Are we set to do long-term non emergency care MOSTLY?

kat7ap · Sep 17, 2009

Thank you very much!
When you mention malpractice insurance, how do I get it? Is it expensive to buy?
By the way, since we're only LVN, and we don't do IV (unless we have certification), what kind of malpractice can we do? LVNs are not assistants, but they do their job under a physician or an RN's supervision. Isn't our work checked before it's passed to patients?

To give you a real life example, as an LVN in a rehab hospital I am responsible for my own set of patients including assessments, dr's orders, labs, wound care and treatments, medications including oral, injections, IV meds (some states allow LVNs a much broader scope of practice with IVs). While I work with an RN charge nurse and other RNs, they are not really checking or signing things with me. I go to them if I have questions, need support, or feel something is outside of my scope of practice. Other than that I am on my own and responsible for those 12 hours.

DaniLPN2RN · Sep 17, 2009

Well, I'm taking prerequisites for LVN in Merritt College (Oakland, CA). I don't see anywhere stating that I need to be certified in CPR to be an eligible applicant. Same thing with Los Medanos college (Pittsburg, CA). However, City College of San Francisco requires it. I don't know why there is such a difference. Anyway, I'm not in the program now. When I'm in it, perhaps I will know whether I need it or not.
By the way, do you think it will do me good if I take a first responder course instead of only CPR. My school, Chabot college, has a short 3-week CPR class and a semester-long class First Responder. Both will result in students getting CPR card from AHA. Thank you!

Keep in mind, too, that most schools will give you the training you need; including BLS/First Aid. I'm in FL, but we received this training through school and did not have to obtain on our own. That may be the case where you are too, which is why it's not mentioned as a requirement. Contact the school(s) you are interested in for specifics. Someone else mentioned that once you are accepted, you will receive more specific information. This is true. You will (mostly likely) have to be current on immunizations, have a physical, etc prior to starting classes.

Good luck to you!

mearrepiento · Sep 17, 2009

To give you a real life example, as an LVN in a rehab hospital I am responsible for my own set of patients including assessments, dr's orders, labs, wound care and treatments, medications including oral, injections, IV meds (some states allow LVNs a much broader scope of practice with IVs). While I work with an RN charge nurse and other RNs, they are not really checking or signing things with me. I go to them if I have questions, need support, or feel something is outside of my scope of practice. Other than that I am on my own and responsible for those 12 hours.

Thank you for your answer! That really helps me.

Can you please give me some examples of malpractice that an LVN may do?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

Can you please give me some examples of malpractice that an LVN may do?

Here's a real example, as this occurred in 1998. The adult sons of the dead patient sued the nursing home and won millions.

An alert, oriented nursing home patient was complaining of nausea and chest pain. She informed her nurse, "I think I'm having a heart attack. I'd like to go to the hospital."

Instead, her nurse takes a cigarette break. The patient is becoming frantic. Since the patient has a personal phone line in her room, she telephones her adult son at home and tells him that she's dying and that nobody is paying attention to her. Her nurse waited nearly 1 hour to call 911. By the time paramedics arrived, the patient had died.

A prudent nurse would have taken the patient's chest complaints seriously by assessing, administering nitroglycerin as ordered, getting on the phone with the doctor if the chest pains don't resolve, obtaining an order to send to the ER, and so forth. The nurse surrendered her license to the state nearly 3 years after the death, and after a jury found her liable.

mearrepiento · Sep 18, 2009

Here's a real example, as this occurred in 1998. The adult sons of the dead patient sued the nursing home and won millions.
An alert, oriented nursing home patient was complaining of nausea and chest pain. She informed her nurse, "I think I'm having a heart attack. I'd like to go to the hospital."
Instead, her nurse takes a cigarette break. The patient is becoming frantic. Since the patient has a personal phone line in her room, she telephones her adult son at home and tells him that she's dying and that nobody is paying attention to her. Her nurse waited nearly 1 hour to call 911. By the time paramedics arrived, the patient had died.
A prudent nurse would have taken the patient's chest complaints seriously by assessing, administering nitroglycerin as ordered, getting on the phone with the doctor if the chest pains don't resolve, obtaining an order to send to the ER, and so forth. The nurse surrendered her license to the state nearly 3 years after the death, and after a jury found her liable.

From what you say, it seems like the malpractice is about the attitude of the nurse rather than her skills. If I study well in school and do well clinically, I should be able to know what to do with this patient, right?

By the way, I'm previewing the NCLEX-PN. I think it will help me before and after I graduate the LVN program. Do you think that being knowledgable about NCLEX-PN can help me in my job later on?

kat7ap · Sep 18, 2009

From what you say, it seems like the malpractice is about the attitude of the nurse rather than her skills. If I study well in school and do well clinically, I should be able to know what to do with this patient, right?
By the way, I'm previewing the NCLEX-PN. I think it will help me before and after I graduate the LVN program. Do you think that being knowledgable about NCLEX-PN can help me in my job later on?

Not necessarily just attitude, because good well trained nurses can mistakes as well.

The NCLEX-PN is merely a licensing exam that measures whether or not you are knowledgeable enough to become an LPN/LVN. I would not get too concerned about that at this point because you will be learning those things in you LVN program. Learning that form of questions may be helpful once in nursing school because many of the exams questions are similar if not straight from NCLEX study guides.

mearrepiento · Sep 18, 2009

Not necessarily just attitude, because good well trained nurses can mistakes as well.
The NCLEX-PN is merely a licensing exam that measures whether or not you are knowledgeable enough to become an LPN/LVN. I would not get too concerned about that at this point because you will be learning those things in you LVN program. Learning that form of questions may be helpful once in nursing school because many of the exams questions are similar if not straight from NCLEX study guides.

Thank you!

Can you please give me examples about well-trained nurses making mistakes? When you say even they can make errors, I assume that those mistakes come from something else rather than their skills, right?

For the NCLEX, I bought Saunder book. I hear many positive comments about it. YOu are right that I worry too soon about the NCLEX. I don't have any knowledge about LVN skills or critical thinking yet. I think I can only read the answers rather than think of solutions for the questions.