Nurse tech working as RN

Nurses General Nursing

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So at my facility, a short-term rehabilitation center with a few long-term care patients, nurse techs can cover RN shifts, only if the shift is a NOC shift. Is this legal? Just want to make sure this is okay before I agree to anything. Nurse techs have been doing this for a long time before I ever got hired, which was recently. Still, I want to make sure.

No. You can not function in the capacity of a Registered Nurse unless you HAVE an RN license. You are flirting with serious legal trouble. You should know your scope of practice. Have you reached the point in your education where you've covered that? If not, you really need to wait to work until you FULLY understand your scope. You aren't a nurse yet. If you're not careful, you'll end up putting your career in serious legal jeopardy before it even starts (not to mention the danger you would be putting patients in!!). There's no way around needing a license. If the facility is pushing you to practice without a license, RUN away and report them to your BON as soon as possible.

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Read the nurse practice act. It is very clear on what is legal amd not. It is your responsibility as a future nurse to know the law. If u dont know it...how will u know if u are breaking it? I know you would like to think that someone will tell u and be honest but the truth is that many nurses do not know or misunderstand as they have gained their knowledge through heresay. Please empower yourself with this knowledge. You must be proactive in protecting your own license!!!! I say this with all the kindness and compassion in the world. Don't lose your license before u even get it! This is very serious! The court will not have mercy on you when u say "I didnt know" or "but they told me I could!" The court will only have mercy toward the patient and their family....because it was your responsibility to give them good care as a tech and a nurse to act prudently is always the best option to follow. You can read the nurse practice act at: Ohio Board of Nursing / Law and Rules

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Go read nurse practice act at: Ohio Board of Nursing / Law and Rules

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The ONLY time you can use the title of "nurse" is if you have a nursing license. Whether it is Registered Nurse, Graduate Nurse, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse, or Graduate Practical/Vocational Nurse....they all have licenses. The graduate nurses must be supervised by an RN. If you are doing nurse duties without a license you are at risk for losing your license before you even get it. Your facility has some explaining to do.

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One last question though--if there is one RN plus me in the facility, can I complete RN duties under her guidance? I am certified with medications, as well as certified as a CNA.

Unless you have a Graduate Nurse temp license then no, you cannot do any RN duties. Even a GN needs to be supervised by an RN. I don't know how it works where you are but in Texas you do not get your GN or GVN until you recieve your authorization to test for thr NCLEX. If a person fails the NCLEX, they lose that temp license and cannot practice until they pass it.

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Some facilities hire medication aides who pass medications after being trained. Sunrise as st living does it. There is a RN in charge too. I don't agree with this practice as an RN but... in schools non nurses can be trained to give med as well.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Two words: Get out.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
The ONLY time you can use the title of "nurse" is if you have a nursing license. Whether it is Registered Nurse, Graduate Nurse, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse, or Graduate Practical/Vocational Nurse....they all have licenses. The graduate nurses must be supervised by an RN. If you are doing nurse duties without a license you are at risk for losing your license before you even get it. Your facility has some explaining to do.

Well, no, not all of those have licenses. Graduate nurses (GN or GPN) do not have licenses; they simply haven't taken NCLEX yet and may have applied for a temporary practice permit if offered.

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I don't get this.... if she is a student in nursing school she should already know she can't do RN duties until she is done with school and licensed. Is her school teaching ethics at all? I would run as fast as you can from this employer because trust me you will be thrown under the bus when something goes wrong, not to mention working outside your scope of practice can set you up for legal issues. One more tip... give the whole story up front, not just snippets. You will get a better informed answer that way. I would like add that you are working as a CNA or Med Tech.... nurse tech? That could be very confusing to family as they might think you are a licensed nurse and you are not.

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You can not complete RN duties without an RN license. The only duties you can perform are that of a cna. I wouldn't pass meds either as the state has really done away with those certifications.

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I hope by this point that you have either...

A) put your foot down and insisted that you will only operate within your scope

B) are searching for alternate employment

C) quit

D) A&B

E) All of the above

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I think there is some confusion. Are you working as an Intern or a CNA/GNA? You can not mix the two. If Intern, there are certain guidelines where you can perform RN duties, under an RN preceptor direct supervision, otherwise, there is something sketchy about the place you are working and you should get out before you lose any chance of holding an RN license. Make some calls to your states licensimg board to clarify!

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