LPN doing assesments?

Specialties Geriatric

Updated:   Published

I work in LTC in a Nursing home type facility in MN. We get admissions later into the evening shift. Besides having 22 residents to do heavy med passes for along with treatments , our facility makes us do admissions. There is no desk nurse/person to help and the charge nurse who is an LPN is busy with shift call ins or having to take patients herself and cover a wing. All assesments such as the braden scale, pain assesment, skin assesment, tissue tolerance assesment, nursing assessment, bladder assesment, start of temporary care plan, all orders ect have to be done by myself. A RN does not see these patients when they come into our facility. Is it legal or within my scope of practice to do assesments? Assesments are not cosigned by an RN. I was taught that LPN's cannot do assesments.

Specializes in Geriaterics, RN Student.

reading these posts I wonder why I even became an LPN. We do the same work load are intelligent enough to pass boards... and yet we are very undervalued. I am starting to get a complex....:offtopic:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC +.

"Assessing" is two part. The first step is colecting the data. This can be done by RNs, LPNs, CNAs, etc. The second part is analyzing the data. Most states agree that this must be done by the RN.

It sounds ike you feel overworked. I feel your pain! Please hang in there--you will get a routine and even though its hectic, I hope you can go home at the end of the shift happy to have been there for our Elders.

This is such awesome work-- I may have only 2-3 touching interactions with residents per week...but those magical moments remind me why I'm a LTC nurse and keep me coming back.

Good Luck!:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

MINNESOTA NURSES ASSOCIATION statement !

Assessment is identified both professionally and legally

within the context of the registered nurse's role, and is an

activity that can not be delegated to non-RNs. The Minnesota

Board of Nursing Laws do not identify assessment as any part

of the LPN role. LPNs who do perform assessments, and the

registered nurses who delegate to, or allow LPNs to perform

assessments, may be committing reportable offenses under

the Grounds for (Professional) Disciplinary Action, Chapter

148.216.

All the forms say ASSESSMENT on top that I need to sign. Should I be signing them as an LPN .

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC +.

If you do them, you need to sign them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I do sign them. My question is can I be in trouble with MN nursing board for completing them? Is says (LPNs who do perform assessments, and the

registered nurses who delegate to, or allow LPNs to perform

assessments, may be committing reportable offenses under

the Grounds for (Professional) Disciplinary Action, Chapter

148.216 }

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
I do sign them. My question is can I be in trouble with MN nursing board for completing them? Is says (LPNs who do perform assessments, and the

registered nurses who delegate to, or allow LPNs to perform

assessments, may be committing reportable offenses under

the Grounds for (Professional) Disciplinary Action, Chapter

148.216 }

In all the years I've been doing this, not once has a state surveyor or a joint commission surveyor ever questioned a signature on an assessment. Frankly, most of us are just glad they are being done.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics, WCC.

The way we get around the RN "only" clause in MN is we have the word tool at the top of the page. That way an LPN can gather info for the tool, but only the RN can analyze and assess it. ALL of our assessments are completed by the Nurse Manager for that floor. No floor nurses, either RN or LPN complete assessments.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics, WCC.

Our surveyors do look at who is signing off the assessments.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC +.

I think you’re getting hung up on semantics. Just because the form you are using is labeled an assessment, doesn’t mean it’s a true assessment. Chances are it’s just a data gathering tool that requires short answers based on your observations learned in Nursing 101. If it were a true “assessment” as referred to by the MN BON, it would require you to use critical thinking skills to analyze the data and draw conclusions based on the data. For instance, if anywhere on your form it has a place for you to write why or how the co-morbidities will interact to and potentiate problems that nursing can deal with by implementing a creative care plan…if so, then maybe you’d want an RN to fill out that portion of the form.

Your BON is not interested in the names of forms...they are actually interested in if you are staying within your scope. The title of the form does not determine your scope. Honest.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment