[Brian2MN]

I have some questions that I thought some people here might be able to help me with. I'm 30 years old right now, and considering a career change into nursing. I have an MBA and a corporate job that I hate, and found that the daily 8-5 every day schedule and politiking just doesn't do it for me. I've always been a weightlifter and played rugby in college at a large school, and to be honest I thought that male nurses were strange back then. I've been working part-time on weekends in a group home with developmentally disabled men for the past 6 years though, and have found that to be a much more rewarding career path. I've considered that line of work, but honestly I feel that if I managed a house full-time I'd get incredibly burned out on the general lack of discipline and dedication that results from the low-pay people there make.

For me to decide on nursing, I'd need to have clear indication of what kind of specialty I'd want to have. I've been reading a lot of the posts in here and really appreciate the information in this forum, but I have some more questions. To be totally honest, some of the aspects of rehab nursing sound more desirable than others. I'm a weightlifter and a competitive bodybuilder, so the physical and lifting aspect of the job aren't a concern to me. I'm sort of an unofficial personal trainer as I'm not certified, but I have a reputation for being willing to give newbies pretty detailed tips and demonstrations on equipment at my gym for free. I'm very interested in the rehabilitation aspects of this job in terms of helping people get back on their feet and to be strong. I'm wondering how much of the daily job entails this sort of thing, where the boundaries are between that side of the job and physical therapy, and how much toiletry stuff there is to the job.

I'm also wondering how "portable" an LPN is. Do you formally decide on a specialty, or do you go into it, get the diploma and certification, and then you decide and the skills can be transferred into other areas? I apologize for my questions being pretty basic, but I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thanks in advance,

Brian

[MS._Jen_RN]

Brian
I'll try to answer a couple of your questions. At my rehab unit we do not employ LPN/LVN's. Only RN's and patient care techs. It sounds like some of what you are interested in is more along the lines of PT. We do help people with mobility, both gross motor and fine motor skills, and encourage the pt to do as much for themselves as possible, but alot of the "learning to walk again" type work goes on in PT. We support and reinforce those activities when the patient returns to the unit. We help with transfers, eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, and yes, toileting. Part of rehab is getting the person back to a functional state. Part of what has to function is bowel and bladder. Depending on the patient that you are working with, toileting and related activities may be a large part of the things that you do. For example, a patient with a spinal cord or brain injury often needs bowel and/or bladder retraining. This involves things such as suppositories and cathaterization. In any inpatient rehab setting this will be a part of your job.
I've typed a lot for now. If you have any questions plese feel free to ask.
~Jen

[Brian2MN]

Thanks for your input on this. Maybe this question is better in a different forum, but how "portable" is the LPN/RN? I'm reading a lot about people moving around in specialties. From what I see there's not really any difference in the education?

[natkat2816]

Brian - I'm in MN also and from what I've seen so far is that a lot of hospitals are getting rid of the LPN's. I know for a fact that Mercy/Unity LPN's are losing there jobs next June unless they went back for their RN. LPN's are mostly in the nursing homes around here. I will say though that my unit does still have LPN's but there isn't many in the acute hospital. They aren't allowed to take doctor's orders, do IV's,etc... Hope that helps.

[Brian2MN]

Thank you for your help. I'm really just thinking things through right now. There are plenty of community colleges around the metro area that offer LPN programs, and I'm considering a few of them. I've also been looking at the schedules to get an idea if it's realistic to have a job or not at the same time. Of course the RN program is much more demanding on time than the LPN program, and it's looking like some schools don't offer the RN program part-time?

I'm fortunate enough to not need to work, but just doing all the math in my head if I were to move up to the metro area and buy a house I'm looking at, etc. I guess the daunting task is trying to see how all the pieces would fit together.

[OUBobcat94]

I live in Maine and we do have LPNs that work on our in-patient rehab unit. They bounce back and forth between being team leaders and helpers (depending on the staffing that day). I know we have rehab nurses that have moved to ICU, telemetry, and med-surg so it is possible to be "portable". The nurses on our foor (I am a CNA in nursing (RN) school) are involved in transfers and toileting, but most of the major physical stuff is done by the therapists (OT, OTA, PT, PTA).

I know the school I go to does not even offer and LPN program anymore, but they do offer an "Bridge to RN" program for those who are already LPNs.

Have you considered PT or PTA school? It sounds like you are definitely interested in the physical asprect of rehab so that might be something to consider.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

-Bobcat

[pamperednurse]

I am a nurse manager of a rehab unit. I think what you are looking for is along the line of PT/OT. There is a great demand for them. We are always looking for therapist. At our hospital, they work days, M-F and rotate weekends. We also have a outpt rehab center that is very busy. Good luck. If I had to change I would go with PT.

[mom and nurse]

Just wanted to agree with the others that it sounds more like your "fit" could be PT (Physical Therapy). The nurses at our inpatient acute rehab hospital work as a team with the doctors, Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists. Also, our hospital does not hire LPNs, though I think many nursing homes do. As for RNs, RNs are very "portable" especially due to the nursing shortage, don't know about what area you live in but if you open the paper where I live (in a metropolitan area) there are many RN jobs listed. Perhap you could "shadow" a PT for an afternoon and/or an RN to get an idea of what they do.

[MNlpn]

I'll agree with Ms. Jen. BUT we do use LPNs here at our rehab