Changing roles for LPNs or RPNs

[Marleyna]

Hey everyone,

I'm not trying to stir up any issues between RNs or LPNs (I LOVE YOU ALL NURSES) and I hope no one gets offended. The hospital that I am currently working in changed their roles and responsibilities for LPNs, such as IV initiations, working with and changing PICC lines, and a whole bunch of other things. Other than higher acuity patients (in our facility there are actually LPNs in ICU) and being charge nurse, I really do not see the major difference between the two roles?

I asked an LPN on the unit if there would be pay increase for that but she said she has not heard of any. It is a huge pay difference and I think it is unfair if LPN roles are increasing. I certainly would be upset if I had added on skills but was not adequately being compensated for it.

Does this mean RNs won't be needed in the long run? Is one or the other being slowly phased out?

Are any of your facilities starting this new system as well?

I was just wondering about it all.

Thanks for listening!

[tk0224]

It's all about budgets - who is the cheapest to get the job done.

I don't mean this in a rude way at all, but it is a definite trend that we are seeing in Canada that's for sure.

I, in no way, have anything against RPNs/LPNs - but I am seeing this trend throughout many hospitals in the country. Replacement of RNs is something that IS happening, and it's causing a lot of tension between the two classes of nurses.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

Strange, around here I *heard* that it's really hard for LPNs to get hired because hospitals won't let them do much of anything without a RN signoff... and so some hospitals are hiring MAs for the LPN role... but maybe I heard wrong...

[cecilsgirl]

OP what state are you from? Where I live LPN's would have to take a series of classes to put in IV's, and I don't think we can do anything with PICC lines! We can assess the insertion sites of IV's ( ie:-- for infiltrated or infected areas) and hang only non medicated IV fluids, and I think that is still very limited in most places here for LPN's to do, and we can D/C a reg. IV,---- but that's it. I don't see the role changing here in the Midwest, LPN's do work in the ER and few in ICU, under the strict direction of an RN, and only in their scope of practice.

[Nursejoymariea27, BSN, RN]

I don't think Rn's are being phased out,they just don't want to pay us to do the same job. We can do almost everything that an Rn can do except a few,pushes,hang blood(we can with another nurse,doesn't have to be 2 Rn's) hospitals dont really pay much thats why we work in nursing homes h& hospitals parttime or prn to keep our skills up. i think eventually they will try to phase the lpn out

[BluegrassRN]

Our hospital stopped hiring LPNs a couple of years ago, for the bedside, anyhow. It has to do with the way we divide our duties on the units; an LPN just doesn't fit into the equation anymore. Most of us went back for our RNs at that point.

This is coming from someone who was an LPN for several years: there *is* a difference between LPNs and RNs. RNs have more education and more responsibilities (legally!), so they should be paid more. If your floor has LPNs and RNs doing the exact same job, they aren't using their personnel appropriately.

Both levels of nursing have their place. Threads pop up here all the time on whether aides/LPNs/ADNs/RNs are being phased out. The answer is NO. The way health care is provided is fluid and complex. The environment and means of utilization may evolve and change over time, but none of these roles will be completely phased out of health care in our lifetimes.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

i think eventually they will try to phase the lpn out

Entities such as the ANA have been advocating for the "phasing out" of LPNs for at least 45 years. Rumors have been circulating regarding the eventual "phasing out" of LPNs from the nursing workforce.

Guess what? It has not happened. LPNs are still well alive in 2010 and beyond.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

OP what state are you from? Where I live LPN's would have to take a series of classes to put in IV's, and I don't think we can do anything with PICC lines! We can assess the insertion sites of IV's ( ie:-- for infiltrated or infected areas) and hang only non medicated IV fluids, and I think that is still very limited in most places here for LPN's to do, and we can D/C a reg. IV,---- but that's it. I don't see the role changing here in the Midwest, LPN's do work in the ER and few in ICU, under the strict direction of an RN, and only in their scope of practice.

The OP is from Canada and roles are definitely different even from province to province never mind state to state

[PatMac10,RN, RN]

I don't think they're trying to phase out RNs either. RNs are simply more expensive to pay so some facilities are hiring 2 or 3 RNs for a floor and having the rest of the nursing staff on the floor be LPNs. It's really cheaper that way than hiring 5 or 6 RNs.

[Orange Tree]

I agree that the whole point is to save money.....so I doubt that paying LPNs more is part of the plan.

[Marleyna]

Thank you all for the replies. I'm in Ontario and most of the changes haven't been completely implemented but it is starting to happen and I was just curious as to how other places are doing it. I took an IV initiation course with RPN's and now their starting to take an in service for managing and changing PICC lines. They do also hang blood and all sorts of things. BlueGrassRN I know RNs have more education and responsibilities but our hospital is introducing these new skills and I was just wondering where the division would be. It seems were doing the same work but they are getting paid less and I don't agree with that order at all.

Am I just making a fuzz about nothing? I just feel it is wrong to not increase the pay and expect RPN's to do more work.

[Marleyna]

And it is true. It's all about the costs, less RN's on the floor so they want RPN's to learn to perform all the skills. I guess my main concern was the wage difference for the similar amount of work.