"just" an LPN.
In case you didn’t know, I work full time as a nurse at a pediatric clinic. Notice how I don’t automatically identify by my credentials though, because it doesn’t and/or shouldn’t matter! A nurse is a nurse… RN or LPN. Unfortunately, not everybody agrees with me.
“Are you JUST a LPN or are you a RN?”
…and I always reply, “I’m just a LPN.”
Isn’t it sad how others try and define me by job title? How I’m not a real nurse, but a “Little Pretend Nurse”. How I should’ve just went and obtained my RN instead. How my career is a waste of time and will soon be “phased out” (they’ve been saying that since the ‘70s). How all I am is a “glorified nursing aide” (I’ll take that as a compliment since CNAs/Nurse Techs are the backbone of a nursing team). It’s almost like you think we don’t sit in front of the same National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to take a licensure exam too. As if you would actually care if it was ME who saved your life instead of the “real nurse”.
I’ve worked in pediatrics as a LPN for almost 4 years. It’s my dream job. The job I’ve talked about doing since I was a little girl. This badge reel made me question it all. When I placed my order for it, there were only a few title options: NICU, L&D, RN, or blank. LPN wasn’t listed as a choice! I hesitated and even considered not putting a title at all because I was... what? Ashamed?
Well, here’s the thing...
-I’ll never be ashamed for the way I have to explain scary medical terms as magic, super powers and boo-boos.
-I’ll never be ashamed to let the tears overwhelm me when cancer takes hostage of a child’s body.
-I’ll never be ashamed to sit and hold an oxygen mask on a baby praying they don’t have to be sent by ambulance.
-I’ll never be ashamed of explaining the same thing 3 different ways to a first time mom who has questions about her newborn.
-I’ll never be ashamed of the way I’m saving lives every single day by vaccinating your children to prevent another pandemic.
-I’ll never be ashamed to say that knee hugs and high fives are the highlights of my day.
-I’ll never be ashamed of the way I talk about Paw Patrol in a normal conversation with a 3 year old to help calm his nerves.
-I’ll never be ashamed of being an advocate to the tiny humans who can’t speak or decide for themselves.
So yeah, I’m just a LPN.
Stop making us feel inferior.
We. Are. Nurses. Too.
To the RNs who support us, we notice you. We know you worked HARD for your degree. We, of all people, understand and appreciate you.
I shared this same post on my personal Facebook page. I was not expecting more than the other 15 nurses I work with to share and comment… it currently has 13,500+ likes and almost 10,000 shares. So maybe more people than I originally thought actually do agree with me.
Jillian
@simply.jillian
(formerly @faithfulfarmhouse)