Fired all the LPN's

[nlhnurse1982]

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!

[LPN_2005/RN_10]

For me, where all of the LPNs were terminated with no notice, happened in Wisconsin. This was in a hospice facility. But shortly after the elimination of all LPNs, I've heard that they asked one of the LPNs if she wanted to come back there to work pool. The RNs weren't too happy that they got dumped with more work. But the nursing homes, home health care, and clinics are always hiring LPNs in Wisconsin.

What hospital and where (state)did this happen? I wish people would publish where they are from when they are giving news like this--It would help alot to know where this is happening.

[fridayannelpn1974]

I graduated in 1974 as an LPN and have been told all my life that they are phasing out LPN's. It hasn't happened yet. Hopefully I am close enought to retirement that I will not be effected by this. I work in a rehab/long term care facility in Arizona. I work the 11pm-7am shift and am responsible for 52 patients. Meds/Tx./IV's (except Picc lines), foleys, trachs, g-tubes - EVERYTHING!. I've seen RN's come in and not last a week. I have seen other Rn's come in and handle things well. The measure of a nurse is not the initials following her signature! It comes down to MALPRACTICE and the facility's ability to say - We only hire RN's. I used to work in Michigan and did belong to a union - THEY DID NOTHING but take our dues every month. I hope the public is ready for a nursing world totally run by RN's. Good Luck - nothing against Rn's - I just think there is a place for LPN's. Are they going to phase out the CNA's. H-m-m-m? A lot of brief changing, combing hair, brushing teeth, etc. that the nurses will have to do. Nursing has become a nightmare! After 35years in the field, I wish I had chosen another career. But I have to say overall it has been good to me, hind site is 20/20. LF

[OklaLPN]

Moogie,

I certainly do agree with you!!! I did my nursing clinicals in a very prominent "Magnet" hospital while in school. I worked my tail off right along side the RN's. But, when the time came for graduation, got the same "excuse"..."sorry, we don't hire LPN's".

This was a big issue when we did our evaluation of this hospital. If we were good enough to work the floor and be free labor during clinicals, we should be able to work the floor as a Licensed Practical Nurse!!!

Just my two cents...

OklaLPN

[Moogie]

This happened at a hospital district in my area a few years ago,thought they would just hire a few more R.N's and C.N.A's and try a new nursing model....Yeah,that worked!(Dripping sarcasm) In three months they had huge ads in the local paper exclaiming how they were a great place to work,and WANTED L.P.N's !!! oh the irony!

I hope every single one of those LPNs had gotten wonderful new jobs with higher pay and better hours and laughed their heads off when the facility that let them go found out it needed them after all.

BTW, I think phrases like "great place to work" and "positive work environment" are HR code for "THIS IS A TOXIC WORKPLACE!"

[loriangel14, RN]

What an awful thing to do to loyal employees. We have endured some upheaval where I work but we have a union so things were different.The people being laid off were given 5 months notice(as per our contract) and those who had been with the hospital a long time got pretty good packages(one PN I work with got a severance package equalling 1 years pay, but she was there 15 years). They have no idea how short we are going to end up being. Some of the girls have been there long enough they have 6 weeks vacation each year. Never mind if someone gets sick or injured.Overtime is going to go through the roof.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I also hope that the OP does come back and post their state/location so that we can keep abreast of situations like this. Of course, I believe this is horrible. It doesn't matter what the title is, it is disrespectful to do this to a group of dedicated employees.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

How cruel. The right thing to do is announce this well in advance, give severance, and help the LPNs find new jobs.

This will come back to bite them big time.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

It happened to my friend at our sister hospital. They told him he could stay for minimum wage. He left.

[pinksugar]

Oh, I am so sorry. That is just LAME! OP, I wish you and your comrades well and pray that better opportunities are lurking around the corner for you all.

[imaRN08]

sorry this has happened to you! unfortunatley i know EXACTLY how you feel! i had this happen to me back in 2006, just over a year after I became a LPN, and only a few months after i was diagnosed with cancer. I was pulled into the office the day after i returned from work from being on medical leave from receiving radiation. it was a friday afternoon and i was told that as of monday, i no longer had a job as an LPN, that i would be working on the floor as a CNA and if i didnt like it, then I could leave. I was currently in school finishing the rest of my prereq's for my RN at the time. i was of coursed ******; and told my boss "fine, i dont like it and i quit; effective NOW!!" i picked up all my stuff from my desk, cleaned out my locker and left!! that following monday, i was fortunate enough to find a job at a nursing home i used to work at as a CNA and started on wednesday!! but as far as compensation, i was told i got nothing!! via policy, i was to get first of all 2 weeks notice, and if not that, 2 weeks pay; another job offered within the system (which there were several open), full PTO pay out (they shorted me over 20 hrs and when i fought it it got nothing), and my education assistance was supposed to be forgiven (which it wasnt and ended up having to pay all that money back!!) when i showed up on that monday to challeng HR with their own policy, while i was waiting, my boss walked out of the HR directors office .... well, we all know what she was prolly doing in there!! HR of course, didnt give me any type of answers and pretty much shoved me out of their office and told me to go home. :argue: i should have sued the place, bc i totally would have got more out of it! but for all the schooling they "helped me pay for", i JUST paid them back a few months ago... they kept calling me all time time to see if i could pay more since it had been so long ago; and my answer-- "you screwed me, u knew u screwed me; so screw you!!" LOL!! my payment?? $10 per month!! sometimes 5!!!

[Sarahtonin]

That's awful. If they wanted to "implement a new care delivery model", as they say, they should have at least given the LPNs a few months notice, or a job offer in another setting.

I just became an LPN, and I find it really frustrating how differently we can be treated from RNs. It doesn't make sense when you consider that, in the state of PA, there are only a few things that I can't do that an RN could. Hang blood products (although we have to monitor them), TPN, IV push (except for flushing a hep-lock), chemo meds...

If I worked where you work, I'd be afraid of losing my job. Not immediately, but who knows? One of those LPNs was there for 30+ years. To let that person go with a lousy 2 weeks pay speaks volumes about how much they respect loyal employees who have been there for decades!

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

imaRN08, pay for a lawyer and get that debt removed.