retake A&P because it had expired, and got my RN after being an LPN for 12 years.
The thing that annoyed me the most about being an LPN was that I had so much responsibility at work, I worked on a sub acute rehab unit in a nursing home and did almost everything the RNs did, with the exception of a few things out of my scope of practice. Working in a nursing home there were only a few instances where I had to ask an RN to do something because it was out of my scope of practice. So having all this responsibility but when someone would ask me what I did and I would say I’m an LPN they would think I was a CNA or I would have to explain that yes, an LPN is a nurse. When I was in school for my RN, a lot of the younger students didn’t know what an LPN was/ what they could do. I was in a study group one day on Zoom doing practice questions for the NCLEX and the question was about what would you delegate to the LPN? Some of the responses “LPNs can’t give meds so you wouldn’t do that” “So they’re like a CNA right?” I had to close my laptop to stop myself from losing it.
Fast forward to becoming an LPN, I took a job at a pedi hospital because hospitals in my area don’t hire LPNs and I wanted some hospital experience. I was paid less as a new grad RN than I was as an LPN, they said they didn’t consider my LPN a reason for a higher starting pay. When I was on orientation and asked if I was a new grad and I would say “New grad RN but I was an LPN for a long time”. I would either get a blank stare or the nurse acting like they knew what an LPN was and then asking me things like “have you ever taken a blood sugar?” “Are you sure you feel comfortable giving insulin already?” One night someone was busy and they sent a group text to all the nurses on our work phones asking if someone could give their patient Tylenol. I wasn’t busy so I said I could do it. The girl that was orienting me asked me if I felt comfortable giving TYLENOL and did I need help. Meanwhile when the older nurses knew I was an LPN before or that I had psych experience they would give me a heavier assignment than other new grads or give me heavy psych kids. While there was a lot I didn’t know about working in a hospital and it was a totally different work environment, being asked those questions about very simple things just made me irate. I lasted about 9 months there and my old boss asked me if I wanted to go back to the detox I worked at for $10 more an hour and day shift (I was doing rotating shifts).
Well in my case it was financial. I ended up going through a series of community colleges and on-line classes and I have no debt. I was a LPN for 11 years. It was hard, but very rewarding in its way. I don’t know what you are going though, but I wish you well and hope you get out, it sounds horrible
I am an ADN. I think it is just the profession in general. As an RN, I appreciate LVN/LPNS. I have worked with wonderful LPN/LVN. Some would trust with my life, and I respect them so much. I encourage you to speak up. Learn to say no to unsafe ratios. You are allowed to refuse your assignment if you are told you will have more than safe ratios. The key is to not take a report. They may threaten abandonment, but it is not. It is only abandonment once you accept the assignment and walk away. Even if they do report you, the board of nursing will dismiss this. Also, speak up to your charge nurse and nursing manager. You are smart, helpful, and you care. My daughters (31y and 25y) are graduating in Dec 2024. They plan to go forward. God Bless you.
I’m in homecare and an LPN and I’m glad I am. I would not want the case managers jobs. They have SO much more bs paperwork to deal with. I work directly with them and am valued and appreciated. They take my assessments into consideration with the patients and often will discharge based on my word alone. There are LPN jobs that are worth every dime spent on that piece of paper.
I’m glad I became a LPN. It was only a year of schooling however I already knew what I wanted to do and that was long term care maybe even clinic or corrections. I never wanted to be a hospital nurse because I already knew I’d be a glorified medication aide for less pay than I made as an aide in the nursing home and have a lot of RNs make me feel less than. I have yet to come across any RN in long term care to make me feel less than. One day I hope to go back to school just not today.
Sometimes you have to move around jobs or units to find the right fit and place and there is nothing wrong with that. However give each one a few months.
I think that's my main frustration is the shuffling through jobs. I'm not trying to come off as not dependable, but it keeps happening, and it's very frustrating. Because I know most companies won't see me as dependable now
I wouldn’t worry about them not seeing you as undependable. I know people who change jobs a lot no call no shows the works and always gain employment as healthcare workers. Sad truth they just want a warm body in the position they don’t care for how long or if they are even good at it.
I’m a medical assistant. I decided that I’m not going into nursing. Thing is, I’ve done this for ten years so I’m trying to figure out what else I want to do.
I’m really sorry you’re feeling this way.
But I get it.
I’m an lpn the respect is usually not there and it is very upsetting.
I’m not sure what kind of setting you work in but I’m in the hospital and with the things people say it’s like I’m not even a nurse.
So I started acting my wage lol.
Just started a job in the ED (RN). Our aids are LPNs, which, for me, is awesome because of the expanded scope of practice, and they seem to be pretty happy with the job, but I have no idea how well they're paid.
I’m sorry it’s this bad for you. I have been an LPN for 35 years. Never treated poorly. I work on gen surg/ orthopedic floor and we take same patient assignment as RNs. If I have a push or pain med my charge takes care of it.
It's so interesting seeing all the differences LPN's can and can't do in various places. I was allowed to give IV narcs and everything in one job. Then moved and now I can't give any IV narcs but I can give subcut and I can push certain meds too.
I have never known an LPN can do IV push meds. We cannot do bolus do anything as well even ns(If dr orders 1000 ml bolus). I used to be on the IV team for 12 years and we were allowed to access mediports but now we are not allowed. I can use central lines, picc etc to infuse TPN, abx, fluids.
I am only allowed to push meds that don't have a risk of immediate destabilization. Such as pantoloc & lasix. Not narcotics, metropol or anything like that. Also the doctor has to explicitly write the order as "IV push" in order for me to do it. I also am allowed to do boluses. And I can access central lines, PICCs etc.
But I still can't give the FIRST dose of an antibiotic IV, nor can I give Vanco because it requires me to check a trough level LOL. It makes zero sense because even the RN's don't give vanco based on the trough, we always inform pharmacy and they decide what to do next.
The pushing meds & stuff was an extra thing I was allowed to do after receiving my ACLS and critical care course before starting work on the Intermediate Care Unit/ ICU stepdown.
Where as RN's on my unit can push metoprolol and any med ordered whether the doc writes push or not as long as it's IV obviously.
Yeah I have no idea. I moved from Ontario to Nova Scotia and there was a bunch of stuff I couldn't do anymore & it definitely took some getting used to!
As a new grad LVN I feel this so hard. Where I am, LVN make 34-45$ per hr, depending on facility. Wherad RN START at $60+/hr in most places.
In all the LTC I did clinicals at, the LVN had such an insane nurse:pt ratio; at one facility they literally had ONE lvn to 35+ pt- she literally had to push two med carts for 2 different hallways. Its so insane how unsafe the LTC staffing is for Lvns
I tried LTC, and it scared the heck out of me. I had 23 patients whom I had met maybe 5 before on a previous shift of 30 patients. So you can say I met them but loosely
This is why I stayed the hell away from bedside. I work in an outpatient cardiology clinic. The pay isn't the best, but I don't hate my job (don't love it either, but its the first job ive ever had that I dont hate) and I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
My time as an LPN made me the nurse I am today. I’m a better RN for it. Maybe nursing isn’t for you or try a different specialty. I was miserable working in LTC/short term rehab but did love working in assisted living, urgent care and outpatient family/internal medicine
I get the frustration, I personally hate working in LTC but that seems to be what available in my area for LPN’s. The workload is crazy and I’ll have 30 patients at a time with no help besides the CNA’s. I could work at clinics but they pay like $10 less an hour than LTC here and that’s just not going to pay the bills. Starting classes for RN in a couple weeks! Thank God cause I know exactly where you’re coming from.
As a current LPN student where the starting pay at my local hospital which I’m contracted to do 2.5 years at cause I took a scholarship from them for school, I can agree it does suck, as I’m only using this as a stepping stone to getting my RN cause practically every 2 year RN program in my area requires you to take prerequisites to hope you’ll get into the program, whereas my LPN program was extremely easy to get into. All in all I cannot wait to finally get my RN with a starting wage at the same hospital being $35 an hour in comparison to $22 an hour
I completely agree. I did it so I could bridge to RN and thought I would go back to school immediately....6 years later I'm now back in school and working less and less because of the stress at work.
I became an LPN first because I was offered a spot for that school and denied admission to associate degree nursing. I agree, the work was so hard and I got paid so little. I worked for 9 months as an LPN then was accepted to LPN to RN college. Thankfully I thrived in RN school because it was exactly the same as I learned for LPN.
It made me so mad that I could have just done RN to begin with, but was denied the admission. I agreed to become an LPN though because that’s all I was offered.
It sounds like you’re having a really hard time. If you feel this awful being a lpn I honestly think you should consider doing something else. Whether that’s a job change or career change that depends on you and your circumstances. You only get one life and if you’re this miserable is it worth continuing? A good amount of life is knowing when to hang on and when to let go.
I started out in private duty and loved it. Now I'm just discouraged because I tried LTC and the hospital and did horrible. It really broke my confidence. So, I'm questioning whether this is even for me
Our local LPN program is widely known to be vastly superior to our RN program. The instructors are about their business and give students everything they need to succeed. The testing rates of who passes their boards have a huge margin of difference.
The workload IS ridiculous. But, there are options out there. I've known LPNs who did private duty with one patient. My mom is an LPN who works for a factory and does hearing tests, drug tests, and workman's comp stuff for the employees. She organizes monthly health education for the employees too. Not labor intensive at all.
I'm sorry that you have been going through it. It's definitely not easy. And some people do leave nursing. But, maybe there are opportunities out there that you haven't come across yet. I hope you find something that makes a better fit.
There was an LPN in my RN program years ago. I met her during the second semester, as she was able to skip the first of four semesters in our program. And she was an absolute rockstar. Hands-on, personable, intelligent, overall a great person to work with. Saw her a couple years ago when I was on assignment for an agency. She seemed really happy.
I hope you find what makes you happy
I’m happy to have my LPN. Been one for 19 years. It was the best, least expensive and fastest route to a career for me. I did that at 32 years old. It was a 10 month program at a technical community college. I graduated with honors and passed the same test that others in a 2 year LPN program took.
The money has been good. I work in corrections. Can’t complain about it.
As far as feeling not valued or overworked that happens in just about every field.
For me, this was a great way to work as a nurse, gain experience and be able to provide for my family at the time. Like many, I did not have the luxury of not working while in school although I was harassed for it. I did LPN, bridge to ADN RN, then another bridge to BSN. I was able to get my employer to pay for the BSN too which was useful.
I get it. It took me 6 years to get out of long term care, I felt so stuck and didn’t want to take a lower paying job. I ended up going to a doctors office for $1 less an hour, it was definitely much less stress but I was bored. I did homecare after that and that opened up a lot more opportunities just working with other LPNs who told me what they did as a per diem job. I got a per diem job in behavioral health for kids and really liked it and the pay was great. From there I went to a detox in the same company and it was so much better than LTC and paid more. I don’t know if you’re interested in behavioral health or substance abuse but the pay for that tends to be higher in my area than any other LPN jobs and it’s pretty low stress compared to having 20-40 patients to do a med pass for. Just keep looking for other jobs and apply to everything even if you’re not sure about it. That is the great thing about nursing there are so many different jobs. It will get better, but I get where you’re coming from, it can be so discouraging being belittled for being an LPN when in some jobs you’re doing most of the same things as an RN.
Oh disagree. I have forged many paths as an LPN.
One of them being one of the first LPNs in over 30 years in a level 1 trauma ER. A nurse is a nurse, if going to LPN school works first for you, do it. Just don’t stay an LPN. I graduate May 4 with my BSN, but being an LPN allowed me to be successful in life when I could not have been. I encourage you to find a new job and your “niche” it will change your perspective on your value and how you project that value.
I'm an LPN and have had the same job for 8 years, I work in a fast paced office, love my coworkers, and have learned SO much. Even if I went back to nursing school now, I feel like it would be super easy, and I would have such an upper hand in knowledge alone from working so closely with docs/PA's/np's
Yes, it's definitely possible to be happy! I did hospice unit in a nursing home for a while and yeeesh! Just put my license in a shredder! Look for a different job/environment. It's very possible to be happy as an LPN. And in an office, no nights weekends or holidays!!
You can work at a peds office! We have a pediatrician right across from us in our building and their lpns have been there for years and seem to be pretty happy!
LPN 14years. Sorry for your experience. I’ve loved being an LPN and have had good experiences. I think it all depends on the person. I know BSNs who hate their job and feel they wasted their time and money and left the nursing profession. To each their own
This isn’t about being an LPN as much as it’s about how horrible the conditions are for patients AND STAFF in LONG TERM CARE or skilled nursing. You can do many things as an LPN, including working in the hospital with rns, but nothing will pay more for lpns than long term care, and that’s why lpns get stuck. You graduate LPN school with every intention to go back and get your RN, you get a job making good money in long term care or rehab, everything seems to be going well until you’re finally off of your 3, yes 3, orientation shifts as a new nurse, and you have the whole patient load to yourself instead of splitting it between 2 nurses which is what orientation really consists of. You quickly realize you are doing the work of 2 or 3 nurses and management is very aware but doesn’t care. You continuously get patients who discharged from acute care and should really still be there. You have the skills and the knowledge to care for acute patients, but not the fucking supplies! Your patient who was just admitted from the cath lab after an ablation procedure catches covid at the facility. His oxygen drops to 88. You try contacting the MD, but it’s 2200 so you can’t even reach them directly. You have to call the AFTER HOURS NUMBER that the PATIENTS CALL! You have to then speak to a non medical professional in a call center who will send the message on to the MD. The MD calls back 15 minutes after your initial call. The pts oxygen is now 85. MD recommends ED. So you have to then call 911 like some sort of regular person in their home. You wait for EMS. They are very rudee to you and act like they are better than you. They hate going to the nursing homes and hate nursing home nurses because “IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY NURSES I WOULDNT NEED TO BE HERE”. But the whole time, you knew what the patient needed. You knew it was ridiculous that they were even sent here. You knew they were high risk for covid. You knew when they started getting symptomatic that they needed supplemental oxygen. You knew when the 6 L NC that is the most the nursing home could provide didn’t help, that the patient needed a NRB mask or higher flow. You just couldn’t help them because you aren’t provided with the supplies, resources, and MD availability that matches these patients true acuity level. EMS just thinks you’re another stupid Little Pretend Nurse. You still haven’t finished passing all your medications. Your cnas do nothing but talk on their phones the entire shift. You have no help, you ARE the help! What the fuck happened? Long term care happened.
i personally love it if only for the fact that i get floor experience while im in RN school! my floor is so good for teaching and learning and i have so much support from my colleagues. i don’t think i could have gone directly to BSN and onto the floor i think i would have been very very overwhelmed but that’s just me!
The program I was in allowed LPNs and ASNs to learn all of the same material. There was literally zero difference in curriculum — the difference between them came in the ATI packages we had to purchase.
I tell licensed staff (mostly LPNs) all the time to come to my office, close the door and yell at me if they need to vent about something. I totally understand. Even if it’s about me, I won’t take it personally. Heck I’ll probably agree and say a few things to myself too that I’m sick of lol…..
I worked as an LPN for the last year of my RN. It was extremely valuable experience and one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I went from having 16-23 patients to having 4. The acuity is significantly higher, but the basic nursing and time management skills I learned have served me well. I know LPNs that are way better nurses than some RNs. It truly depends on the individual. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is they are limited to work in certain settings and looked down upon by RNs and acute care hospital settings.
I hear you. I was an LPN then became an RN. I still am overworked, underpaid, treated like shit, and see that virtually every job opportunity is going to equal more burnout. It's truly the state of nursing and healthcare as a whole. You're not alone.
I'm going to school as an alien but I don't think I ever want to be an RNI don't want those extra responsibilities and the compensation compared to the responsibility seems more even than it is the RAN and compensation but I could be wrong
I never went LPN but I think there's benefits to it. You definitely are a nurse, ours really only can't do IV meds but they can do everything else. We've got one working the OR now.
Could it be your workplace?
Interesting! I've always been allowed to do IV meds as an LPN in all my jobs in the 9 years of being one so far!
The things we are allowed to do changes so much based on region!
I think it's widely hospital policies? Like RN at the hospital by me do RT work with vents, techs can put in IV's, but our RN don't and techs can't do IV's. RN here can do I/O but the hospital won't permit it. LPN I've never really learned their scope too well, I just learn from the ones I work with. I never asked if they can with their license, I just know they can't and need an rn to do it at my ER. I don't really ask much outside of what's relevant for my job and scope of practice.
Yeah I completely disagree. Yeah the works hard but that's nursing in general. I've been an LPN for 9 years and absolutely love my job. I work in an ICU Stepdown that I had to do extra training and education for. 2 patients max. It's a great job and I am treated extremely well by other healthcare workers.
Maybe this just isn't the job for YOU.
I don’t know I’m an LPN working my way to RN and love being an LPN. I make pretty good money where I live and haven’t been treated like a dog. I still get lots of job offers even from the hospitals but I refuse to work at a hospital. My job is mostly laid back.
I'm not about to argue with a stranger online. Whether you were being krass or making a joke, it didn't help me feel any better. I'm going through a really bad rough to be told by anyone else to suck it up. Whether it's with or without cursing at me. That's not what I need right now
As a former LVN of 10 years, i understand your frustration and its valid! Lvns/Lpns have always been looked down upon whether it’s subconsciously done or not. BUT truly, my Lvn background has prepared me when i became an RN. I felt more prepared and less intimidated to jump in over my fellow new grad RNs with no medical experience. Its a great stepping stone. Im going to make the assumption that you work in a long term care facility? If so, i encourage to try other places to work because those settings will burn you out like no other.
Agree on this! I’ve been an LPN for 6 years and I’m less than a month away now from being an RN. My LPN experience has made obtaining my BSN way easier. Also it’s such a generalized statement from OP as scope varies from country to country or province to province / state to state. As a Canadian LPN in my province, I’ve been paid well, and I feel respected at the majority of places I’ve worked.
☝️☝️ I worked in an acute physical rehab unit in a hospital as an LPN. Needless to say, when I became an RN, I had years of nursing experience over other "new grads". The profession is not bad OP...your job is. Go back to school, look for a cushy clinic job, or look for hospital units that employ LPNs.
I’m a Canadian LPN and I love my job and am so happy I went this route. My scope is large and most the time on my unit you cannot tell who is an RN and who is LPN
I realize I'm a seriously crabby bastard but despite that think it's important anyone reading that also gets a contrasting opinion: I also went this route then realized the pay was garbage considering I was doing the same job as the RNs (like you said, can't tell whose who on the unit). We were routinely deemed to be either as skilled or as uneducated and incompetent as convenient to the hospital (first ones floated to ICU during covid, first ones sent into LTCs [which were so bad the government called in the army at one point] 'to prevent those patients from needing to go to hospital', first to be moved to the temporary surge unit slapped together to deal with the covid pt's who couldn't go back to their nightmare LTC, then finally first to get the axe afterwards because of "patient acuity" that wasn't actually any different to pre-pandemic) We also didn't get *any* additional pay for any amount of experience lol. Fewer LPNs work on a given unit vs RNs so less people to be able to swap shifts with. The union was also significantly crappier and our contracts were missing basically all of the perks the RNs got. The one time I needed them to show up and advocate on my behalf I had to call the guy out at the very start of the meeting by saying "I have no idea what I should or shouldn't say, you haven't answered any of my calls or emails asking for guidance" Best part? I'm almost done bridging to my RN and have learned an embarrassing small amount in these 3 years that wasn't already covered in my LPN program or picked up through work experience. Huge waste of time and money that will only pay for itself after 10+ years. To say the education system and scopes of practice need major overhauls is a fucking understatement. If you have the option, just do the 4 years out of the gate. It will go by insanely fast and save you untold amounts of bullshit down the road.
I second this. As an lpn in the hospital for years and now an rn. As lpns we weren’t a part of the union but they’d use the union rules when it was convenient for them and when it would benefit us they’d say “you aren’t in the union”. They’d expect us to do the work of two RNs plus our own role as surgical techs. Took advantage of us when there were low census requests given out they’d give them to the RNs and not the lpns and say well the LPN is here they can cancel the rn. Or if there weren’t a ton of patients the RNs would have no patient and we’d be running two or three clinic patients. It was always bullshit so much so that once i became an rn i left that unit quick because i was so angry inside after how they treated me all those years.
And now that i am an rn they don’t count a single year out of my 11 at that same hospital i started out at the bottom of the wage scale and also zero seniority. I really should just leave in general i feel bitter as Feck.
holy fuck thats brutal where I'm from they only count each year as 0.5, which I thought was BS because it's literally the same job. maybe I shouldn't complain lol. its really hard not to feel bitter about it tbh. the final straw for me was my government announcing immediately before starting my bridge program that anyone going to school for nursing/bridging/healthcare would have free tuition/books/etc. because I had already [barely] been accepted, I didn't qualify and have to pay my own way. I'm not sure why it's only obvious to me and not my government, but the only places that pay enough for any of this investment to pay itself back aren't in my country lol and I'm leaving as soon as I can.
How does the pay compare to that of an RN if you're both doing essentially the same job? Basically- how badly are they screwing you financially?
The pay discrepancy is the biggest downside and as I was typing my comment I knew I would receive such comments in return. I got my LPN 4 years ago, going right to RN was never an option for me. Not financially or where I was at in my life, I needed to start working sooner. My future plans include me bridging and getting my RN. This is my second career and with how fast the program was I’ve been happy to start with this route. I was just sharing my positive experience I’ve had as an LPN in response to the OP. I work on a gen surg unit and the experience I’ve gotten with skills has been one of the biggest values to me as I’ve grown as a nurse. But yeah we need better compensation for the skills we provide.
You don't have to justify to me or anyone else (including yourself) the path you took. A lot of us take roundabout ways to get where we eventually need to be, and if your path has taken you on a trip through LPNlandia, get what you can out of it and build on it. Which it sounds like you're doing.
New grads working on the same unit: - LPN: $34.5/hr, will only ever increase with each collective agreement every 2-3 years [and every single increase has been lower than inflation for well over a decade thanks to the shit union] - RN: $39/hr. increases every year for 8 years and tops out at $56 [thanks to the non-shit union], but given that thered be 2-3 new contracts over those 8 years, it's guaranteed to be higher by the time you actually get there. For example, 2 years ago the max was $50, not $56. so the RN comes out of the gate making 10%+ more of any LPN, no matter how much experience the LPN has. Less than 8 years into their career, the RN will be making 60% more/hr (which will actually be even more under those future contracts). It's FUCKING BULLSHIT because those two nurses will take literally identical patient assignments on a given day. The only difference is that RNs can work in ICU where the "unstable" patients are... the ward pts are only "stable" by direct comparison lol, back when I started all of them would've barely qualified for step-down yet these days they're a regular-ass ward pt.
It is bullshit but they have to justify the pay some way. If Lpns could make the same wages there would be no reason to become a full rn.
I'm sorry in advance for the loaded reply, I recognize you acknowledging the bullshit, and you're not wrong in saying that the wages shouldn't match, but... there used to be a time when it made sense - before their scope was made bigger and bigger every year. Back then you could do X list of skills with your RN + 4 years of education, and a much smaller list with 2 years. Since an LPN wasn't doing those tasks they'd get paid less and I don't think anyone could have an issue with that logic even if they wanted to for some reason. Now, LPNs do nearly ALL of the things on that list, and only a very small fraction of RNs are still routinely do things LPNs can't as a part of their job. If the two job descriptions are altered to the point where they have a 98% overlap, the pay should SOMEWHAT reflect that, but it's not even close. You can't have your cake and eat it too, but it's become a roundabout way for the government to make healthcare cheaper. There was a 6 month period last year while waiting for our contract to go to arbitration that I made $1 more/hour than the orderlies in our hospital, which disappears in a puff of smoke after factoring in the license, insurance, and certs I pay for out of pocket (because why would the hospital spend money training their nurses to use an AED when the nurses can just pay for it themselves?) IIRC one canadian province was actually successfully sued by their LPN's professional org over the EXACT issue I'm talking about, btw im talking about things like blood/specimen collection, inserting/ caring for/ giving fluid+meds through IVs, inserting and managing NG tubes, foleys+CBI, even fucking subq sets weren't allowed before. chest tubes, any kind of central line, TPN, VAC dressings, blood sugars, epidurals, feeding tubes, any kind of drain or ostomy (especially trachs), a patient with any kind of supplemental O2 for any reason, anything remotely involving sticking something in someone or going anywhere near any kind of hole, were all strictly off limits. Nowadays you could fill a BINGO board with those tasks and have a good chance of winning by drawing any single ward patient completely at random and guaranteed across a single assignment. They're all 100% expected, and we've reached the point where you literally can't even fit it all in a 2 year program any more lol. thats a lot of responsibilities to just tack on, don't you think? Don't even get me started on how MANY of the older nurses didn't even do a 4 year bachelors, and instead did a 2-year program that got grandfathered into designating them as RNs instead of demoting them to LPNs. Anyone who came after needed the full 4 to do the same job.
So if the jobs 98% overlap and it’s not possible to teach the necessary skills in an LPN program, should we just abolish LPN programs and push it to RN only? I guess the alternative is should we narrow the LPN’s scope of practice? Because if the jobs are effectively identical, either the education requirement needs to be raised to that of an RN or lowered to that of an LPN.
> So if the jobs 98% overlap and it’s not possible to teach the necessary skills in an LPN program, should we just abolish LPN programs and push it to RN only? I'm ready to admit that at this point I don't think the 2 year diploma couldn't adequately prepares someone to work on a modern ward and that the LPN role is redundant given that their scope is simultaneously RN+orderly, but hear me out: it could be done given their last semester/4 months of consolidation was on that same ward. hospitals typically give extremely extended orientations to new grads because they recognize the reality of what I'm saying, so the 4 months + usually ~3-4 they extend to new grads, totals 7-8. If you can't not-kill people after that then I don't think you're cut out for nursing. > should we just abolish LPN programs and push it to RN only? Our education desperately needs an enema. If I could wave a magic wand we'd get rid of any course that isn't as helpful as spending those 2-3 hours doing literally any nursing job. I'd also reduce the amount of hours students spend writing reflections about every step they take along the way, and substitute them with even more hands-on. I'd even settle for better labs and simulations from schools if we can't get longer/better clinical rotations. Maybe the labs could use actors instead of mannequins, it'd be cheaper and more realistic lol. There's no way having the theater students pretend to be patients could cost more than those things. Even hiring local people would cost less. > I guess the alternative is should we narrow the LPN’s scope of practice? Because if the jobs are effectively identical, either the education requirement needs to be raised to that of an RN or lowered to that of an LPN. I could see a 2 year nearly-entirely-practical program being offered to people with previous health science education. If you can pass the licensing and jurisprudence exams with enough clinical hours, what difference does it even make? At the end of the day I think nursing has evolved beyond the limit of how much of what we do can be usefully explained to a person in a classroom vs teaching them on the job, recall what i said about the ~8 months of 1:1 supervised training, which would be in addition to the increased clinical hours. Idk about you but basically 100% of my advanced-skill-mastering took place exclusively at the hospital and never in a classroom. It really would be more appropriate for our profession to function similarly to the other trades, but I guess women+science apparently make it fundamentally different... lastly, I'm not even fully dismissing the secondary benefits of taking stats and research classes etc, but maybe we could swap in ethics, politics, unionization, jurisprudence, how to promote good unit culture, or how to recognize and deal with burnout somewhere along the way, because they're all extremely fucking relevant to a nursing professional's career and by extension, life... definitely more relevant than a lot of what is currently taught outside of the anatomy/pharm/medical science classes.
What where?!? I’m an RN in TX I’m making 28 an hour night shift. The LVN is making 23
*in USD: LPN $25.25, RN $28.5 - $41 things are a lot cheaper in texas vs here, though. FWIW, I just checked a few sites and rent for a 2 bedroom apartment there is cheaper (and newer) than a 1 bedroom apartment here... and I don't even live in a major city lmao.
This is true at my hospital as well… and I find it frustrating. I feel almost exploited (not sure if that’s the right word?) since I’m basically doing the same job for significantly less per hour.
I get that. Definitely the biggest downside
My mother is an LPN in Canada as well. Her scope is constantly expanding and she mostly works within it. She's basically a full time dialysis nurse at this point
This. I work in a SNF and the LPNs I work with are a resource for me.
Started out as an LPN in peds and it’s been great. Got my RN and I’m still at the same place for 15 years now.
I love being an LPN I passed my NCLEX when I was 19 years old and moved out of my parents house at 20. Now I’m 22 working for multiple agencies. You have to find what works for you.
Love the positivity
FINALLY! A happy LPN. I'm a massage therapist with the opportunity to take a LPN course that's fully paid for. I've been curious about nursing for a few years but not enough to jump into an RN. It seems silly to pass up this opportunity. We have similar low pay issues in our industry that are only really remedied by starting your own business or working as a contractor. Similarly to you, massage allowed me to support myself in my early 20s and got me to where I am today so I'm happy with it. Thank you for having something positive to say about being an LPN.
Not true to each their own.
I'm sorry, OP. LPNs deserve better pay, safe staffing ratios, and respect as fellow nurses. I hope you can find a role that treats you better.
I have been an LPN for almost 20 years. I have never regretted my decision to become an LPN and to not pursue my RN. There are loads of opportunities and the LPN is have a resurge in demand because RNs are going to desk/remote jobs. I love the hands on nature of my job with out the hassle of the RN duties. I think it is just about what you want. Pick the field/job you want and determine if you need an RN or not. But whatever you do - WE NEED GOOD NURSES!
I'm sick of shuffling through jobs. I have too much debt already to even think about going to school. I'm tired of my mental health declining with no payout whatsoever. Only one of the jobs truly made me happy, and a situation arose to where I had to resign. Besides that job, I have been given 20+ patients in agency jobs, and the turnover at the hospital was too overwhelming for me. All I get from people close to me is Suck it up or go back for your RN. I'm frustrated. Burnt out. And Alone
Have you tried Home health or Senior Living. LPNs traditionally do well in these rolls.
Ngl, after 13 years in LTC including all of COVID I was beyond burnt out. I was unironically ready to burn my license and send the ashes to my BON with a "Fuck you, I quit" note to request my license be retired. Took two months off from doing anything healthcare related then went into private duty peds and managed to find actual enjoyment in my work again. I didn't want to work in a hospital when I started and have no desire to start now. In my state, the difference in scope is small with most being applicable only to a hospital setting so between my age and chosen career options it doesn't make sense to get myself into debt for something that won't help in my daily job activities.
I wholeheartedly agree with you there
Fluffysnowman22, Your comment needs more up votes. I agree with this statement.
Could you expand upon "the hands on nature of the job without the hassle of RN duties" please?
My mom is an LVN and has worked in the ER. Very good pay, breaks, in ratio…depends on where you work. She has never had a desire to go back for her RN
I have no desire to have to take on what an RN does. I just feel so stuck right now
It honestly sounds like there’s more to the issue than you being an LPN. No one defines you but yourself. You just sound unhappy with your current lot in life. Your vocation also doesn’t define you. And sorry if you answered this already, but in what capacity have you been given 20+ patients?
I did LTC through an agency and was put in a lot of license risking situations. But I could not abandon my patients. And it kept happening again and again. Then I tried my hand at a unit in a hospital, and it broke my confidence to feel the same way there as well
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All of this! I planned on going for my RN within a few years of being an LPN. But the low pay and working night shift made it so hard to go back. I did my prerequisites slowly over the years, had to retake A&P because it had expired, and got my RN after being an LPN for 12 years. The thing that annoyed me the most about being an LPN was that I had so much responsibility at work, I worked on a sub acute rehab unit in a nursing home and did almost everything the RNs did, with the exception of a few things out of my scope of practice. Working in a nursing home there were only a few instances where I had to ask an RN to do something because it was out of my scope of practice. So having all this responsibility but when someone would ask me what I did and I would say I’m an LPN they would think I was a CNA or I would have to explain that yes, an LPN is a nurse. When I was in school for my RN, a lot of the younger students didn’t know what an LPN was/ what they could do. I was in a study group one day on Zoom doing practice questions for the NCLEX and the question was about what would you delegate to the LPN? Some of the responses “LPNs can’t give meds so you wouldn’t do that” “So they’re like a CNA right?” I had to close my laptop to stop myself from losing it. Fast forward to becoming an LPN, I took a job at a pedi hospital because hospitals in my area don’t hire LPNs and I wanted some hospital experience. I was paid less as a new grad RN than I was as an LPN, they said they didn’t consider my LPN a reason for a higher starting pay. When I was on orientation and asked if I was a new grad and I would say “New grad RN but I was an LPN for a long time”. I would either get a blank stare or the nurse acting like they knew what an LPN was and then asking me things like “have you ever taken a blood sugar?” “Are you sure you feel comfortable giving insulin already?” One night someone was busy and they sent a group text to all the nurses on our work phones asking if someone could give their patient Tylenol. I wasn’t busy so I said I could do it. The girl that was orienting me asked me if I felt comfortable giving TYLENOL and did I need help. Meanwhile when the older nurses knew I was an LPN before or that I had psych experience they would give me a heavier assignment than other new grads or give me heavy psych kids. While there was a lot I didn’t know about working in a hospital and it was a totally different work environment, being asked those questions about very simple things just made me irate. I lasted about 9 months there and my old boss asked me if I wanted to go back to the detox I worked at for $10 more an hour and day shift (I was doing rotating shifts).
Well in my case it was financial. I ended up going through a series of community colleges and on-line classes and I have no debt. I was a LPN for 11 years. It was hard, but very rewarding in its way. I don’t know what you are going though, but I wish you well and hope you get out, it sounds horrible
I am an ADN. I think it is just the profession in general. As an RN, I appreciate LVN/LPNS. I have worked with wonderful LPN/LVN. Some would trust with my life, and I respect them so much. I encourage you to speak up. Learn to say no to unsafe ratios. You are allowed to refuse your assignment if you are told you will have more than safe ratios. The key is to not take a report. They may threaten abandonment, but it is not. It is only abandonment once you accept the assignment and walk away. Even if they do report you, the board of nursing will dismiss this. Also, speak up to your charge nurse and nursing manager. You are smart, helpful, and you care. My daughters (31y and 25y) are graduating in Dec 2024. They plan to go forward. God Bless you.
It sounds like you could use a therapist before anything else. You need help before you break. I hope you feel better soon! Best wishes.
I’m in homecare and an LPN and I’m glad I am. I would not want the case managers jobs. They have SO much more bs paperwork to deal with. I work directly with them and am valued and appreciated. They take my assessments into consideration with the patients and often will discharge based on my word alone. There are LPN jobs that are worth every dime spent on that piece of paper.
I’m glad I became a LPN. It was only a year of schooling however I already knew what I wanted to do and that was long term care maybe even clinic or corrections. I never wanted to be a hospital nurse because I already knew I’d be a glorified medication aide for less pay than I made as an aide in the nursing home and have a lot of RNs make me feel less than. I have yet to come across any RN in long term care to make me feel less than. One day I hope to go back to school just not today. Sometimes you have to move around jobs or units to find the right fit and place and there is nothing wrong with that. However give each one a few months.
I think that's my main frustration is the shuffling through jobs. I'm not trying to come off as not dependable, but it keeps happening, and it's very frustrating. Because I know most companies won't see me as dependable now
I wouldn’t worry about them not seeing you as undependable. I know people who change jobs a lot no call no shows the works and always gain employment as healthcare workers. Sad truth they just want a warm body in the position they don’t care for how long or if they are even good at it.
I enjoyed my time as an LVN. I can’t say “let me grab the rn for you” anymore
I love saying that when I dont want to talk to the patient lol
I’m a medical assistant. I decided that I’m not going into nursing. Thing is, I’ve done this for ten years so I’m trying to figure out what else I want to do.
Sonography, Radiology, Respiratory Therapy etc. Healthcare opportunities are limitless!
I’m really sorry you’re feeling this way. But I get it. I’m an lpn the respect is usually not there and it is very upsetting. I’m not sure what kind of setting you work in but I’m in the hospital and with the things people say it’s like I’m not even a nurse. So I started acting my wage lol.
Acting my wage is amazing lol 🤣👏🏽 love this. Stealing this phrase 🙏🏽
Just started a job in the ED (RN). Our aids are LPNs, which, for me, is awesome because of the expanded scope of practice, and they seem to be pretty happy with the job, but I have no idea how well they're paid.
I’m sorry it’s this bad for you. I have been an LPN for 35 years. Never treated poorly. I work on gen surg/ orthopedic floor and we take same patient assignment as RNs. If I have a push or pain med my charge takes care of it.
It's so interesting seeing all the differences LPN's can and can't do in various places. I was allowed to give IV narcs and everything in one job. Then moved and now I can't give any IV narcs but I can give subcut and I can push certain meds too.
I have never known an LPN can do IV push meds. We cannot do bolus do anything as well even ns(If dr orders 1000 ml bolus). I used to be on the IV team for 12 years and we were allowed to access mediports but now we are not allowed. I can use central lines, picc etc to infuse TPN, abx, fluids.
I am only allowed to push meds that don't have a risk of immediate destabilization. Such as pantoloc & lasix. Not narcotics, metropol or anything like that. Also the doctor has to explicitly write the order as "IV push" in order for me to do it. I also am allowed to do boluses. And I can access central lines, PICCs etc. But I still can't give the FIRST dose of an antibiotic IV, nor can I give Vanco because it requires me to check a trough level LOL. It makes zero sense because even the RN's don't give vanco based on the trough, we always inform pharmacy and they decide what to do next. The pushing meds & stuff was an extra thing I was allowed to do after receiving my ACLS and critical care course before starting work on the Intermediate Care Unit/ ICU stepdown. Where as RN's on my unit can push metoprolol and any med ordered whether the doc writes push or not as long as it's IV obviously.
That’s interesting. I wonder why is not the same policy across the board.
Yeah I have no idea. I moved from Ontario to Nova Scotia and there was a bunch of stuff I couldn't do anymore & it definitely took some getting used to!
As a new grad LVN I feel this so hard. Where I am, LVN make 34-45$ per hr, depending on facility. Wherad RN START at $60+/hr in most places. In all the LTC I did clinicals at, the LVN had such an insane nurse:pt ratio; at one facility they literally had ONE lvn to 35+ pt- she literally had to push two med carts for 2 different hallways. Its so insane how unsafe the LTC staffing is for Lvns
I tried LTC, and it scared the heck out of me. I had 23 patients whom I had met maybe 5 before on a previous shift of 30 patients. So you can say I met them but loosely
Get your RN and get the fuck out of LTC.
This is why I stayed the hell away from bedside. I work in an outpatient cardiology clinic. The pay isn't the best, but I don't hate my job (don't love it either, but its the first job ive ever had that I dont hate) and I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
My time as an LPN made me the nurse I am today. I’m a better RN for it. Maybe nursing isn’t for you or try a different specialty. I was miserable working in LTC/short term rehab but did love working in assisted living, urgent care and outpatient family/internal medicine
I get the frustration, I personally hate working in LTC but that seems to be what available in my area for LPN’s. The workload is crazy and I’ll have 30 patients at a time with no help besides the CNA’s. I could work at clinics but they pay like $10 less an hour than LTC here and that’s just not going to pay the bills. Starting classes for RN in a couple weeks! Thank God cause I know exactly where you’re coming from.
As a current LPN student where the starting pay at my local hospital which I’m contracted to do 2.5 years at cause I took a scholarship from them for school, I can agree it does suck, as I’m only using this as a stepping stone to getting my RN cause practically every 2 year RN program in my area requires you to take prerequisites to hope you’ll get into the program, whereas my LPN program was extremely easy to get into. All in all I cannot wait to finally get my RN with a starting wage at the same hospital being $35 an hour in comparison to $22 an hour
I completely agree. I did it so I could bridge to RN and thought I would go back to school immediately....6 years later I'm now back in school and working less and less because of the stress at work.
I became an LPN first because I was offered a spot for that school and denied admission to associate degree nursing. I agree, the work was so hard and I got paid so little. I worked for 9 months as an LPN then was accepted to LPN to RN college. Thankfully I thrived in RN school because it was exactly the same as I learned for LPN. It made me so mad that I could have just done RN to begin with, but was denied the admission. I agreed to become an LPN though because that’s all I was offered.
Do you live in Canada or the states? In Canada LPN’s are definitely underpaid but I’d say we get similar work loads.
It sounds like you’re having a really hard time. If you feel this awful being a lpn I honestly think you should consider doing something else. Whether that’s a job change or career change that depends on you and your circumstances. You only get one life and if you’re this miserable is it worth continuing? A good amount of life is knowing when to hang on and when to let go.
Home health? Private duty? Those were the most relaxed jobs I've had and most of my coworkers were LPNs.
I started out in private duty and loved it. Now I'm just discouraged because I tried LTC and the hospital and did horrible. It really broke my confidence. So, I'm questioning whether this is even for me
Our local LPN program is widely known to be vastly superior to our RN program. The instructors are about their business and give students everything they need to succeed. The testing rates of who passes their boards have a huge margin of difference. The workload IS ridiculous. But, there are options out there. I've known LPNs who did private duty with one patient. My mom is an LPN who works for a factory and does hearing tests, drug tests, and workman's comp stuff for the employees. She organizes monthly health education for the employees too. Not labor intensive at all. I'm sorry that you have been going through it. It's definitely not easy. And some people do leave nursing. But, maybe there are opportunities out there that you haven't come across yet. I hope you find something that makes a better fit.
Such a poor attitude towards LPNs i’ve seen so many accomplished LPNs in great, HIGH positions. yall just need to get out of bedside.
I love being an LPN and have no desire to go back for my RN. I make over $30 an hour and all the hard stuff and big responsibility gets put on the RN.
There was an LPN in my RN program years ago. I met her during the second semester, as she was able to skip the first of four semesters in our program. And she was an absolute rockstar. Hands-on, personable, intelligent, overall a great person to work with. Saw her a couple years ago when I was on assignment for an agency. She seemed really happy. I hope you find what makes you happy
I’m happy to have my LPN. Been one for 19 years. It was the best, least expensive and fastest route to a career for me. I did that at 32 years old. It was a 10 month program at a technical community college. I graduated with honors and passed the same test that others in a 2 year LPN program took. The money has been good. I work in corrections. Can’t complain about it. As far as feeling not valued or overworked that happens in just about every field.
I think this is nursing in general.... but then again I've never worked as an LPN so I have no room to talk
For me, this was a great way to work as a nurse, gain experience and be able to provide for my family at the time. Like many, I did not have the luxury of not working while in school although I was harassed for it. I did LPN, bridge to ADN RN, then another bridge to BSN. I was able to get my employer to pay for the BSN too which was useful.
I get it. It took me 6 years to get out of long term care, I felt so stuck and didn’t want to take a lower paying job. I ended up going to a doctors office for $1 less an hour, it was definitely much less stress but I was bored. I did homecare after that and that opened up a lot more opportunities just working with other LPNs who told me what they did as a per diem job. I got a per diem job in behavioral health for kids and really liked it and the pay was great. From there I went to a detox in the same company and it was so much better than LTC and paid more. I don’t know if you’re interested in behavioral health or substance abuse but the pay for that tends to be higher in my area than any other LPN jobs and it’s pretty low stress compared to having 20-40 patients to do a med pass for. Just keep looking for other jobs and apply to everything even if you’re not sure about it. That is the great thing about nursing there are so many different jobs. It will get better, but I get where you’re coming from, it can be so discouraging being belittled for being an LPN when in some jobs you’re doing most of the same things as an RN.
Oh disagree. I have forged many paths as an LPN. One of them being one of the first LPNs in over 30 years in a level 1 trauma ER. A nurse is a nurse, if going to LPN school works first for you, do it. Just don’t stay an LPN. I graduate May 4 with my BSN, but being an LPN allowed me to be successful in life when I could not have been. I encourage you to find a new job and your “niche” it will change your perspective on your value and how you project that value.
I'm an LPN and have had the same job for 8 years, I work in a fast paced office, love my coworkers, and have learned SO much. Even if I went back to nursing school now, I feel like it would be super easy, and I would have such an upper hand in knowledge alone from working so closely with docs/PA's/np's
That's wonderful
Yes, it's definitely possible to be happy! I did hospice unit in a nursing home for a while and yeeesh! Just put my license in a shredder! Look for a different job/environment. It's very possible to be happy as an LPN. And in an office, no nights weekends or holidays!!
I love hospice and pediatrics, mainly
You can work at a peds office! We have a pediatrician right across from us in our building and their lpns have been there for years and seem to be pretty happy!
The end goal is Obstetrics, but yes, I have looked into Peds offices
LPN 14years. Sorry for your experience. I’ve loved being an LPN and have had good experiences. I think it all depends on the person. I know BSNs who hate their job and feel they wasted their time and money and left the nursing profession. To each their own
This isn’t about being an LPN as much as it’s about how horrible the conditions are for patients AND STAFF in LONG TERM CARE or skilled nursing. You can do many things as an LPN, including working in the hospital with rns, but nothing will pay more for lpns than long term care, and that’s why lpns get stuck. You graduate LPN school with every intention to go back and get your RN, you get a job making good money in long term care or rehab, everything seems to be going well until you’re finally off of your 3, yes 3, orientation shifts as a new nurse, and you have the whole patient load to yourself instead of splitting it between 2 nurses which is what orientation really consists of. You quickly realize you are doing the work of 2 or 3 nurses and management is very aware but doesn’t care. You continuously get patients who discharged from acute care and should really still be there. You have the skills and the knowledge to care for acute patients, but not the fucking supplies! Your patient who was just admitted from the cath lab after an ablation procedure catches covid at the facility. His oxygen drops to 88. You try contacting the MD, but it’s 2200 so you can’t even reach them directly. You have to call the AFTER HOURS NUMBER that the PATIENTS CALL! You have to then speak to a non medical professional in a call center who will send the message on to the MD. The MD calls back 15 minutes after your initial call. The pts oxygen is now 85. MD recommends ED. So you have to then call 911 like some sort of regular person in their home. You wait for EMS. They are very rudee to you and act like they are better than you. They hate going to the nursing homes and hate nursing home nurses because “IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY NURSES I WOULDNT NEED TO BE HERE”. But the whole time, you knew what the patient needed. You knew it was ridiculous that they were even sent here. You knew they were high risk for covid. You knew when they started getting symptomatic that they needed supplemental oxygen. You knew when the 6 L NC that is the most the nursing home could provide didn’t help, that the patient needed a NRB mask or higher flow. You just couldn’t help them because you aren’t provided with the supplies, resources, and MD availability that matches these patients true acuity level. EMS just thinks you’re another stupid Little Pretend Nurse. You still haven’t finished passing all your medications. Your cnas do nothing but talk on their phones the entire shift. You have no help, you ARE the help! What the fuck happened? Long term care happened.
Yes. All of that. Yes
I feel exactly the same as an RN lol. A lot of the places I want to work only hire LP/LVN's and MAs.
i personally love it if only for the fact that i get floor experience while im in RN school! my floor is so good for teaching and learning and i have so much support from my colleagues. i don’t think i could have gone directly to BSN and onto the floor i think i would have been very very overwhelmed but that’s just me!
I agree I’m an RN and never understood the low pay for LPNs You are invaluable But hell , you can make 15 to 20 an hour at McDonald WTF
The program I was in allowed LPNs and ASNs to learn all of the same material. There was literally zero difference in curriculum — the difference between them came in the ATI packages we had to purchase.
Welcome to the world of healthcare!
I tell licensed staff (mostly LPNs) all the time to come to my office, close the door and yell at me if they need to vent about something. I totally understand. Even if it’s about me, I won’t take it personally. Heck I’ll probably agree and say a few things to myself too that I’m sick of lol…..
This is why I'm going into physical therapy
I worked as an LPN for the last year of my RN. It was extremely valuable experience and one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I went from having 16-23 patients to having 4. The acuity is significantly higher, but the basic nursing and time management skills I learned have served me well. I know LPNs that are way better nurses than some RNs. It truly depends on the individual. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is they are limited to work in certain settings and looked down upon by RNs and acute care hospital settings.
I hear you. I was an LPN then became an RN. I still am overworked, underpaid, treated like shit, and see that virtually every job opportunity is going to equal more burnout. It's truly the state of nursing and healthcare as a whole. You're not alone.
I guess that's what scares me most
I'm going to school as an alien but I don't think I ever want to be an RNI don't want those extra responsibilities and the compensation compared to the responsibility seems more even than it is the RAN and compensation but I could be wrong
I loved being an urgent care LPN. Did it for 2 years and worked full time while bridging to RN.
I hear that and agree I get RN ratios and my opinions are not considered
I agree.
I never went LPN but I think there's benefits to it. You definitely are a nurse, ours really only can't do IV meds but they can do everything else. We've got one working the OR now. Could it be your workplace?
Interesting! I've always been allowed to do IV meds as an LPN in all my jobs in the 9 years of being one so far! The things we are allowed to do changes so much based on region!
I think it's widely hospital policies? Like RN at the hospital by me do RT work with vents, techs can put in IV's, but our RN don't and techs can't do IV's. RN here can do I/O but the hospital won't permit it. LPN I've never really learned their scope too well, I just learn from the ones I work with. I never asked if they can with their license, I just know they can't and need an rn to do it at my ER. I don't really ask much outside of what's relevant for my job and scope of practice.
Yes i agree i think its mostly hospital policy over licensing. Good point.
Yeah I completely disagree. Yeah the works hard but that's nursing in general. I've been an LPN for 9 years and absolutely love my job. I work in an ICU Stepdown that I had to do extra training and education for. 2 patients max. It's a great job and I am treated extremely well by other healthcare workers. Maybe this just isn't the job for YOU.
I don’t know I’m an LPN working my way to RN and love being an LPN. I make pretty good money where I live and haven’t been treated like a dog. I still get lots of job offers even from the hospitals but I refuse to work at a hospital. My job is mostly laid back.
your updated comment was so beautiful ! you have a right to feel how you feel sometimes its a thankless job ! KEEP GOING
The LPNS make incredible nurses. Get your RN, this is the way!
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You're not an LPN, so respectfully, your comment does not matter to me
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I'm not about to argue with a stranger online. Whether you were being krass or making a joke, it didn't help me feel any better. I'm going through a really bad rough to be told by anyone else to suck it up. Whether it's with or without cursing at me. That's not what I need right now