Are LPN/LVNs a dying breed?

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Jun 7, 2007

no... i have been a LPN for 21 years and just graduated from RN school( waiting for my att) and LPN's are not a dying breed.. no way.. it won't happen..

offtowrk · Jun 7, 2007

Yes, I agree with you folks in CA. Very limited practice there. I worked in Northern Ca as a travel nurse and was very disappointed with the limited skills I could use there. I live in NC and have found the scope of practice varies extremely. I worked in a hospital that I was an Advanced LPN. I did pushes, hung blood, monitored chemo, phlebotomy, started my own IV's, ACLS, PALS and EKG certifications. Now I am back in school living in another city and all I can find in this area is LTC and home care. I have been an LPN for 12 years and I am back in school for my BSN. I was tired of doing the same work as the RN's and getting paid a lot less. My travel RN friends are making over $100,000/yr.

IDONO · Jun 7, 2007

:welcome: here in south georgia, lpn's are not being phased out. we work in many places and a number of hospitals in the area still hire and recruit us.

what part of south ga? i am relocating to middle ga, originally from waycross. i am looking into lpn programs with the intent on getting my rn as well. i have a degree, but i am considering nursing as a career change.

Brinseana, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2007

Hi all....
I know this topic has probably been around before, but I was hoping some of you seasoned LPNs could comment on what you think about the future of LPN/LVN nursing. I'm planning to enter LVN school this June, and am both excited and apprehensive! I do plan to eventually earn my RN, but earning a paycheck within about a years' time sure sounds good.
Also, what are your experiences with stress in nursing? I used to be a high school English teacher, but got out of that after three years because of UNBELIEVABLE expectations placed on my by parents/administrators, and the fact that I felt I was little more than a glorified babysitter....
I know these topics are nothing new to you, but I'm a newbie and anything helps! Cheers y'all.

Here in Texas LVNs can do almost anything. There are so many areas that are open to us. The longer you are an LVN the more the opportunities come your way.

BigB · Jul 7, 2007

Yes, I agree with you folks in CA. Very limited practice there. I worked in Northern Ca as a travel nurse and was very disappointed with the limited skills I could use there. I live in NC and have found the scope of practice varies extremely. I worked in a hospital that I was an Advanced LPN. I did pushes, hung blood, monitored chemo, phlebotomy, started my own IV's, ACLS, PALS and EKG certifications. Now I am back in school living in another city and all I can find in this area is LTC and home care. I have been an LPN for 12 years and I am back in school for my BSN. I was tired of doing the same work as the RN's and getting paid a lot less. My travel RN friends are making over $100,000/yr.

Yes, in California we are all but dead as LVN. Sure we have nursing homes...but not much else.

ejsmom · Jul 8, 2007

I've heard that for the last 10 years and its funny that both the LPN and RN programs around my area have 2 year waiting lists. In jersey, LPNs will most likely not get hired in a hospital and that really has to do w/ scope of practice and malpractice insurance issues. I know LPNs that have been so for 20+years. Just today I had 20 LPN nursing students at our facility.A dying breed? Yeah right

LPNboo2008 · Oct 3, 2008

What part of South GA? I am relocating to middle GA, originally from Waycross. I am looking into LPN programs with the intent on getting my RN as well. I have a degree, but I am considering nursing as a career change.

Ah, I just realized the date on this thread. I live in South Georgia. There is some phasing out of LPNs going on here. Not quite as much as the northern states. Our class consisted of 18 new graduates. Out of those 18 3 have jobs. Two are working in hospitals and one in a doctors office. The rest are freaking out. Even the LTC facilities are not hiring in our area. Where we went to school we were allowed to do everything but hang blood. We watched other LPNs do it, but we were not allowed. We were allowed to do saline pushes but not narcotics. We gave narcotics po and IM. We were allowed to take part in L&D, give IVs, Vitamin K to newborns and their first Hep B shot. We had in all 15 clinical sites. Lots of experience in a lot of different areas. Not to mention every place in the hospital except for ICU. A couple went there and our instructor pulled us because they were only making them clean up everything. I have been searching the net looking for jobs in the Columbus area since I will be making a move there in a couple months. There is a lot of LTC facilities that need LPNs and of course the hospital on base at Fort Benning where I will be living, but I have decided the best thing for me and my family is to just go ahead and get my associates. There are so many job openings all over the place for RNs. Even the secretary of state of boards site shows there are over 102,000 Rns in the state of Georgia and almost 40,000 LPNs. You would think the shortage would be with the LPNs and not the RNs, but it is obvious we are being phased out.

I believe it to be a mistake myself. I think the LPN is an asset to the RN. I have a friend that asked my opinion and I told her go for your RN. I'm glad that I gave her that advice now. I have the utmost respect for the RN, but as those of you that did not start in a technical school to be an LPN and went right into school to be an RN...most are not allowed to do as much as we were. We "our graduating class" got down and dirty and when I say that the LPNs that were trained like us know what I mean. I could be a CNA any day of the week. I have had every body fluid there is on me with the exception of semen and I probably will have that on me at some point in time I'm sure. We were taught like we were RNs. We lost 2/3's of our class. Nursing is tough and I have been told by several that LPN school was tougher and more demanding than RN school. If I can make it through there then I can make it through RN school. By then there may be a phasing out of RNs haha. Oh, who knows.

My instructors told us all where we needed to be as far as our skills and what we were best at. All the other students were told departments. I was told I needed to be a nurse practitioner. I have a passion and a love for taking care of people. I am a complicated person, but at the same time simple. I research a lot. I am a dork in some aspects. I wish everyone luck with their adventures. It's my first post, so take it easy on me:specs:

psych4u · Oct 6, 2008

YES THEY ARE A DYING BREED!!

I just wanted to comment on this topic because it is real and true where I am in Delaware. I have been an LPN for 15 years and for the first time in my career, I cannot find a job. I have excellent references, but all the ads are for MA's. To add insult to injury, I am now seeing ads that ask for MA/LPN. As if we are of equal qualifications!! Yes, the MA's can give injections and do some of the same things, but their education is geared more toward office work. I have interviewed at a few places, and the employers say they are looking for an MA, but will settle for an LPN if they cannot find a qualified MA. ?????? No hospitals will hire us and the only ones still there are "grandfathered." Once they go, that's it. As for our replacement in LTC? You betcha. It's a little something called....med tech. A quickie 3 hour course in med passing and they can take the med cart. I have seen this in action when I was working LTC in Florida. I was told that they were starting on my unit and working their way thru the building until all they would have is CNA's, med techs, and one RN per unit to be charge and do admissions and paperwork. I am scrambling to finish my RN because it is coming like a freight train. Maybe not in all the states, but if I were starting out my education here, I would get my MA, and then work on my RN. MA's stand a much better chance of getting a job. Just my 2 cents.

Fiona59 · Oct 6, 2008

Hate to point out BUT it really depends on where YOU live and work.

Up here in Canada, the LPN has become the diploma nurse. All RNs in my province require a BScN degree.

There is no shortage of work for either grade of nurse. The scope of practice is very similar.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2008

Maybe not in all the states, but if I were starting out my education here, I would get my MA, and then work on my RN. MA's stand a much better chance of getting a job. Just my 2 cents.

I completed a MA (medical assistant) program 8 years ago, and was never able to land a job with my certificate. To add insult to injury, the job offers were coming in at about $8 per hour in a high cost-of-living state (California). Of course I refused to work for such low pay. Clinics prefer to hire MAs because they are much more cost-effective than LPNs and can be paid less money.

As an LVN/LPN, I have not had any trouble finding work. Until laws change, LTCFs will always need licensed nurses in the building. Medication aides are used extensively in my city, and there's still plenty of LPN/LVN positions that need to be filled.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Oct 7, 2008

I have to echo that it sincerely depends on where you live. In my area, LPNs are still used in hospitals. Some of them have limited them to where in the hospital they can work, or the duties that can be performed, however, they are still being utilized. I do suspect that there are changes that will take place due to many hospitals applying for Magnet Status, but, we still have options. In addition, some agencies pay LPNs pretty close to what some are paying RNs, with only a difference of about $10 an hour. In fact, I was speaking to an RN today that worked for a place that paid $28 an hour and I was being paid $30 at a different agency. Now, THAT blew me away!

LPNboo2008 · Oct 7, 2008

Hate to point out BUT it really depends on where YOU live and work.
Up here in Canada, the LPN has become the diploma nurse. All RNs in my province require a BScN degree.
There is no shortage of work for either grade of nurse. The scope of practice is very similar.

This is true. I'm getting married in a couple months to a soldier, so I will really have limited choices of where I will live in the near or distant future. I have read so many articles about all this talk about phasing out it just gives me a headache, thinking I wasted 18 months of my life to get educated and to know that medical assistants are being hired to jump in and do what I worked so hard to do, with very little education.

I know hospitals and health care in general are all trying to find ways to cut cost, but is it really fair to the patients, families, and Rn's? I'm going to go back to school, but I don't want to work at a hospital where I have to depend on someone that took a couple classes to help take care of patients. Can you say lawsuits out the yin yang! I understand that not all places are like this. I am happy there are states that do not support this. Quality patient care will go straight down the toilet....no offense to any medical assistants, but in order to understand you must be educated very well and consistently....now if they make them take the NLN and then the NCLEX first along with a class strictly about nursing fundamentals, med-surg 1 and 2, OB and PEDS, and of course pharmacology, not to mention 700 plus hours of clinical....and keep a 2.5 average...hey I couldn't say a thing. No one could. They would of went through the training I and so many others went through. The state of Georgia's averages changed as of 6 months ago. It used to be keep a 75 or see ya and pharmacology, you couldn't make under a 90 on each test. Now just have a 70 average and you pass. I'm worried about the quality of nurses graduating from the tech schools in the next 6 months and a few that were in our class. I was not a straight A student, but I did manage to keep a 3.6 throughout the entire time at school and never scored under a B on any of my test. I am very passionate about nursing and concerned with where it is heading.

I did read a magazine a couple days ago while I was visiting my previous instructor and the need for medical assistants are projected to be #1 most needed in the medical field by the year 2012. I asked her what she thought and she sighed, and said go get back into school and get as much education you can while you're young. She's 58 and is heading back to school. If I had of known what I know now; I would of went straight into going for my RN. Hind sight is 20/20, but at the same time I am thankful that I didn't because I wouldn't of met such dedicated, compassionate, independent women. I may or may not of learned as much in LPN school, I'm sure it will help with some of the A&P classes, med-surg, OB, Peds, and mental health...oh well, I will soon find out.

PS....they are hiring MAs in doctors offices here and LTCF....I live in a tiny town.

I know I will definitely have a job on base no matter where we go. I have no experience compared to most of you. I haven't even begun my journey out into the field besides clinical. I wish everyone the best with whatever they decide to do. I am also thinking ultrasound tech....I want to do a little of everything. I believe that is why my prior instructors are pushing me to go so far with the education. Plus I'm a dork....I hope I didn't offend anyone. I do at times seem to have a way of doing that without realizing it, so my apologies in advance. Good luck to all and hopefully health care gurus will come to their senses. :banghead: