Any LPNs?

[MaybeaNurse7]

Just wondering if there were any LPNs who worked in Psych and what a day in your life is like.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I worked at a small, freestanding psychiatric hospital as an LPN/LVN in 2006. It was a PRN job, and because the facility severely limited the tasks that LVNs were allowed to complete, the vast majority of my duties revolved around the mighty medication pass.

About 75 percent of my time was spent administering medications and counting narcotics. I occasionally participated in group therapies if time permitted. Tasks such as assessments, care planning, charting, rounding with doctors, and receiving new orders were all handled by RNs per facility policy.

[marydc]

I'm not an LPN but frequent day charge on an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. We have one full time LPN. She is a great nurse with more experience than anyone else on the unit. LPN's are permitted to do anything the RN's do except initiate or care for a patient in seclusion/restraints. Her care plans, admission assessments, and discharge instructions,... must be reviewed and co signed by an RN.

[Topaz7]

Yes, I work full time in ECT in recovery, and also on call in Detox.

[Topaz7]

I set up treatment room for the doctors, reconstitute the Brevital, recover patients, assess, the only difference is I have to have the RN discharge and I can't do IV meds. In Detox I'm the med nurse, assess assist in admissions and charting with the RN.