Are LPN's being phased out?

[JSlovex2]

I know people have been saying for years that everyone would need a BSN and LPN's would be a thing of the past, etc. Well, so far, where I work (a large, magnet hospital) there are still many, many nurses without a BSN -but there are veeery few LPN's. I attended a meeting last week where my supervisor was lecturing RNs about signing off on LPN's charts and she mentioned that there are very few LPN's and even mentioned that some of those LPN's are about to graduate to be RN's. I overheard other RNs in the cafeteria complaining about LPN's basically saying, "what's the point when we have to go behind them."

They are definitely being phased out where I work. They aren't hiring LPN's anymore although the ones who are there aren't getting fired or anything. What is it like where you work? Do you think LPN's have a future?

[nursel56]

Do you mean they won't be allowed to push a cardiac med. or do an initial assessment?

Neither of those are out of the LPN scope in all the states. The RNs I worked with were still RNs. They were just paid below market. For every nurse who takes a job for lower than average pay contributes to overall depressing of wages. I'm not saying anyone should remain unemployed, but that is how the market works.

[Asystole RN]

Neither of those are out of the LPN scope in all the states. The RNs I worked with were still RNs. They were just paid below market. For every nurse who takes a job for lower than average pay contributes to overall depressing of wages. I'm not saying anyone should remain unemployed, but that is how the market works.

It is out of the SOP for LPNs to push any intravenous medication or perform any form of assessment in Arizona.

[Asystole RN]

I would say that LPNs are currently being actively displaced by RN graduates here in Arizona in the traditionally held roles filled by LPNs such as in LTC.

Over the last ten years the amount of RNs being graduated in Arizona has more than tripled, producing nearly 2,500-3,000 new RN graduates every year. Over the same period of time LPN graduation has doubled but only produces 400-500 graduates every year. This of course does not take into account the significant number of LPN graduates who turn around and enter a RN program in the latter semesters.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

I wonder what the LPN conversion rate. Pretty much everyone I went to school with planned to bridge. Not sure how many are on their way there.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

My hospital had said, two years ago, that they would not be hiring anymore LPN's. As the LPN's quit or moved on, they would replace them with RN's. Well guess what~ we have hired several new LPN's in the last month! A couple of them are brand-new nurses, fresh out of school. I do know that most LPN's here work in LTC. Also, most of the hospitals around here are "RN only." But like I said, my hospital just hired several LPN's. There are only a precious few hospitals here that hire LPN's, however.

[nursel56]

It is out of the SOP for LPNs to push any intravenous medication or perform any form of assessment in Arizona.

You'll see a variety of interpretations of law and facility policies across the 50 states. That's why I put the link to all 50 state boards of nursing on the bottom of my posts.

[Asystole RN]

You'll see a variety of interpretations of law and facility policies across the 50 states. That's why I put the link to all 50 state boards of nursing on the bottom of my posts.

I misread your post, I read it as a statement that there were no states that restricted the mentioned tasks.

[anniv91106]

It is out of the SOP for LPNs to push any intravenous medication or perform any form of assessment in Arizona.

Has it always been out of LPN scope or has the scope changed at some point?

[nursel56]

I misread your post, I read it as a statement that there were no states that restricted the mentioned tasks.

Ha! I can barely keep ours straight. Many times people will assume that if their facility doesn't allow something, it's out of the scope of practice. Then on top of that, there are things LVNs/LPNs can do "under the direction of" a MD or RN, but even that gets fuzzy as prior to the recent glut of new RN grads, ALFs were populated with LPNs who obviously perform assessments, with the RN available but not necessarily on site at that moment.

I finally found a great publication by Kaiser for California where they not only provided a handy chart with most nursing tasks included, they referred to which statute (Title number, etc) they derived their conclusions from.

[Asystole RN]

Has it always been out of LPN scope or has the scope changed at some point?

Yes, although some things like the ability to hang premixed IV medications with a central line has recently been added.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

I've found the LVN scope of practice in general to be wider than I thought or have been told / allowed to do.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

It depends on your state, and the facility in which you work. Our LPN's cannot hang anything to a central line, flush them, or re-dress them. If you just follow your facility's policy, you will be ok.