Professional Nurse

Hello everyone,

I started my nursing career off as a LPN. I did this simply because I wasn't sure if nursing was something I wanted to do. After working a year in long-term care I got the hang of caring for patients, taking off orders, unclogging g-tubes, administering tube feedings amongst other things I did as a new nurse. At the time I thought I was doing it big. I can appreciate this job because I was recognized by the "higher up" that I was doing a good job. I finally decided to apply for the bridge program at a local community college. One reason being was that I was doing the work of two when it was actually one of me. I was put in charge of the facility on more than one occasions which was a RN supervisor position. It was only fair that I be compensated for doing the job. After graduating with my RN I was the proudest person, I was a Registered Nurse. Eventually after working for a few years I started hearing in random conversations that I wasn't recognized as a professional nurse. I didn't understand what they meant at the time because I was doing the same job as they were (very naive). I guess I should have thoroughly reviewed the nursing scopes of practice. Anyway, for years I kept hearing this comment in my head and it pushed me to seek my BSN so that I can finally be recognize as professional nurse. I still feel that we are the largest in the healthcare profession and continue to have the most problems. We still continue to "eat our young" instead of being leaders and making a pathway for our future nurses. I think we can treat each other with a little bit more respect than what we do. We should have each others backs at all times. Maybe one day we will come together and support our profession and what we stand for.