Shared Governance

Our hospital is phasing LPNs out of the role of a nurse. In fact, my floor only utilizes LPNs as a patient care tech, nothing more. In our shared governance only RNs are allowed to take the role of chair or co-chair for each quadrant. We have a LPN who is active in the committee but unable to take a leadership role.

We started changing the role of the LPN when we went for Magnet status, I wonder if that is what the future will be at your hospital. Once Magnet is mentioned things have a way of changing, at least for a little while. It is amazing how involved nurses become in committees, managers become in nursing and the entire hosptial in patient care. Of course once the surveyors leave so do the changes. Sorry, little Magnet rant....good luck with your LPN vs RN communication!