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| Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 35 | 
May 22, 2008, 06:14 PM
 Re: LPN Petition to Take RN Boards Originally Posted by tferdaise  Yeah there are medications in which LPNs do not know about and or how to give correctly. I beleive there are some lessons that are taugh in the bridge programs that are needed to know. Originally Posted by BlueRidgeHomeRN Folks....LPn's and RN's have different training and scope, but that doesn't mean "better", just different, so let's not chew each other up, please!! A smart nurse with any letters after his/her name knows to LOOK UP meds, simple as that. Do I think LPN's should challenge RN-NCLEX...no. Would I rather be cared for by an experienced, grounded LPN than a freshly-minted RN who doesn't know his/her limits???...you betcha!!
In all fairness, exposure/knowledge about medications can also depend on where the nurse is actually working (may it be LPN or RN); in addition, there are many unlabeled uses that are coming up frequently. This is one reason why it is a good idea for ANY nurse to take continuing education classes and subscribing to nursing journals. As BlueRidgeHomeRN stated, a prudent nurse would look it up as well.
An example of this is I am an LPN who has been licensed since 2006. I work in a clinic where we do a great deal of teaching about meds and conditions. I have noticed that my Nursing Drug Handbook for 2008 is really not as current as I would have expected regarding medications and their purposes. A very knowledgable, seasoned RN that transferred from the ER is orienting with us, and she was reviewing the chart of a diabetic patient. She didn't know that a diabetic who is not hypertensive may receive an ACE Inhibitor or Angiotension 2 inhibitor for renal protection, or ASA. I can't beat this woman in regard to critical thinking, experience or knowledge. But, she was exposed to somewhere different-the ER deals more with presenting symptoms and the teaching, I would assume, would be geared towards the history taking and current situation. And, there are LPNS that work in the ER who have been taught how to correctly administer these medications, are practicing these skills each day that can outbeat us clinic nurses any day-because of daily exposure.
Personally, I didn't take offense, but wanted to know what you meant.
 | | No. 36 |
May 22, 2008, 06:28 PM
Re: LPN Petition to Take RN Boards Originally Posted by tferdaise WOW, this comes from a nursing student ???? Take off your rose colored glass's sweetie.... You have no idea who I am, and what I'm all about. FIrst off, I take pride in my profession, but I know what my limitation are when it comes to being a LPN (see in my state we are not LVNs.) I'm back in school getting my BSN, and yes I'm learning in my class's, just becase I have been a nurse for 4 yrs doens' mean I know it all... LVN and LPN are exactly the same thing. If you move to Texas and California, their board of nursing will call you an LVN. We don't have to know who you are. This is an online board and there is no way to prove or see who you really are. Like what txspadequeen921, just because you have the RN title behind you does not mean you know it all. There are some meds that LPNs know that RNs do not know and vice versa. You can't know it all even if you are an RN. I plan on becoming an RN myself very soon, but I will be MORE proud of my LPN title. Cheers, Angel | | No. 37 |
May 22, 2008, 06:32 PM
Re: LPN Petition to Take RN Boards Originally Posted by pagandeva2000 In all fairness, exposure/knowledge about medications can also depend on where the nurse is actually working (may it be LPN or RN); in addition, there are many unlabeled uses that are coming up frequently. This is one reason why it is a good idea for ANY nurse to take continuing education classes and subscribing to nursing journals. As BlueRidgeHomeRN stated, a prudent nurse would look it up as well.
An example of this is I am an LPN who has been licensed since 2006. I work in a clinic where we do a great deal of teaching about meds and conditions. I have noticed that my Nursing Drug Handbook for 2008 is really not as current as I would have expected regarding medications and their purposes. A very knowledgable, seasoned RN that transferred from the ER is orienting with us, and she was reviewing the chart of a diabetic patient. She didn't know that a diabetic who is not hypertensive may receive an ACE Inhibitor or Angiotension 2 inhibitor for renal protection, or ASA. I can't beat this woman in regard to critical thinking, experience or knowledge. But, she was exposed to somewhere different-the ER deals more with presenting symptoms and the teaching, I would assume, would be geared towards the history taking and current situation. And, there are LPNS that work in the ER who have been taught how to correctly administer these medications, are practicing these skills each day that can outbeat us clinic nurses any day-because of daily exposure.
Personally, I didn't take offense, but wanted to know what you meant. Exactly!!! | | No. 38 |
May 23, 2008, 08:06 AM
Re: LPN Petition to Take RN Boards
I'll give you a little chuckle that will give everyone a laugh.
When I was doing my clinicals last month, we had a patient that was in his 70's that had schizophrenia and could not communicate and was cared for in a group home.
My LPN that I was assigned to for that day, went into the room and the caregivers for the group home were discussing with the physician about diarrhea that he had, because he was going through 10 to 12 changes per day.
The physican was sitting there puzzled, b/c it started after he was given antibiotics (3 weeks later) so that idea was thrown out. The physician was writing a prescription for something to stop it and said she would be back.
Well, my LPN "trainer" and I left the room, and went to pull this man's meds. Of course, I don't know meds very well yet, and as she was pulling them, she said, "Uh...if he has massive diarrhea he shouldn't be taking this....or THIS....or THIS either....dang! No wonder!!!"
This man was on THREE drugs that caused either loose stools or flat out diarrhea.
You should have seen the look on the physicians face (who, BTW prescribed ALL of these drugs), when the LPN went up to her and said, "I think I found the problem"
Scary, huh?
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