Difference between PN and RN.......

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Can someone give me the basic idea of what the difference is between being a PN as compared to being an RN? I am going to be starting the PN course in Sept. and want to know exactly what it is I'm in for! I know the basics but, really what is the difference in job description?

Ok, I have asked the difference between LPN and RN, now.......if you go all the way up the ladder to an NP, couldn't you pretty much be considered a Dr., minus the PhD?! I think that the whole PhD thing should be wiped out as nurses are doing Dr.'s jobs anyways. Yes, we would still need surgeons ( specialists ) but an NP could do that too!

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

An NPs education does in no way make them equivalent to an MD. Being a nurse and being a doctor are two different disciplines.

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There are PhD qualified nurses and NPs. It just signifies a very specialized knowledge base in the nursing discipline.

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Specializes in Peds.

Fiona59 is correct. There is a large difference between a nurse with a PhD, a Nursing Doctor, compared with a Medical Doctor. Their scopes of practice overlap but are not interchangeable.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC/Geriatric.
Ok, I have asked the difference between LPN and RN, now.......if you go all the way up the ladder to an NP, couldn't you pretty much be considered a Dr., minus the PhD?! I think that the whole PhD thing should be wiped out as nurses are doing Dr.'s jobs anyways. Yes, we would still need surgeons ( specialists ) but an NP could do that too!

Most "doctors" in the medical sense are Medical Doctors, not PhD's, although I'm sure there are some who also have a PhD. A doctor who is strictly a PhD is certainly not qualified in any way to treat patients or prescribe medications etc. They could be a Doctor of Philosophy in physics or something like that.

I think it's a very uneducated statement to say that nurses are doing doctor's jobs anyways. There is no way that they are. As mentioned above, some of the scope overlaps between a NP and a doctor, but in no way does a NP replace a medical doctor. And no, for as much education and skill that an NP has, he/she could not do a surgeon's job!

There's just so much more that could be said on the subject, I could go on forever, but I won't.

Nurses can't replace doctors. Doctor's can't replace nurses. Period.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

I am taking a physical assessment course right now and we were discussing the type of examinations that MD's are responsible for and it seemed to me that they really do require a very specific skill set.

I will say that nurses and doctors need each other to function.

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hi 2bornot2b

I am in BC and will be writing the National Exam on Wednesday. Here in BC - LPN's handle the stable patients and RN's the unstable. As an LPN I can not hang blood but I can monitor the infusion, I can not put in an NG tube but I can monitor, suction etc and I can not hang IV meds (yet, it's coming we are being told). I can have a pt with an iv and change that bag, monitor etc.

I am very excited to be starting into the every increasing and demanding field. At 46, I do not have the time or money to be in school for 4 yrs (in BC you must have a BScN for RN's now). the LPN programme only gets 6 months credit towards the BScN. I am very happy doing bedside nursing.

All be very best in your endevour. I am sure you will love it.

Cheers

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Hey 2bornot2b

I am in BC and just completed my PN course. I am writing the National licensing exam on Wednesday. In BC LPN's are full scope. LPN's handle the stable pts, RN's the unstable. As an LPN I can not hang blood but I can monitor the infusion, I can not insert an NG tube but can monitor, suction etc, and I can not hand IV meds (yet, it's coming we have been told). Otherwise I do everything. It's a team approach. At this point in my new career, I am fine with the RN's having the unstable patients. I know we have a huge resource availalbe in the healthcare team and look forward to learning from them all that I can.

At 46, going to school for 4 yrs to be my BSN is just not in the cards. Currently we only get 6 months credit towards the BSN programme from LPN. During my practicum there were student rn's who were not able to insert subq butterflies as they had not covered that yet.

It is definately a team approach for patient.

I wish you the very best for your year ahead - it's a tough one but well worth it

Take care

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Ok, I have asked the difference between LPN and RN, now.......if you go all the way up the ladder to an NP, couldn't you pretty much be considered a Dr., minus the PhD?! I think that the whole PhD thing should be wiped out as nurses are doing Dr.'s jobs anyways. Yes, we would still need surgeons ( specialists ) but an NP could do that too!

I'm not 100% sure, I don't think you can become a NP/get PhD as a nurse without your bachelor of science in nursing degree.

Medical doctors have their own scope of practice.

Nurses/NP have their own scope of practice.

NP are not medical doctors, but they could perform some of the things that medical doctors do (diagnose, treat, prescribe some medication).

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There is a psych nurse program, its only two year same as LPN, but you get paid the same as an RN, you arent restricted to really anything.. one thing you cant work in is Pediatrics and Mat from what ive heard. If you do want to continue you can get into 3rd year of the BN program.. Im at Grant Macewan taking Psych nursing and when Im done i have the option of applying to UofA and getting my BN.. Its just a thought, but its the same amount of time as the LPN and you get paid more... some people may not like psych to much, but its not overly always psych, our first clinical was in a seniors home, and our senior practicum is our choice.

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Ok, I have asked the difference between LPN and RN, now.......if you go all the way up the ladder to an NP, couldn't you pretty much be considered a Dr., minus the PhD?! I think that the whole PhD thing should be wiped out as nurses are doing Dr.'s jobs anyways. Yes, we would still need surgeons ( specialists ) but an NP could do that too!

I am a nursing student in St. Louis, MO. One of my teachers has a PhD in Physiology, one is a PhD RN, and one is an NP. Their scope of practice could not be farther from each other. Dr. *********, PhD in Phys, couldn't prescribe medication if his life depended on it, although he is extremely knowledgeable in that field. Dr. ********, PhD RN, has a terminable degree of PhD, like Dr. *********, but neither are "doctors" in the medical sense. Neither are physicians, either. Dr. ******* is a research nurse. He has experience in the delivery room and in AIDS research. *******, MSN NP, can prescribe medication, because that's what NP's do. She isn't a "doctor", or a physician, she's a nurse. Our school offers a combo DNP/PhD program, whether you have a BSN, or MSN. This would be the ultimate in nursing degrees. You have the "esteemed" PhD, a terminable degree, and you also have the Doctorate in NP, which allows medication prescriptions, as well as the fact that it is not a terminable degree. I know this is years after the original post, but I found this thread to be interesting, and wanted to get my hands dirty as well, lol!

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I am kinda glad this was brought up... I had no idea that the PN and RN rolls were so close to eachother...

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