LPN chalenging RN board

Love-A-Nurse · Apr 10, 2004

no, i haven't heard of such news. i highly doubt this is true, however, you can check with your state board of nursing.

Cali · Apr 10, 2004

No. LPN's cannot challenge the RN boards after working for one year. I am an LPN working on my RN and I have come to notice that RN's have a different focus than an LPN when it comes to patient care. The LPN program is pretty basic, and it in no way prepares you to become an RN even after one year of experience. I have been an LPN for 3 years, plus 5 years in the military as a medic and if it were even possible to challenge the RN boards, I don't feel as though I'd be qualified.

Love-A-Nurse · Apr 10, 2004

i concur with you about not be "qualified" to challenge the rn boards simply because of being an lpn.

no. lpn's cannot challenge the rn boards after working for one year. i am an lpn working on my rn and i have come to notice that rn's have a different focus than an lpn when it comes to patient care. the lpn program is pretty basic, and it in no way prepares you to become an rn even after one year of experience. i have been an lpn for 3 years, plus 5 years in the military as a medic and if it were even possible to challenge the rn boards, i don't feel as though i'd be qualified.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2004

I worked as a LPN for 8 years before going on to get my ADN. No way is a LPN of one year prepared to challenge RN boards. I have to agree with Cali on this, Rn has a whole different focus than the LPN. I dont care how long you have been a LPN. There are things you learn in RN preparation that LPN's have no idea about, even though most will tell you they do, as i once THOUGHT i did. I found out differently.

I also found that a LPN that transitions to a RN role has a whole lot of different obsticles to overcome than someone just coming out of a RN program clean so to speak. LPN's that transition have to not only learn differently, but have to retrain themselves to work, think, act differntly if that makes any sense.

NSCHOOL4EVER · Apr 14, 2004

I also found that a LPN that transitions to a RN role has a whole lot of different obsticles to overcome than someone just coming out of a RN program clean so to speak. LPN's that transition have to not only learn differently, but have to retrain themselves to work, think, act differntly if that makes any sense.

I am an LPN of 6 years and scheduled to start a transition program in June. Could you please elaborate on your above statement? My class in June is a transition class; therefore, I would like to have some idea as to what I can expect.

Thanks for any input.

RW

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2004

The school portion of the transition is in itself a wild ride. 5-6 weeks of intense everyday classes, with labs, tests a couple times a day. After you get through the transition, you join the second year RN students. At least at my program you did. The focus in LPN role is mainly on treatments, abnormals,meds, and primary care. LPN programs dont go into all the leadership, delegation, responsibility roles that a RN has to take on. As a norm, LPN's in most facilities are delegated to by an RN or Dr who has noone to shift responsibility to but themselves. You learn to accept and respond to situations with that in mind, you dont pass the buck as a RN. When a Dr. comes on a unit and gets upset because this and that wasnt done with their patient, it falls in your lap regardless of the shift it happened on. You find the answer, and its not i wasnt here, or i didnt do it. Remember, a Dr will give you more respect if you take responsibility and make sure things are delt with.

As a LPN in transition and even after you have completed the RN, people who knew you as a LPN look at you differently for a while. The other RN's will watch to see if you are delegating and concentrating on the documentation aspects, the CNA's and LPN's will be watching to see if you are going to get "bossy" or standoffish because you are a RN now. It takes them time to see that you in fact know how to respond and work with a different focus. They will watch to see if you react the way you would have as a LPN. It takes time, we have to prove ourselves even more so than someone coming out of school clean, because someone coming out without a LPN behind them havent conformed to anything yet, as LPN's we did. Now we have to change. We all know its hard to change old habits, but it can and is done.

JMO,, good luck with your transition. Youll do fine and transitioned RN's make darn good nurses.

Jailhouse RN · Apr 18, 2004

No it cannot be done.

Ortho_RN · Apr 18, 2004

No it can't nor should it be allowed to challenge boards...

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2004

Sorry babe not in Texas...

Hi, everybody.
Did somebody hear something about chalenging RN board after 1 year working as a LPN?

frankez · Dec 8, 2005

No. LPN's cannot challenge the RN boards after working for one year. I am an LPN working on my RN and I have come to notice that RN's have a different focus than an LPN when it comes to patient care. The LPN program is pretty basic, and it in no way prepares you to become an RN even after one year of experience. I have been an LPN for 3 years, plus 5 years in the military as a medic and if it were even possible to challenge the RN boards, I don't feel as though I'd be qualified.

It depends where you practice...in California LVN's are greatly restricted in there scope of practice...here in Oregon I can do almost everything an RN can do......no offense to all the good RN's because I have worked with a lot of very skilled ones.

icugirl33 · Dec 14, 2005

Your LPN education is a tradeschool degree. You received the basic principles needed to carry out essential tasks. Clinical nursing is exactly that-and more. The more part is what you learn in RN school and that is what the previous posters are trying to say.

You learned a lot on the job and have become a competent nurse. Learning on the job will never take the place of education. For the LPN's who believe they perform the same duties as RN's and then some, ask yourselves, why an I not called an RN and bringing RN pay?