Re: LPN's and unions...help me understand Originally Posted by NRSKarenRN 
iv) requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study in an institution of higher learning or a hospital, as distinguished from a general academic education or from an apprenticeship or from training in the performance of routine mental, manual, or physical processes.
LPN education is considered to be at introductory nursing level; duration averages 12 months of FT study, not a prologed course so does not meet the above definition.
Don't shoot the messenger....
(was LPN charge nurse night shift for 5 years, started as charge 2 months post graduation on 26 bed medical/respiratory unit--just me and the 2 aides who were my right arms and taught me the ropes!)
It is probobly different with every school...all I know is my nursing program is 15 months long, we have class M-W, 8am-2:30pm, and on Thurs and Fri we have clinical from 6:45 am-2:15pm. We have an average of 3-5 hours of homework and/or studying a night and that is a conservative guess... I've been in school for about 4 months and I've already learned how every type of cell, organ, and body system operates, and how the pathophysiology of disease will affect them. I've learned (and been tested on) every vitamin and mineral that the body needs in order to function, what can cause deficiencies or toxic levels, what lab values indicate a deficiency or toxic level, what symptoms present with a too-high or too-low value, what can result from adverse values, what conditions co-occur with these adverse values, and what interventions are needed if any of these situations...And today, I learned to debride a stage 4 pressure ulcer. I could go on and on, but I think you get what I'm saying
It's not an advanced degree program, but I don't think you could describe that as being "trained to perform routine manual, mental or physical tasks"
Isn't letting the labor laws get away with describing it as such demeaning to ALL nurses?
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