LPN's Role in the ICU?

Are you assigned the stable patients or are you able to care for the really sick ones that are on drips, ventilated, dialysis, on CCO and have central lines. Can you draw off the central lines? Are you ACLS certified and able to push emergency meds? Are you able to push narcotics, benzos ect.? Are you able to travel with your patient? Just curious. I'm just being honest, but the limitations that you mentioned above is reason enough not to work in the ICU. If your scope does not include any of what I mentioned, then even more so. Your experience probably surpasses many RN's that you work with but your scope of practice is limited. No disrespect to you and all of your years of practice. But I stand by my belief that a LPN should not work on the unit and for more reasons other than what is mentioned on this post.

It does make me sad to know that with the retiring nurses, whether they be LPN or RN, there goes experience that won't be regained easily. There goes possible mentoring, teaching, etc. Good mentors don't grow on trees, neither do good students unfortunately. Where I work there do exist a few nurses -of varying licensure- who are just not teachable. The rest are a joy both to teach and to learn from. One of our RN's has started teaching LPN students lately at the local tech school, and she's one of the more dense people on this planet. It's too bad they don't allow LPN's to be the clinical instructors because I know about 20 people personally who could really make a difference in that area.

"You know so much, why aren't you an RN?" Mrs H.

WOW!!!!! Very disturbing attitudes here! I've been a Licenced Practical NURSE for more than 27 years. Longer than many of the Registered Nurses I work with have been breathing. Most of my career has been in critical care, ER & cardiology. I'm also a paramedic outside the hospital doors. To say, or even imply, that to work with me would be dangerous, is a very ridiculous and degrading comment to make. I work with several RN's who would rather have me with them in a critical moment than a RN without experience. No, I can't push the meds, but I know them as well as anyone. I can start the needed 2nd or third IV in a flash, hand the right meds to my team mate before she asks, charge the defib, jot down med times and events, run and post rhythm strips, and even figure out med doses and drip rates in my head before the i-med can be programmed. I can program the i-med with her watching at the other side of the bed and she just needs to push the start button. We work as a team. This way I act as her extra hands. I stay within my scope of practice and she can focus on her level of duties. Believe it or not, there is more to taking care of a patient than pushing meds and transcribing orders. Nursing is an ART. More than the technical stuff, a nurse needs to reach the soul and heart of her patient, their families and their coworkers. There is never a good reason to put someone down whether it be due to their race, color, creed or title. It's rather interesting that the nurses who are remembered and loved by their patients and coworkers are not the ones who were able to titrate the IV meds, but the ones who took the time to be with and reach out to the patient and their family. Your title won't matter so much, but your professionalism, teamwork, and compassion will.

How does this idealism evolve even further to LPN's who got their license through applying for equivalency after finishing the 1st year of an accredited RN program, would people feel that they are any "better"? I honestly had never heard such dissent "amongst the ranks" between the roles of LPN and RN, on the gen med floor we did clinicals on, the only way you could tell the difference between an LPN and RN was the tiny print on their name tag. I have learned much reading these posts, thanks to the OP for starting this thread.