What states/locales still hire LVNs/LPNs in the acute care hospital units?

[LVNbayarea]

Hi, I'm a newly licensed LVN in the bay area in CA as well as new here to AN. While I don't expect to obtain a job in the hospital and know it's a rarity to be hired into one as an LVN/LPN, I was just wondering what areas/hospitals still do? If the hospital does still hire them, what is the average pay rate there for them? I plan on obtaining my BSN in the very near future, but thought I would still apply around to some hospitals (non-magnet, of course) and see if I got lucky and heard back from them.

[LTCNS, LPN]

There are hospitals in my area who still hire LPNs in Med/Surg. I work in a wound healing clinic that is part of a hospital and the hospital is hiring LPNs right now.

[LVNbayarea]

What area do you live in? I found out that my local county hospital hires LVNs but I am not sure if it utilizes them on the units. It would be pretty neat to get a job in acute care, but I won't hold my breath.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Although I'm originally from California, I have been working in Texas for the past 7 years. Acute care hospitals in the small towns and rural areas in Texas absolutely depend on the LVN workforce to get the job done.

I completed my RN transition program in Oklahoma and noticed that LPNs were still being utilized in areas such as the ER, ICU, and postpartum. This happened in the small towns and deep rural areas of Oklahoma, but not so much in the larger metropolitan areas.

[TreffEdwards, ADN, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

I have to agree; I am an LVN and work in an ER and Med/Surg at a Tri-County hospital outside of Houston. I see LVN's being used all over place outside of Houston Metro.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Generally speaking, it seems LPN/LVNs are utilized in acute care hospitals in more remote or rural areas. Major cities such as NY, Philadelphia, LA, San Francisco have a surplus of RN/ASN and RN/BSN nurses so they don't have a need to supplement with LPN in acute care. Plus, states like TX have a more broad scope of practice for LVNs so an LVN can do more in an acute care setting than an LPN in a state with a stricter scope of practice (such as no IV therapy without a year of practice and a certification course, no IV push meds, etc.)

[LVNbayarea]

In that case, maybe I should move and endorse my license to TX. From what I am told, acute care experience is worth its weight in gold. I don't really mind where I live, as long as I can find a job within a reasonable amount of time.

As nice as the Bay Area is, there really are no jobs here; especially for new grads. I think it's funny how people who don't live in CA think that after they graduate, they can just move here and find a job super easily. I've met many new grads from different states who have moved here without knowing a soul and they are really struggling. A little foolish if you ask me. I've looked and called many SNFs around here, and none of them will touch you without some experience. Even the Central Valley is a tough market.

[DoGoodThenGo]

Generally speaking, it seems LPN/LVNs are utilized in acute care hospitals in more remote or rural areas. Major cities such as NY, Philadelphia, LA, San Francisco have a surplus of RN/ASN and RN/BSN nurses so they don't have a need to supplement with LPN in acute care. Plus, states like TX have a more broad scope of practice for LVNs so an LVN can do more in an acute care setting than an LPN in a state with a stricter scope of practice (such as no IV therapy without a year of practice and a certification course, no IV push meds, etc.)

Mount Sinai seems to still hire LPNs, but at quick glance mainly for their Brooklyn Heights location:

All Nursing Jobs with Mount Sinai Medical Center | Nurse.com

Brooklyn Heights Licensed Practice Nurse at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY

[LisaLPN7]

I live in TN, about 100 miles outside of Nashville. The hospital in my town does have some LPNs, but none in ICU, CVICU, OR, PACU, or ER. You find a few LPNs on the post-op surgical floor, but most on the medical and pulmonary floors. The are advertising for LPNs right now, actually. But I won't apply there because they don't have a very good reputation for how they treat their nurses in general, and the nurse/patient ratios are always being raised.