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From LPN to Educator
In 1995, Coleman’s affection for nursing and a desire to help train others interested in healthcare led her from the doctor’s office to the classroom, when a teaching opportunity for a medical assistant became available.
The transition from nurse to educator was smooth and successful — so much so that Coleman was recently named Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Career College Association (VCCA).
The award is quite an honor, especially when considering that VCCA is comprised of 20 private colleges. An instructor at the Lynchburg campus of National College, Coleman also served as medical department chairwoman before being promoted to her current position as director of healthcare education.
“I was working full time at a practice that specialized in internal medicine and cardiology when a teaching position came available for a night course in anatomy and physiology,” explained Coleman.
Coleman applied and was hired for the position. After the first night of teaching, she was hooked. Coleman stayed on staff at the doctor’s office for 5 more years, but changed her schedule from full time to a more flexible status, enabling her to spend more time at the college.
“I teach in a career college and, while we don’t have a nursing program, we have a medical assisting program, which is how I’m able to teach [as an LPN],” explained Coleman. “It’s a 2-year associate degree and it’s very similar to nursing, but with a different type of certification. Our students are primarily trained for ambulatory care settings like physician offices and clinics handling both direct patient care and administrative duties.”
“Working in the medical field is not just something you do,” she said, “it’s who you are and what you believe. Alleviating your patients’ pain, helping them through crisis situations and developing medical plans are the most rewarding things you can do. This is what I tell my students. This is what I believe.”

I don't think anyone on this forum has ever implied LPN's stay LPN's because they are incapable of going on. I know I never have and have been greatful to all the LPN's I've ever had the pleasure to work with.

Whether you stay a LPN or continue on with your education is strictly a personal choice. It depends on your financial situation, your desire to continue with your education and alot of personal factors. I've loved being a LPN for 27 years and have no desire to be anything else.

I agree completely. Although I am an RN now I could never understand how or why the RN's would put us down. At my last hosp. job when I was an LPN I never heard the end of how inferior I was and this was from other nurses on the floor. Was I not taking an 8 patient assignment like everyone else? Was I not responsible for anything that happened during my shift? Was I not grossly uindercompensated even though I would have 8 open heart patients at a time like the other nurses? I realize that by law there were certain things I wasnt allowed to do but please do not for one minute think that I wouldnt know how to flush a PICC line, or hang TPN, or Blood/products, or push IV drugs. It wasnt that I was stupid, it was antiquated laws that prevented me from doing those things. As an example take a PICC line. The RN can access the PICC, the client who has no training can access their PICC, but somehow the LPN that has training cannot access the PICC line. Doesnt make sense to me.  LPN's ARE nurses and anyone that says different doesnt know what they are talking about........