LPNs Must Get Involved

as an lvn i would encourage any lv/pn to know their practice act well.  after 12 years of nursing, i have had multiple rn supervisors misquote it to me and that was if they had any true idea what the lvn's scope of practice was at all.  let's face it rn's learn their scope of practice, not ours.  it is a recipe for trouble.  just this week i had an rn of 20+ yrs quote me grossly inaccurate scope of practice information for lv/pn's in ny, ca, and tx. (my job requires multi state licensure). i could have been professionally compromised had i listened to my supervisor instead of researching the matter.

I've been in nursing over 2 years. I've decided to give it up. I'm tired of babysitting CNA's. No backup. I'm lost in my job. Today a CNA was accused of abuse. It's not worth it .

I enjoyed reading comments from LPNs that have experienced the same issues that I have.  When I got into nursing I had no idea that there were different levels of nursing practice.  I had a counselor who obviously did not know it either.  That's how I became an LPN.  I have not regretted one moment of it.  I have been a very valuable assest to the facility in which I work.  I am currenetly working as a stepdown/relief NICU nurse.  I say relief because whenever they are short of an RN they  call upon my skills to fill the void.  I have been dedicated to my profession and Yet I fel that my profession has not been dedicated to me.  When I learned that LPNs may soon be phased out I was confused.  How can you phase out such a valuable employees' position when there is a severe shortage of nurses around the globe.  I agree with the LPN who wrote that we need to unite and encourage our other sister and brother LPNS to join together and put a stop to this ludicrousy.  I have to give a SHOUT OUT to AGRhodes home at Wesley Woods in Atlanta.  They encourage their LPNS by promoting them to higher positions without forcing them to go back to school to get another piece of paper that just validates what the original paper says that they are qualified to operate in a Nursing capacity on all levels.  LPNS at WWHC are administrators,they are Floor Managers over Medicare Subacute units and Alzheimers units,they are Admission nurses who go out and assess potential clients for the facility.  I just want the GOVERNMENT to give us that which we have earned, the right to practice our profession  without fear of becoming extinct.

I enjoyed reading comments from LPNs that have experienced the same issues that I have.  When I got into nursing I had no idea that there were different levels of nursing practice.  I had a counselor who obviously did not know it either.  That's how I became an LPN.  I have not regretted one moment of it.  I have been a very valuable assest to the facility in which I work.  I am currenetly working as a stepdown/relief NICU nurse.  I say relief because whenever they are short of an RN they  call upon my skills to fill the void.  I have been dedicated to my profession and Yet I fel that my profession has not been dedicated to me.  When I learned that LPNs may soon be phased out I was confused.  How can you phase out such a valuable employees' position when there is a severe shortage of nurses around the globe.  I agree with the LPN who wrote that we need to unite and encourage our other sister and brother LPNS to join together and put a stop to this ludicrousy.  I have to give a SHOUT OUT to AGRhodes home at Wesley Woods in Atlanta.  They encourage their LPNS by promoting them to higher positions without forcing them to go back to school to get another piece of paper that just validates what the original paper says that they are qualified to operate in a Nursing capacity on all levels.  LPNS at WWHC are administrators,they are Floor Managers over Medicare Subacute units and Alzheimers units,they are Admission nurses who go out and assess potential clients for the facility.  I just want the GOVERNMENT to give us that which we have earned, the right to practice our profession  without fear of becoming extinct.

307307  To all my sisters and brothers who have fought for recognition as nurses...I commend you for your dedication, fierce loyalty to providing quality patient care, and for supporting our field of nursing!  Since January, 1978, I have had an on-going love affair with the process of providing care, in all of it's many forms, to those who have been in need.  Until recently, I cannot ever remember a time when I did not want to be a nurse,  And, oh yes, my friends, that's what the "N" at the end of our title means..."nurse"!  Over the 30 years of my career, I have had to listen as RNs have taken credit for nursing care decisions I have made;  for assessments I did that lead to early treatment of situations that might have otherwise ended in catastrophe;  I've been referred to as "ancillary personell";  have had to bite my tongue as a brand new BSN grad complained to one of her fellow newbies,"it was so rough tonight...I was the only 'nurse' on the floor", when , in addition to my own patient care responsibilities(meds,assessments, admissions, IV restarts...ad nauseum), I'd been expected to answer all her patient's calls while she handled the 'charge nurse functions';  I've trained new grads in the arduous(sarcasm here is intended) technique of the fever reducing sponge bath; I've taught CPR and Telemetry interpretation; passed on the knowledge of using asceptic technique during dressing changes;  been a devout practicioner of the concept of patient advocacy;  reminded new(and somtimes 'seasoned') RNs that foley bags and tubing need to be kept below bladder level to avoid the devastating consequences of UTIs due to ascending bacterial contamination;  been written up as insubbordinate by a doctor when I've refused to carry out an unsafe order and then been left holding the bag by the nurse in charge when an MD was looking for someone to crucify because some task was over looked(not on any of my patients); been given the heavier patient care load so as to free up the RN to do the more 'technical' aspects of nursing care;  heard so many times, "You're JUST an LVN?" followed rapidly by a disintegrating respect over the course of the shift when the truth came out(once more, and I swear my eyeballs will bleed); been expected to exceed my state's scope of practice "because I know you know what you're doing and I just can't get to everything"; stood near ankle deep in various bodily fluids, trying to find the cause and stop the flood and been paged to "go see what 38 wants...she's called three times and she's driving me crazy"...and the beat goes on and on and on.

   Do I sound bitter?  That truly is not my intent.  I've recounted things that all LP/VNS have encountered or will at some time in their careers.  The trick is to just keep doing the 'right thing' no matter what comes your way.  Tune out the junk and keep focused on why you wanted to be a nurse in the first place.

   The issues that we face today, and have for a very long time, will not be resolved until public perceptions of just who a nurse is can be changed.  For most folks, the title of nurse is strongly associated with the initials R-N.  Most have no concept of what goes into our educational requirements nor that we are held to the same stringent set of rules and requirements to practice as RNs are.   And somehow, the myth of "lesser proficient nurse" has been attached to us, because we do not have the 'all important degree' awarded to RNs when they graduate.  What most folks don't know is that , in almost all cases, we are expected to 'hit the ground running' and put our skills immediatly to use, whereas RNs usually recieve anywhere from 8 weeks to a year of preceptored practice before they are expected to be fully functional.  Please do not assume that I do not respect the extra classroom time and specific avenues required for graduates of traditional nursing programs.  I have worked with so many excellant nurses over a 30 year span and been blessed to have worked with them.  However, if LV/PNs are to remain as usful members of the health care delivery team and not be pushed out of acute care opportunities, our role in health care must be clearly defined.  That means standardized educational requirements and scope of practice laws nation wide.  If we are to be used to our full capacity, it must be to full capacity in every state.  Scope of practice and educational requirements for RNs varies little from state to state and in no state must an RN prove herself capable of following standard of care.  An LP/VN must prove(and often is required by the individual state to take costly additional classes) that he or she has the skills necessary to perform venipuncture or give a simple injection; even when those skills have been integrated into the original nursing curriculum of that LP/VN.  We need a strong voice on Capitol Hill and in each state's legislature to speak knowledgably about us as care givers and why we fill a vital role in health care today.  We are nurses and perform nursing functions at our level of expertise and training.  We need an advocate who can speak with our voice for our craft.  Long held opinions and prejudices are hard, but not impossible to overcome.  Be who you are, give the best you have and never forget the dignity of those for whom you care.  

Can I have a shout of all LPN who feel we are ignored when we work? How many of us are working past retirement age?? I have been an LPN since 1990. I enjoy what I do. Tom

I have been working as an LPN in the same ED for 7 years. In that time, I have functioned in every way as an RN, while still staying within the scope of my practice. I am also a trained SANE and was in the process of assisting to implement a SANE program for our ED.  I have a new director now who has reduced my position to that of a glorified tech or paramedic. I was once considered an resource person and now because of my LPN, I am a risk and a liability to the department.  I am only allowed to work as a tech in triage doing vital signs or taking low priority patients in the hallways. If I have a patient that turns critical I must hand the patient over to an RN. How can this be possible? I mean, the way my director puts it in the legal aspect of it all, how is it possible that we as LPNs are able to work at all. I know that the state of Florida has nothing specific to my job in the ED although, it does have an overall default ruling that you should always default to the higher level of care. Meaning that even though I have had extensive training in sexual assaults and evidence collection, an RN with their license for one day would deliver a higher level of care than myself. How awful is that!?!?

I am in school now to finish my RN. I will not be finished for another 2 years and will be living a miserable existance until then.

After 15 years as an LVN I have decide to leave nursing.I am tired of hearing "But you are such a good nurse",but just an LVN.

I get pulled to ICU and the ER  from IICU because the RN's are afraid to go.Patient ratio is out of hand.Managers do not care.Corporate greed has ruined nursing!

I am an LPN I have worked several hospitals several different units and I must tell you all and I mean no harm but I have worked with some RN's that I wouldn't trust with my cat just because you have RN behind your name doesn't make you a nurse I would trust an LPN any day more than I would some RN's

so if we hang in there long enough the Boards will have to give us our chance. I think sometimes they are afraid us LPN's will pass their RN boards and show them up..

I must admit I've read some pretty strong views on this blog.  I have the greatest respect for LPN's.  We enjoy what we do.  We have patient contact at all levels.  My nursing involves alot of training where I'm employed now.  I have been a nurse since 1981.  I have had EMT training as well and I am a Red Cross CPR instructor.    I'm currently enrolled in a class for Medical Coding.  I hope to continue with the medical field, but with a different take.  I have worked in doctors offices and in Nursing homes.  And some private duty nursing as well.  I really enjoy my current employment.  The training I do is supervised by an RN.  But I have created all the material from my past experience and knowledge.  The staff I train work with people who have Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, M.R. etc.   The training can involve anything from learning about "First Aid

Having been a LPN since 1983, I never dreamed our profession would suffer as we are now.  Our COUNTRY is screaming of a Nursing shortage, yet there are THOUSANDS of the BETTER nurses I have ever worked with under the very noses of the administrative bodies demanding the void be filled with a "Title" called "RN".  I only wish I had kept a list of the BSN graduates I have trained over the years.  Not one of these nurses came to "work" with the ability to "care" for a patient.  A few of the Associate Degree RN's I have trained were able to manage with supervision - usually by LPN's - but very few.  I will praise these BSN's that I have never seen a better care plan and have even sat in awe at their ability to elaborate on assessment findings.  These things would come in "really handy" if the world we work in now was not "check list" and "pre-printed" oriented.  You may very well trust me that I, too am able to elaborate on my assessment findings, have worked ER, ICU, L&D, PCU, CVSDU, am certified in NRP, PALS, and am a BLS and ACLS instructor.  I did teach an Assessment Class, and also a Basic Arrhythmia Class at our hospital until people decided that it "just didn't look right" for a LPN to be "telling RN's" what to do.  JCAHO and Medicare share partial responsibility for our current "placement".  Evidently, PATIENT CARE, and the actual COMPETENCY of those CARING for the PATIENT matters to no one BUT the LPN any longer.  I lack three classes being able to test the clinical exam through Excelsior.  I am so sickened with being told "You need to get your RN" that I would rather be stocking shelves at Walmart most days.  BUT - I was raised with ETHICS and MORALS!  If WE - the LPN's leave - Who's going to take care of the patient?  My question is WHY are we not being allowed to test as the foreign nurses are?  Who made this ruling?  Can it be broken?  Where and when do we need to be and what do we need to do?  Who do we get in touch with?  We have got to do something!   TOGETHER!!  

It doesn't make sense, and venting on this forum is only beaqting a dead horse.  Get organized, join LPN groups, our voices become louder in numbers.  Our employers care only about profits, and will achieve profits at the patients expense!  It is impossible to completely eliminate LPN's, the fact that we still exist is proof of that.  I have been a nurse for a long time and since I was in school I have heard the age old quote "get your RN, there won't be a need for LPN's" and twenty years later, I am still employable as an LPN!  Working pool at a hospital is a piece of cake compared to managing three times as many patients in my sub acute setting, I receive the infections the RN's send me from their floors!  RN's would not be able to keep up with me, and decline working in this setting.  I recieve there patients much too soon, heal them and equip them with the education they did not receive from the RN's at their sending hositals.  I am not threatened by the urban legends I have been told for twenty plus years!  I am currently enrolled in my community college and will be an RN soon, and I too will never forget where I came from!  Again collegues, get organized and join your states LPN organizations and get involved, BE HEARD!

I have been an LPN since 1996.  I have worked in many areas of nursing, including Labor and Delivery and newborn care.  I am now and have been in the geriatric field for 9 yrs now.  I specialize in dementia care.  What I am trying to say is that, as a LPN I have done a lot and learned a lot.  And I have seen throughout the years   on how much has been taken away from us.  I can say that there are so many LPN's that are a great deal smarter and have more clinical skills than some RN's I know.  We do need to stand up to the persons making the rules about our careers.  We are smart and hard working.  I have made it a long way as a LPN, and I am very happy with my current position.  I make a difference, we all make a difference.  Please do not let anyone make you feel inferior.  Have a great day and a great career.  

I was a travel nurse for 10 years and I learned that our scope is different in every state. They should get together and make it one set of practice. If the hospitals would take their patients that required less RN practices and put them on a floor that LPn's could handle it would relieve them. In Seattle there are units called Transition Care Units, in the hospitals that are run solely by LPN's. One more comment, I am currently taking CLEP RN classes to recieve my degree. The waiting list for us to get into school is long and diffcult for us to complete the program, it becomes frustrating, no wonder the U.S has a shortage of R.N's. Let those of us that are seasoned, take a crash RN course and sit for the boards. I agree with Tina, if third world nurses can sit why can't we?        

Be proud of who you are.  I have been an LPN from the past 28 years.  17 of those years where dedicated to LTC.  I became frustrated because I could not make positive changes in some of the facilities I worked in as a staff nurse.  4 years ago I went back and received a BS in Business, entered an internship and passed the boards to become a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator.  I am still very proud to call myself an LPN.  I am in a position now to make change and empower my fellow LPN's.  I continue to work agency hours when permitted to keep my skills up.  It's up to each of to place ourselves in a position that will enable us to make positive changes for our peers (LPN's).

As an LPN I am so frustrated that there are many LPN's like myself who are extremely competent and yet LPN's are not considered a "real nurse".  I entered this field 15 years ago because I had a desire to help people.  At the time the only nursing education that I could afford was the LPN course.  I had hoped that one day I would be able to go on for my RN.  But unfortunately that has not happened as quickly as I would like.  I am currently taking classes part-time while I work full-time but it is a slow go.  I can not afford to leave my job and the colleges that will accept any of my LPN credits do not offer night and weekend clinicals.  The nursing curriculum is set up in a way that is difficult for someone who is working.  It upsets me that it is so difficult for an LPN'to transition to RN.  I have many friends who are now RN's - who only just went back to college (they are in their 40's) to have, what they think, is a secure well-paying job. And I see many students just out of high school beginning their nursing studies but unsure if they will like it.  But is nursing in their heart as it is in mine.  An LPN should be able to challenge the entire first year of an RN without any restrictions, it should not matter which college it is, etc.  Seats are limited in some colleges and the rules of how and when to apply for a seat and challenging courses is not an easy task.  Seats should be available for LPN's!  We could have many more RN's out there in a shorter amount of time to help with the shortage and these would be nurses who have a desire to want to be a nurse, have experience as a nurse because they were LPN's first.  What a great assest to any facility.  We deserve to be recognized! We deserve to be considered professionals!! not paraprofessionals.  

It is a shame that hospital administrators fail to insist that they demand to restructure the staffing back to what it once was when there was a time that a TEAM APPROACH consisted of all 3 levels of personnel on a hospital floor-RN's, LPN's and NA's. Witnessing the severe understaffing at most healthcare facilities whether it be a hospital, long term care facility, assisted living, etc... there is a dire lack of sufficient staffing which is dangerous. Things only become worse by trying to "bandaid" the situation by hiring foreign nurses.  There is no need for this as there are many fully competent LPN's who could become RN's if  opportunities to them were more available and realistic to attain. The hierarchical attitude that exists between RN's who look down at the LPN is only elevating the atmosphere of tension and dissatisfaction which is unfair to the LPN. In fact the RN is actually considered the "professional nurse". Is is fair to say then that the LPN is the unprofessional nurse? The LPN is entitled to also be considered a professional nurse. Some RN magazines will not allow the LPN to participate in their continuing education units such as Spectrum magazine. Clearly there are existing biases negatively toward LPN's. This needs to be corrected. The healthcare system will be paying the price for not recognizing the value of the LPN.  

OK, well for years I have tried to push the issue to allow LPN's with at least five years of solid experience,ie Hospital, ICU,MSO,OB, ER, ect. Since the State Boards allow for immigrants from third world countries to sit for the RN and challeneg the Boards, then what is the rationale for not allowing LPN's that are citizens and have been working for years challenge the RN NCLEX. The shortage is increasing and there is no end resolution in sight, this akes sense let those of us who have been nursing for years challenge the RN Boards and allow us to continue nursing wit a broader scope. Seems simple but the fact is the State Boards rather allow non english speaking third world educated nurses the opportunity to challenge the Boards, irr atonale thinkig will only result in a increase in those of us who leave the profession. What are your thoughts?

I've been an LVN for 34 years and work in the great state of Texas. I worked in a 50 bed ER until recently, and must say I can not complain about any limitations. In recent years I was not allowed to triage patients as I had done for many years, but I really don't care anymore since I prefer to be doing the patient care anyway. Texas laws as well as my facility allowed me to do all that I wanted. I had great managers (Harris Methodist HEB) who were very supportive of the staff, and we were encouraged to stay current with the ACLS, PALS, TMC, ENPC and other courses that increased our knowledge. The LVN's in the ER at this facility are all truly exceptional, and I'd let any of them care for me at any time in a critical situation. Experience, assertiveness and confidence go a long way in making a good nurse I think.%0d%0aI'm now at a physical rehab facility that is totally  different, and not as many techical skills are required, but it's a very different change of pace.

I don't see how much more restricted our scope of practice could be. I could do much more for my patients as a brand new grad (more than a decade ago) than now. It seems that what I am allowed to do is inversely proportional to my years of experience!

As LPN's, we must all take a stake in the uprising of eliminating the LPN. 38 year LPN, I have more experience than any of  the RN's I work with. The young new RN's don't like or want to do patient bedside nursing, which adds to the nursing shortage. I believe in the future, if the LPN is removed from hospital nursing, that patients will be cared for by medical techs and an RN. Techs are an upcoming thing. I would have never dreamt that the LPN would be replaced in the OR by a surgical tech. The RN/BSN's will manage the floor and delegate patients' tasks to the medical techs.  This thought is scary! LPN's are well educated professional and need to be recognized by the state legislation as such. We are a real plus in the nursing profession and as a group we must make our voice heard. Let's band together and get the recognition we DESERVE!!!!

I am no longer an LPN but I haven't forgotten my roots.  I have steadfastly refused to join "my" professional organization because it never has and still does not represent my interests.  In fact, I have no clue why the stand for certain issues despite their own research is telling them...can't be done.%0d%0a%0d%0a"My" professional organization is pushing for a nurse to patient staffing bill that exceeds the only active staffing law in every catagory.  In addition unlike the law that is working and improving patient care, the bill being pushed for excludes LPN's from the staffing matrix in hospitals.  This flys in the face of their own statistics that show that if the bill is passed, there won't be enough RN's licensed by the state BON to come close to being able to make the requirements.  And it only gets worse in the future as nurses and nurse educators begin to retire.%0d%0a%0d%0aI went virtually from school as an LPN right into hospital work and by virtue of being a former paramedic, into the Emergency room.  I did hospital work as an LPN from just about my original license date in 2003 until this year when I became a licensed RN.%0d%0a%0d%0aI didn't become an RN because I didn't enjoy being and LPN.  As a disabled Vet I was able to get my school paid for at a private college.  Because of this I was able to avoid the long wait list at the public colleges.%0d%0a%0d%0aI know I wasn't the first and won't be the last LPN that was more than able to handle hospital work.  There are many other LPN's out there with advanced skills.  With the shortage of nurses, a critical shortage of nurse educators, LPN's can quite easily and competently fill the voids, IF they're allowed.  "My" state professional organization would severely limit LPN's scope of practice and relegate them to sub-acute care only.%0d%0a%0d%0aIt takes a minimum of 2 years once you get past the long wait lists at most colleges to train an RN.  LPN's can be trained to provide competent care in half that time.  LPN's are the key to surviving this shortage.  LPN's are valuable.  I only wish that fact could be recognized.%0d%0a%0d%0aAs a male in my 50's, on a 3rd career and an LPN I had three strikes against me.  Many experienced RN's have told me they trust LPN's and even at times seek advice from them.  Having been an LPN I know what an LPN can do.  Fight for your survival and the recognition your deserve.