Does anyone else find this offensive?

[megan3485]

"Fast paced multiple physician practice seeking fulltime Medical Assistant/LPN"

MEDICAL ASSISTANT/LPN?? I emailed them regarding their job posting and they said "its the same thing and they get paid the same". What are your thoughts?

[Angelfire3]

Is it offensive if a nursing home posts a job for an LPN/RN?

The medical equipment stores around here post jobs for a LPN/RN/respiratory tech. Is that offensive?

EXCELLENT QUESTION:w00t: :yeah:Can't wait to read the responses.

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

LPN's can do more that MA's.

This is a completely inaccurate statement, as already addressed in a previous post of mine....completely inaccurate! Check out what I posted in posts #27 and #28....

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

EXCELLENT QUESTION:w00t: :yeah:Can't wait to read the responses.

The answer you seek should be obvious. As I said earlier; it's all about politics and money. Yes, the place would love to have a licensed RN on staff. They also play into the frustration and economic woes of the time where work is increasingly hard to find and they know that there's an RN out there who will compromise their work ethic and accept a ridiculously low wage. Then magic; they have a licensed RN as opposed to an LPN. The wages they offer are even ridiculous for an LPN to accept but the downward spiraling has begun, companies smell blood in the water and are going for the jugular.

Same thing with the MA/LPN thing. These people know that there is going to be someone out there who will take a low wage offer to get work. And in the MA/LPN case you know they would rather hire the licensed nurse as opposed to a certified assistant that I've seen in my experience. Please don't go off on a diatribe about how it's different etc...my answers are based on my personal experience in Hawaii and Oregon. The licensed person has a larger scope of practice and therefore is more desirable.

Oh if we could only rewind and give licensed nurses their proper due but their will always be a way to drive down costs. And at the moment it's desperation that drives the wages down as people say oh it's only for a little while when they don't realize once you go down that road it's almost impossible to stop it.

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

Can someone tell me what an LPN is going to do for the average family practice office that a MA can't? This is an honest question.

The answer to your question is: NOTHING. Absolutely nothing....

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

The answer to your question is: NOTHING. Absolutely nothing....

Not true at all. An LPN could ASSESS a pt before the doctor sees him/her. Pre suture removal, post injection (S+S of reaction), VS (yes, an MA can take VS, but not assess them). I'm sure there are many more examples.

An MA cannot assess patients.

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

Same thing with the MA/LPN thing. These people know that there is going to be someone out there who will take a low wage offer to get work. And in the MA/LPN case you know they would rather hire the licensed nurse as opposed to a certified assistant that I've seen in my experience. Please don't go off on a diatribe about how it's different etc...my answers are based on my personal experience in Hawaii and Oregon. The licensed person has a larger scope of practice and therefore is more desirable.

I've worked as an LPN in Oregon and Iowa. An LPN in Oregon can do infinitely more than an LPN in Iowa. I would be willing to bet that in certain states, like my own, an LPN doesn't have a huge scope of practice beyond what an MA has than in other states, like Oregon.

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

I find this particular reply very condescending and the poster appears to be gloating.

I was responding to a singular comment that LPNs can "do more" than MAs. Bearing in mind that I have held BOTH positions, keep it in context! If I am condescending to LPNs then I am condescending to myself! That doesn't make much sense, now does it??? Maybe you have a problem with the limitations placed on you by your particular level of training and scope of practice. If you do, then go back to school to become a professional nurse instead of a practical one. Call it gloating if you want. Given the tenor of that singular post by that individual to whom I directed my comments, maybe I was gloating a little bit.

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

Not true at all. An LPN could ASSESS a pt before the doctor sees him/her. Pre suture removal, post injection (S+S of reaction), VS (yes, an MA can take VS, but not assess them). I'm sure there are many more examples.

An MA cannot assess patients.

Look, I am not getting into it with you over scope of practice issues. Scopes of practice are not up for debate. They are concrete and discrete in nature. Doctors in a private practice setting don't NEED your assessment skills. They are there to do the assessments themselves. We are not talking about an inpatient/acute care setting where assessment by a nurse is required because doctors are not always physically present.

In the case of a garden-variety clinic setting, there is nothing required of an LPN's particular scope of practice that is not also included in the scope of practice of a medical assistant. It took me a little while to learn that while a physician/PA/NP may, on occasion, HUMOR ME (again, in a garden-variety clinic-type setting) by listening to me rattle off my evaluation of a patient based on my assessment of the patient, they don't really need or even want my "opinion." They want the patient in the room, with an objective set of vital signs and a chief complaint stated in the patient's own words written on the chart as quickly as possible so they can get in to see the patient, get out and move on to the next patient.

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

Not true at all. An LPN could ASSESS a pt before the doctor sees him/her. Pre suture removal, post injection (S+S of reaction), VS (yes, an MA can take VS, but not assess them). I'm sure there are many more examples.

An MA cannot assess patients.

I know that you said you are from Canada. Here in the US, some states do not include or permit assessment in the scope of practice of LPNs. See the following statement from the New York State BON as an example:

LPN/RN Scope of Practice Clarification (2005)

• The Scope of Practice of Licensed Practical Nurses (.pdf format; Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
  

In September, 2005, the New York State Board for Nursing released a memorandum that provides an interpretation of the scope of practice of both LPNs and RNs, described in the Nurse Practice Act. Additionally, the opinion describes the supervisory responsibilities of the RN related to the LPN, as well as both the graduate nurse (GN) and graduate practical nurse (GPN).

Of significant importance, the opinion clearly states that LPNs do not have assessment privileges and cannot interpret clinical data and/or establish or alter nursing care plans.

For questions, contact Education, Practice and Research: 800.724.NYRN begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800.724.NYRN end_of_the_skype_highlighting, ext. 282 or by e-mail

:: Nursing Practice | :: NYSNA Home

[PatMac10,RN, RN]

I don't understand why it's such a big deal. It doesn't who can do more. Common sense does tell me that if a LPN can work in a variety of settings and a MA in one or two that the LPN would end up doing more somewhere. The LPN scope of practice maybe limited in the office setting, but it is most definetly expanded outside of the office.

[SunnyAndrsn]

What is frustrating is the pay difference. In my facility, any RN on the floor is automatically the charge nurse. Thus, an additional dollar an hour differential. A starting RN makes approximately $3.50 an hour more in base pay than an LPN in my facility. An LPN with say 2 years of experience will make approximately $17/hour, and a brand spanking new RN will start out at $20.50, plus the charge differential and will likely be 'delegating' all of the charge duties to the more experience LPN who was doing it the week before the RN started. Very frustrating to suddenly lose a dollar an hour because hospitals are not highering RNs and the LTC's are.

I avoided the frustrated LPNs as I was one first, so when I graduated with my RN, there was less contempt for me as there has been in the past for other RN hires.

In Minnesota, LPNs can start IV's and manage IV fluids if they have had additional training. Our contract pharmacy provides the training, and also has IV nurses available if we can't get an IV inserted. The IV nurses can also insert PICCS at the facilities. RN's can draw blood off of PICC lines, LPNs can't. RN's can do IV push meds, LPNs can't. Wound care is overseen by RN's, but day to day wound care is done by the floor nurse, regardless of RN or LPN.

We do not have the set up to do EKG's in our facility, however my school did not train LPNs to do the EKGs. RNs do have this as a part of the curriculm, as well as basic tele interpretation.

On very rare occasions, we've had issues with the public regarding RN vs LPNs. Some families have been upset with LPNs caring for their loved ones. We set them straight on this :-)

EXCELLENT QUESTION:w00t: :yeah:Can't wait to read the responses.

[PatMac10,RN, RN]

In NC an LPN can do an assessment. Now granted only certain types. They cannot do intial assessments, but can do a focused assessment.