Fired all the LPN's

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

So the hospital I work for called all the LPN's into a meeting on Friday to let them all know effective immediately they were to hand in their badges and clean out their lockers they were all being replace with RN's so the hospital could implement a new care delivery model. I am an RN and was mortified that they would treat excellent LPN's that have been loyal for years some for 30+. None of these nurses were offered another position in outpatient settings or given the option to continue their education to acheive their RN. The "severence package" was 2 weeks of pay and 1 month of benefits. Has anyone ever heard of something so abrupt being done to LPN's at other hospitals? The message that I felt was sent to all employees is that we are disposable and that no remorse is felt when letting loyal members of the healthcare system go. Oh and prior to this the layed of 50 employees so as not to have to lay off anymore including LPN's!

Ah yes, but in CA, the RN union who instituted the ratios made sure LVN's didn't count, only RN's. Personally, I'd rather have a couple of more patients and either CNA's or LVN's back.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
To: Brass Monkey I think after 3 yrs in this field, you MAY know all there is to know - I'm not sure. I think that nurses who travel as you do & are in a specialty fields like pulmonary, are not held to the same standards as the floor nurses who are with their pt.s 8 hrs. a day / 5 days a week & are expected to assess ALL aspects of their pt.s, not just their lung function. WOW! Most nurses have a definate opinion of agency nurses or traveling nurses. Have you ever asked them what they think? Why don't you post a new blog asking full time nurses what they think of these kind of nurses? You might be surprised what you hear. People need to walk a mile in other people's shoes before they judge them.

So your argument is that since I've worked up from M/S to Pulmonary..............I don't assess my patients on a holistic level and hence don't see the writing on the wall concerning LPNs.

Yeah.......that makes sense. Here we have a classic example of how one can make Disney movies out of things when they are in denial.

I think it would be a hard sale to make trying to convince the travel nurses in here that they can't do assessments. Truth is, you have to perform impeccable assessments and have all your bases covered, because no one will have your back. If a mistake occurs, you have to have all your ducks in order otherwise they will pin it on you to avoid throwing a staff person under the buss. As far as full time staff being held to higher standards........not at any place I've been, as a traveler or as staff (btw, I'm staff now). Since the hospital is paying so much for your services as a traveler, you are expected to perform at top level from day one. No long orientations, no breaking into the routine, and no "verbal warnings" when something goes wrong. I find the stress level as a staff nurse greatly reduced from what I experienced as a traveler. Sure, the same routine day in and day out gets old, much less vacation time to be sure, but outside of that I'm much happier with my 5 days/week 8hr days job that I know will still be there for me a couple months from now.

You might be surprised what you hear. People need to walk a mile in other people's shoes before they judge them.

See, this is me being good. I'm not even going to point out the irony here.

As far as LPNs being let go simply because the economy is bad..........IDK about that, I'm not convinced thats the only reason or even the primary reason. The trimming of LPNs was going on while things were good for us. The hospital I spoke of in my first post was doing this a long time ago, long before things got bad. I think too, this time around, when things improve for us, there will be enough RNs out of work that it will never come to hitting the panic button and going back to using LPNs again.

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Specializes in mostly in the basement.
The whole BSN as entry to practice is baloney and it will never come to pass.

All businesses like to have a pool of applicants who are desperate for work. Why would they have it any other way? Having the BSN as entry to practice will significantly reduce the amount of RNs available right now and for years to come.

Gee that would place the power squarely in the hands of nurses and no one who hires nurses wants that to happen.

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And far too many nurses seem to agree!

Nobody on the 'business' side has to do one tiny thing to keep the obvious potential for enormous gains from the profession. Nurses are doing the work for 'em. Talk about being in the cat bird's seat. Many can't climb over each other fast enough to demand their right to stay in the subordinate position in perpetuity.

I've never understood this and doubt I ever will.

Ignorance or arrogance--take you pick---as a whole we could do with a lot less of both!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Tele, DOU.

all i can say is :crying2:. Because anything else will be :angryfire

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

I'm currently a career changer and when I was looking in the nursing field, I first was going to go into a 1 year LPN program. My aunt who's been a nurse for 10+ years advised me NOT to go that route because the hospitals she worked for were forcing LPNs out of the hospitals and into nursing homes. So, I'm taking the Accelerated BSN route to become an RN. I guess these hospitals aren't interested in compensating these LPNs to go into getting their RNs if they want to keep their jobs.

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You might want to think about the middle ground...an ADN. Acceleratd programs are VERY challenging.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.
You might want to think about the middle ground...an ADN. Acceleratd programs are VERY challenging.

VERY much aware of the challenges of Accelerated program, not wasting 2 years to get an ADN, when I could get a BSN in that amount of time; afterward, I plan to get my MSN. So, not interested in ADN.

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I'm glad to hear that. Most folks I've talked to aren't aware of the challenges. Best of luck to you!

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
You might want to think about the middle ground...an ADN. Acceleratd programs are VERY challenging.

Maybe I'm overly sensitive but wow was that a condescending comment.

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I'm so sorry. I certainly never meant it that way. I have had lots of contact with students in accelerated BSN programs & have witnessed multiple student meltdowns because of the pace and pressure involved. Most of the students I've talked to (including those who didn't melt down & weren't 5150'd) told me that they had no idea how truly difficult the program would be. All but a couple said if they'd known, they'd never have done it. That's where I was coming from.

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LVNs are great. The only problem I've had with LPNs is that some seem to think that there is only a very tiny difference between LPN and RN... education and capability aside (we all know that a 20 year LPN will run circles around a new RN), LPNs have GOT to respect the legal responsibilities and liability of the RN. If an RN wants to call the shots, it's often because it's their head on the chopping block (or them standing before a judge) first when/if anything goes wrong. A few LPNs just don't get it. Also, after knowing a few LPN>RN who understand how much of a kick between the legs (and in the head) RN programs can be, and teaching/tutoring students from both an LPN and RN program, I can fairly say that RN programs are in many ways harder and more in-depth. Still, I have huge respect among my equals (experienced LPNs) . There are also philosophical differences and I like having the combination of the "get it done" mentality and the "think out of the box and think it through all the way" mentalities, along with the usual difference in personalities that makes a diverse team. LPNs have gotten a raw deal in many hospitals and now they are being pushed out of some LTCs. I tell all young LPNs to plan on getting their RN and I will give them a letter of rec if they choose to do that.

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If I was hiring and saw that someone had been an LPN and then had the foresight and humility to further their education to RN, I would put their resume on top.

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