Cna, Ma, Pt Care Tech, Iv Tech, Lpn, Cheaper Than Rn???????

[morr4336]

Is it possible that hospital care will be so "specialized" that RN's will be phased out, or have a drastically reduce role in hospitals. With all of these techs that are in the hospitals doing what RN's use to do for a fraction of the cost, it seems that in the mist of this nursing shortage a quick fix could be to train techs to do more. Already at some facilities Paramedics and EMT's are being staffed in emergency rooms at a fraction of the cost of the average ED RN. With the advent of the "techs" in the hospital setting, do any of you nurses see a trend of deminished roles in the primary care setting for RN's. WHats your opinion on this. The reason I ask is because at a human resources conference that I recently attended, this issue was brought up. I got the feeling that management some how places blame on the nurses for the shortage, and would love to stick it to them by replacing them with "cheaper" and less qualified staff they feel can do the same job. What do you think?

[heatherbless]

I don't think Rns will ever be phased out due to their varied roles. hty/