LPN Job Duties

CardiacKittyRN · May 5, 2014

Some LTC care facilities have different expectations of their LPN's. Some expect you to change diapers, some don't. Pick one that doesn't make you change diapers as there are a lot of them out there that won't expect that of you. And even if other nurses do pitch in, remember that if you aren't expected to, you don't have to. That's CNA work IMO.
LPN's and RN's are too good to change diapers. We have CNA's to perform those tasks as we are responsible for more important things which CNA's lack the training to do.

You're not "too good" for anything, despite your job title. We're all people here princess, you're no better I promise. I'm an RN and I think personal care is highly important and assisting with it is part of my responsibility as a nurse!

jojo489 · May 7, 2014

Hoping2b, I hope I can maybe shed some light on your question. I don't know how accurate my answer will be, seeing that I live in PA, but let's try here.

Mainly where I am, most open positions are in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. There are some positions in hospitals, but they are mainly inside of offices located within the hospitals, not on the floors. There are a decent amount of dr offices that hire LPNs, but from what I've heard, the pay is about 4-6 dollars better in long term care or assisted.

I've worked long term care, and your responsibilities are as follows: medication administration, ongoing monitoring of disease process and medication side effects, lots of blood sugars, monitoring skin and ensuring your CNAs are thorough and on task, keeping doctors updated, writing verbal orders and documenting on each patient per facility standard. Where I was, everyone was expected to answer call bells. Incident reports for falls, bruises, etc. performing wound treatments and discussing treatment change with wound team or md. Trach care, colostomy care, wound vac appliance care, urostomy care, foley and suprapubic catheter care, tube feelings, oral care (yes, sometimes it was listed on the mar for nurses to complete oral care). You get a little bit of everything there.

I will give you some advice. I know, I'm bringing up the brief thing again, but hear me out. If you are willing to help your CNAs when you can, they will love you for it. It only takes a second to help with a boost and a few minutes for incontinence care or putting someone on the toilet. You ask a lot of them sometimes, try to give a little back. They will respect you and the care team will benefit because of the communication becoming better.

Hope I helped.

BahoRN · May 7, 2014

Ok I get it about the briefs. I really don't need anyone to answer that question anymore. If any one wants to respond to any of the other questions feel free but I didn't want this to be a post about just changing briefs.

LOL!! ha ha. Thanks for the laugh - that was cute

Biosciencegeek · Sep 11, 2014

Can we call them briefs instead of diapers? Surely no one here calls them "diapers" when talking to the resident/patient. Unless they are actually babies of course.

OnlinePersona, LPN · Sep 11, 2014

Some LTC care facilities have different expectations of their LPN's. Some expect you to change diapers, some don't. Pick one that doesn't make you change diapers as there are a lot of them out there that won't expect that of you. And even if other nurses do pitch in, remember that if you aren't expected to, you don't have to. That's CNA work IMO.
LPN's and RN's are too good to change diapers. We have CNA's to perform those tasks as we are responsible for more important things which CNA's lack the training to do.

LOL. wow.

Chile please, you must work with some feeble minded CNAs because the CNAs i work(ed) with will tear that (expletive) up. Your the reason why i quit and took a break from nursing. Its not just the act of cleaning someone up when they are soiled, its the act of HUMILITY. When you say " i will get your aide", what you are really saying is " i think your less than me and i dont want to touch you". Patients have a unique (and often rightly warranted) way of individualizing rejection and redirection. WE ms.nurse are in the business of promoting health and prosperity, not this im-too-good crap.

I wish these boards werent heavily moderated, i would really express my thoughts in vivid language.

millyio · Sep 12, 2014

Are you serious?????!! You can't be you're a:no: horrible nurse

Biosciencegeek · Sep 13, 2014

NOADLS would last 3 mins in my facility with that "God complex." My CNA team and DON puts nurses with that attitude in the unemployment line. We just got rid of one like that last night. Brand new nurse with that attitude. She lasted 3 hours. 2 hrs and 59 mins longer than she should have had I been the DON.

Biosciencegeek · Sep 13, 2014

LOL. wow.
Chile please, you must work with some feeble minded CNAs because the CNAs i work(ed) with will tear that (expletive) up. Your the reason why i quit and took a break from nursing. Its not just the act of cleaning someone up when they are soiled, its the act of HUMILITY. When you say " i will get your aide", what you are really saying is " i think your less than me and i dont want to touch you". Patients have a unique (and often rightly warranted) way of individualizing rejection and redirection. WE ms.nurse are in the business of promoting health and prosperity, not this im-too-good crap.
I wish these boards werent heavily moderated, i would really express my thoughts in vivid language.

Haha. No doubt. I'm a CNA, and my team would eat that alive and spit it out. Then fight to see who gets to eat it alive again. We can smell nurses like that from a mile away, and we feed on them. Without mercy. Like you said, those CNAs on his "planet" must be jellyfish or something. Wouldn't happen on my watch, I promise you that.

Biosciencegeek · Sep 13, 2014

I never said I had a issue with changing someone if necessary. I would just prefer it not be a daily thing. I was just wondering if the LPNs in nursing homes job duties consist of changing diapers or briefs on a daily basis. That wasn't my main question anyway. Most ppl just only responded to that part.

It will be a daily thing.

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Sep 13, 2014

I'd like to divert this from "changing soiled residents" since you have brought this up.
Every task that you have listed above are tasks that I would gladly do. Those are tasks that I would be proud to carry out as they are things that will come up in ANY setting and would be beneficial to have practice with.
I know I come off as a lazy person, but that is only how I present. I actually take my job seriously and take pleasure in performing nursing interventions that CNA's are not allowed to perform. Being able to use my higher level knowledge and skills that I have learned and practiced will allow me to better myself. Doing things like ADLS for patients is something anyone can do. A nurse is paid twice (if not more) as much as CNA's are in some places. In my view, it is a waste of money to have nurses do the things a CNA can do, especially when there are other things pending that could use my professional attention.

Let's put you in a facility with a few of your dear, elderly, loved ones as residents. Then lets watch how quickly you jump to the task of changing their attends when the CNA's whom you have totally alienated with your 'holier-than-thou' attitude leave them lying in urine and stool a little longer than necessary.

The CNA's Will retaliate - it's only a matter of time. You are going to eventually reap what you have sown from your attitude of hands-off nursing care.

I've worked with people who have demonstrated similar "values" as you profess to conform to. They're Not the ones with whom I prefer to spend my shift with because I've had to go behind them and 'wipe up' after their "hands-off" approach has failed to catch vital information.

Your posts shout out your ignorance, or at least willful ignorance of one of the most core principles of the nursing profession; http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdf

It would behoove you to study more closely the guiding principles of dignity in nursing and professional relationships with others.

As evidenced by your prior posts, you will probably dismiss this post as something not relevant to you, however, most of the other nurses who read this will wish for you to become more familiar, practice, and demonstrate compassion and professionalism.

duskyjewel · Sep 13, 2014

If you are willing to help your CNAs when you can, they will love you for it. It only takes a second to help with a boost and a few minutes for incontinence care or putting someone on the toilet. You ask a lot of them sometimes, try to give a little back. They will respect you and the care team will benefit because of the communication becoming better.

As a CNA who has worked with both kinds of nurses (and aspiring LPN), I can confirm this. In the hospital I worked in before my current job, most of the nurses were like NOADLS. The one guy who wasn't.....he stood out. Whether he was or not, I perceived him as being more caring and compassionate, and I worked harder for him. I considered his patients lucky to get him. He made me want to be a better CNA for him. I always did his stuff first.

I recently worked with a LPN who followed me around and helped me with my tasks all night, sometimes on patients that weren't even his. When I told him he didn't have to do that, he said, "It's the best way to assess patients, to do cares yourself." Kinda hard to argue with that. Plus, when your patients see you often, and doing more than you have to, they're going to feel like you care and that they are important to you. Isn't that what you want? Isn't that good for your organization? And ultimately, isn't that good for the patient? They need to feel like they are important, and they deserve nurses who are invested in more than their medications.

Biosciencegeek · Sep 13, 2014

Let’s put you in a facility with a few of your dear, elderly, loved ones as residents. Then lets watch how quickly you jump to the task of changing their attends when the CNA’s whom you have totally alienated with your ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude leave them lying in urine and stool a little longer than necessary.
The CNA’s Will retaliate - it’s only a matter of time. You are going to eventually reap what you have sown from your attitude of hands-off nursing care.
I’ve worked with people who have demonstrated similar “values” as you profess to conform to. They’re Not the ones with whom I prefer to spend my shift with because I’ve had to go behind them and ‘wipe up’ after their “hands-off” approach has failed to catch vital information.
Your posts shout out your ignorance, or at least willful ignorance of one of the most core principles of the nursing profession; http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdf
It would behoove you to study more closely the guiding principles of dignity in nursing and professional relationships with others.
As evidenced by your prior posts, you will probably dismiss this post as something not relevant to you, however, most of the other nurses who read this will wish for you to become more familiar, practice, and demonstrate compassion and professionalism.

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This for the win. :yes: