eliminating the LPN role ?

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In the last few years LPNs are being phased out of acute setting. Most doctors offices are hiring RN. LPN programs are becoming few in colleges and universities. Is the possibly of eliminating the LPN role all together in the near future? Many students use LPN programs as a step to becoming an RN, if this is the case why not just eliminate the LPN programs in the schools.

Specializes in Adult ICU/PICU/NICU.

Back in the 1990s, the United Kingdom eliminated the training of State Enrolled Nurses (SENs), which were nurses similar to the LPNs/LVN in the USA. Now, over 20 years later, many are lamenting this decision and some of the powers that be are considering training SENs again.

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We are already at a nursing shortage. A nurse is a nurse. I think they need to stop elimininating LPNs and even RNs from their roles. We need all the nurses we can get. Now some hospitals wont take you if you dont have a BSN. I think that is plain dumb.One of my good friend/and mentor was an LPN when my first job was an LTAC.She knew more things that even RNs didnt know.

Do you really believe that?

There are way too many articles out there that say otherwise.

There is actually a nursing glut.

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I'm not sure where you are currently but I am in upstate NY. Where I am, LPN's are very much in demand. They don't have enough experienced nurses to keep up with the demand.

The reason I have seen them hire RN's in the office is to triage (as it is not in scope of practice for an LPN here) and the RN's are on the phone doing hospital follow ups, and triage pretty much all day where the LPN's room people and do labs/EKG's/immunizations/prior auths/other phone calls.

The current office where I work doesn't have an RN.

I guess it just depends where you are.

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One thing to keep in mind is that healthcare as a whole is trying to cut back on hospital use. Only really acute patients are ideally hospitalized - this has a lot to do with nosocomial infections and high costs. Hospital stays are shorter and more is being done at home or in TCU's - transitional care units. I think the future of nursing as a whole will be more outpatient - and there will always be a place for LPN/LVNs in outpatient settings.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
One thing to keep in mind is that healthcare as a whole is trying to cut back on hospital use. Only really acute patients are ideally hospitalized - this has a lot to do with nosocomial infections and high costs. Hospital stays are shorter and more is being done at home or in TCU's - transitional care units. I think the future of nursing as a whole will be more outpatient - and there will always be a place for LPN/LVNs in outpatient settings.

I agree, and the same thing was stated in the 2010 Institute of Medicine Report on the future of healthcare. Outpatient, community health and home health are the areas they expect to see growth in relation to acute care hospitals.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

There are 2 acute care hospitals in my city. I moved back here in 1993 when there was only one hospital that had phased out LPNs. There were only a handful at that time. Recently the newer hospital hired about 10-12 LPNs for the telemetry floor because they were using a lot of travelers/RNs. Prior to this, mostly LPNs worked at the rehab/LTAC & nursing homes.

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Specializes in ER, ICU/CCU, Open Heart OR Recovery, Etc.

The LPN phasing out issue is similar in nature to the attempted moves to have all RN's BSN prepared. These discussions have been going on for as long as I have been around and I've not seen too much change. They all wax and wane, and when shortages occur healthcare facilities acute and non acute say "Oh no. We need nurses." but have a hard time hiring or retaining nurses. It's cyclic.

As to the competency of the nurse, regardless of the educational preparation, it varies. I have seen LPNs that are more competent than some RN's and vice versa. Impossible to generalize, just like the discussions of BSN, ADN and Diploma RNs.

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LPNs are, indeed being phased out of the acute care setting in most parts of the USA. Not everywhere, of course, but most places.

This isn't as doom and gloom as it sounds, however.

Inpatient Acute Care is an area of healthcare experiencing very slow growth, relative to the industry as a whole. Patients too sick to go home, but not sick enough to justify ICU-level care are increasingly being placed in skilled nursing or home-care settings. And, skilled nursing and home care are two setting that hire LPNs left and right.

In other words, the areas that will likely see the most growth in the near future are also areas that heavily utilize LPNs.

In fact, and don't quote me on this, but I believe that the governments' Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.org) now lists LPN job growth projections as being slightly higher than RN growth projections.

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so i'm basically wasting my time in lpn school?

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so i'm basically wasting my time in lpn school?

Only if YOU think you are. That's what it comes down to. When I first started school for lpn, I was nervous, unsure of myself and wanted to drop out. I didn't want lpn at first. There were so many people that kept talking about rn rn rn that I felt discouraged. After finishing such a rigorous course I fully realized that it was a good stepping stone for ME. I worked hard for that license and refuse to believe anymore that I wasted my time. I didn't. I'm a nurse. I have a new found respect for nurses and students.

I also think that if I would have jumped into an rn program I would have failed. This topic comes up all the time. Lpns are plenty needed and aren't being phased out anytime soon.

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