In The Field: Nurse Lauren explains how to stay optimistic in the face of Adversity.
A correction nurse in Tennessee, Lauren Harback LPN, explains how she manages to pursue her dreams of being a nurse despite different adversities.
Q: TRUE or FALSE: “Nurses eat their young.”
When I worked in the hospital setting I totally saw this and experienced this. Older / seasoned RNs would treat the LPNs like CNAs, the seasoned RNs would not speak to the new grads unless they had to. New grads would look down on LPNs and even if the LPN knew the correct answers the new grads would go and ask someone else who would provide the same answer as the LPN. I think in the hospital setting sometimes they take the title too seriously, RNs are no better than LPNs and CNAs deserve as much respect as nurses. We are all one team and are there for the same reason.
Lauren Harback LPN
Q: What is your specialty and where are you based?
I am working as a corrections nurse in a small town in tn
Q: What is your experience with nurse unions?
I have never worked for a union, so my only experience is from what I read from other nurses.
Q: Is there anything you'd like to talk about that we didn't include in our questions?
Never give up on your dreams. I struggled in nursing school. No matter how hard i studied i barely passed, i even failed pharmacology and had to retake it. Before I could retake it I had to go in front of the teachers and dean and plead my case as to what I would do differently if they allowed me back into the program.
The dean told me that she thought my visual disability was too much for me to overcome and that I would never succeed. So I told her I would be more determined than ever just to make her eat her words. They allowed me back in, and I passed...
I passed my NCLEX with 75 questions, fast forwarding to finding out that I had a rare form of cancer and that I was pregnant with my second child about 2 weeks apart. due to the pregnancy i couldn't have chemo so i went straight for surgery.. Amputation of my right leg above the knee. sadly one week before the surgery i suffered a miscarriage.
My surgery went well and I got fitted for my prosthetic and returned to working full time about 1.5 months after surgery. I wanted to come back sooner but I couldn't get cleared. I also welcomed a rainbow baby boy after my amputation. Their local newspaper did an article on my journey, and guess who reached out to me.. the dean of the nursing program who thought my visual disability would stop me... all she said was look at you go you are unstoppable.