Are RNs allowed to work as techs if they cannot find employment

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Sep 30, 2012

Yes, you are held to your highest license (in your case that of an rN) hence why most hospitals won't hire RNs as techs.

sofifi97 · Sep 30, 2012

Thanks so much lee1 & beachy nurse for posting here. Before retiring earlier this year I found myself in the same situation as lee1, and am not convinced that hospitals are viewing this Board Of Nursing (BON) rule as intended. I called NJ BON, spoke to a supervisor who told me you are held to the standard of the higher license- which Beachy confirmed. But he also said that it is not illegal in the state of NJ to work in a position of the lower license. So if you are hired as an LPN, but have an RN license- NJ requires you to work to the higher RN license standards- which makes sense since it's two licenses within the same field of work...nursing. This is the example used in the NJ Nursing regulations. In fact, the only two nursing licenses in the state of NJ are LPN and RN (unlike some other states, in NJ an APN is a certification added to RN- not an additional licensure). I truly believe that this rule is only applicable within nursing and has nothing to do with techs, other allied health professionals or outside of the health profession.The reason I think I'm right is because I can't see that rule applying to a person that holds a manicurist license and an RN, which are two entirely different licenses. How would the higher license across professions be determined? My former employer has a spa, which employs manicurists... If one happened to also have an RN license, how would the hospital fairly determine which is the higher licensure? Going back to the tech dilemma in lee1's post- my question is that since being a tech isn't a license (mine was a national certification) and also outside of the scope of nursing, what is the potential conflict?In other words, if you have only one license (RN) and work in a different health field (technical) how does that BON rule apply? My technical position was very specialized and well paid...who's to say that it was higher or lower than being an RN? It just seems to me that they are different professions within the health field and that there should be no reason an RN can't work as a tech or vice versa. These are my opinions based on what NJ BON states in their regulations and what I was told by the supervisor there. Obviously private companies have the right to enforce their own internal policies- but from a legal standpoint i don't see an issue.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Oct 1, 2012

The issue would not be in a non-patient care setting such as a spa working as a nail tech/manicurist. The concern would be working in a hospital or other patient care setting as a patient care technician/or other equivalent title. PCT's cannot assess nor can they perform nursing interventions. they can only work as delegated by a licensed nurse. Techs cannot perform skills that require judgement that requires nursing knowledge. Such as intervening for a hypoglycemic patient. The tech position does not have nursing knowledge so therefore they cannot make a judgement of the clinical signs & symptoms observed and intervene. The tech who is a licensed RN who fails to intervene could be brought before the BoN because a reasonably prudent RN would have made the assessment and intervened rather than delayed intervention by getting another licensed nurse to assess and intervene. You cannot compare the scope of a manicurist to a patient care technician....

The links below are to the delegation of nursing tasks guidelines from NJBON

New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs - Board of Nursing

Sofifi the issue you have is whether you are working as a registered nurse, if so you are expected to work within your scope of practice a a licensed nurse even if it is in a nontraditional setting.

lee1 · Oct 9, 2012

Hopefully, in the near future, the ADN schools should be taking a hard look at the graduates they are turning out and the issue that they cannot find jobs. These schools should be eliminated or changed into BSN schools if that is what the "standard" should be. But, of course, they make money on unsuspecting students that seem to think there is a "shortage of nurses"

DaddyO · Oct 12, 2012

Hopefully, in the near future, the ADN schools should be taking a hard look at the graduates they are turning out and the issue that they cannot find jobs. These schools should be eliminated or changed into BSN schools if that is what the "standard" should be. But, of course, they make money on unsuspecting students that seem to think there is a "shortage of nurses"

BCC has an alliance with William Paterson.

Arguably a cheaper way to get a BSN if one attends a Community College first and then transfer to a 4yr or RN to BSN program.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Oct 12, 2012

BCC has an alliance with William Paterson.
Arguably a cheaper way to get a BSN if one attends a Community College first and then transfer to a 4yr or RN to BSN program.

Many CC's have alliances with RN-BSN program. I know OCC has an alliance with Kean University for BSN and other bachelor programs.