LPNs are nurses too. We are faced with daily challenges at the bedside. We are underpaid and under appreciated. We deserve to advance in our careers by knowledge and skill, not by what we read in a book. Being a nurse (LPN or RN) is a learned trait. ON THE JOB. Books can not teach you empathy or skills. Since the beginning of Covid in March of 2020, we have been short staffed and overworked. I am asking that everyone sign this petition in hopes that NEW YORK STATE will acknowledge the need for nurses by helping those of us LPNs to advance in our careers based off of experience and not just books! Wouldn’t you rather have an experienced nurse at your bedside that has been working in the field (as an LPN) then a brand new RN who just graduated and has no experience?