Fired all the LPN's

flfun1997 · Sep 30, 2009

I am looking at where to go at 51 years old everyone is hiring Medical Assitants in my state, I do not want o work in a hospital, I was looking at LPN compared to MA now it is making me think twice. I know LPN's make more money however when I look at job postings there are more for MA's any advice for me?

LPN_2005/RN_10 · Sep 30, 2009

yes, that lpn did turn them down,(while laughing about it with my friend) and in a few months graduated from a rn program. they now have two rns working on each shift, with an cna. before it was a rn, lpn, and cna. i see that the budget cuts is working out just fine... they are actually spending alot more money! :chuckle

my prayers go out to all the nurses fired this way...so sad. here in central indiana, the hospitals have stopped hiring lpns but our 'major' magnet hospital didn't fire the ones still there, they nudged them to get their rn on the hospital's dime, and while there are very, very few left, they still work there. as the lpns who didn't pursue their rn retire, their positions are being filled with rns..
lpns are in no way 'phased out' completely, though. it's funny to me when i see folks come to this conclusion. um, hello, the hospital setting is not the only venue for nurses. nursing homes are staffed primarily by lpns, with a few rns here and there. i am in the second phase of my rn, and when i finish, eventually with my msn (someday), i have absolutely no intention of leaving long term care. it's so sad to me that soo many nurses care about the stigma surrounding what your degree is or isn't..where you work and where you don't..i'm doing what makes me happy and i couldn't give a flyin hoot what other's think of that.. therefore, i am confused as to the whole 'phasing out lpn' phrase people are throwing around..shouldn't it just be 'phasing lpns out of hospitals'?
as for that lpn that was fired, then asked to come back to work pool..omg?! seriously?! i hoped she laughed them all the way to the hills...

smadden911 · Sep 30, 2009

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!

I am an LPN . We can't find a job that uses us in the area that we were actually trained in! There are a lot of new RN grads and RN's that have been removed due to down sizing that are taking our jobs. We LPN's that work in LTC and short term acute settings have seem to be good enough for years, until the hospitals squeeked some ?RN's out and now we're displaced! I'm an on-call nurse for an organization that just put some NAR's through school. They now have positions as on-call RN's and obviously are in contract with this place. I don't have any hours due to these new students and the other RN's taking them. They have even gone over time, which is unheard of! I'm miffed because my experience in the nursing field far outshines theirs and yet they are even given hours in our short term area! This is an area which concerns itself with some VERY acute care. I've actually had to "babysit" a new grad. I'm not getting paid for this service by no means! I've also experienced an incident where a grad was definitely unsure of herself regarding care of a patient and I had to step in. Why are they there then?? My 12 or so patients don't get their care because of this! Oh yes, 12 or so! This is how many this grad is taking care of straight out of school. Maybe long term care, due to being a more calm envirnment but good greif! Short term care?? What are these employers thinking?? Needless to say, I'm nervous. It's all in the scheme of things I guess.

It's too bad that nurses with so much experience are being shoved out when they can be utilized to keep the good name of an association! :crying2:

smadden911 · Sep 30, 2009

A hospital I worked for a few years ago did the same partly in an attempt to move toward magnet status. It gave the ultimate to te LPNs to go for LPN to RN or find another job. Most LPNs left as most were older. Also, there was only one LPN tech school in the area and the local school board was thinking about closing down the program. 90% of the state schools, including all communiy colleges, were turning out RNs. And the local university was RN-BSN and, together with the community college RNs, supplied plenty of RNs to the local city hospitals. A few students in those RN-ASN programs starting as nurse techs at the hospital took the LPN test and became LPNs at the hospital while in school, as they were in the process of moving toward RN within the year. Also on the administrators minds was the report several years ago that hospital morbidity-mortality was lower with RNs than LPNs. And with all RNs we didn't have to worry about interrupting our own work to push IV meds--as we were all RNs throughout the hospital. LPNs cont to work in the clinics.

Pushing IV meds, hanging piggyback meds, crappy paperwork and less patient attendance?? This is what I saw being on the other side of the bed. (being the patient) If the Mortality rate was high, your establishment needs to look in all areas, not just the LPN's, these nurses are under the direction of the RN!! What does that say about direction and team effort?? Not a whole lot! The Administrators needed to take a look at the workers as a whole not just labeling the LPN's as the ones that posed the problem. If I was one of them I would have come back to them big time!! When it comes to change, they always need a scapegoat, sounds like this was happening there too!!

adzo · Sep 30, 2009

Very sad. Iam an LPN and just relocated from Minnesota where i worked in longterm care. I have been looking for a new job here in Texas but can't find any. I am working on ADN through Excelsior. Too bad for those nurses with the economy being the way it is right now.

God Bless you all.

smadden911 · Sep 30, 2009

Hi! Hope TX is doing you well. Up here it sucks! I'm actually here in MN, the RN's are taking over!! AURGH. I don't have time to take my RN, I'm trying to juggle my company and keep in touch with my nursing. I feel lucky to have my company to back me up when I can't get the hours I need. Last year I worked almost full time helping with the place I'm on-call with. Now I'm lucky to get two shift a month!! YUCK.

PALPN4018 · Sep 30, 2009

Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon PA recently laid off 32 LPN's in order to hire RN's for "better customer service".

I am presently trying to remarket myself in the area of phlebotomy. I am working parttime in the paramedical insurance exam industry for life insurance in addition to four days a week in a Personal Care Home.

What goes around does come around. Excellent LPN's are being treated like dirt.

clhankin67 · Sep 30, 2009

It is an unfortunate reality for LPN's. I have worked most of my nursing career in Florida. As an LPN I have been laid off, phased out, and had hours cut at several hospitals over the years. The reason was always the same "we are going to a primary care all RN clinical model".

Each and every hospital realized that was impossible, and began hiring LPN's and CNA's within a year. LPN's are affordable. They can receive additional training, and hospitals find that they can tweak there P&P to allow them to perform most RN tasks when it is in the facilities best interest.

I have gotten my RN license for job security and advancement. Good luck to everyone that was affected....I know how you are feeling right now!

nurse01 · Sep 30, 2009

Ten years ago, the hospital where I worked did the same thing. The average experience of the LPNs was 25 years, some more, some less. RNs only were going to be the new care model. The hospital really shot themselves in the foot (figuratively speaking). About 9 months later, the administration wanted some of the LPNs to return. They offered them their old jobs back, but they had all found employment in nursing homes with MUCH better wages, hours and less work. Not ONE returned to their old job. I couldn't blame them. The hospital lost the benefit of their combined experience and knowledge and had several new RNs on a high acuity neuro/trauma floor. There are a few LPNs working in supply, offices, etc but generally not on the nursing floors. In the end, the healthcare facility was the one who lost out.

sweety1 · Sep 30, 2009

I am so sorry to hear about the layoff. It is just plain mean. I thought that USA had shortage of nurses?

Nurses should have a union to protect them.

Good luck in your future ventures!

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Sep 30, 2009

Perhaps we need to rethink LPNs altogether. Now don't go flame me....patients everywhere are sicker and their clinical needs are more complex.

ToxicShock · Sep 30, 2009

Oh my god, that's terrible! I feel so bad for all those poor LPNs And with such little notice? That's just unethical!

Who's next to go - Associate degree nurses?