The path to nursing...

[love-d-OR]

This issue may have been discussed before, but I did a search and could not find anything.

I worked as nurse assistant during nursing school, and during this years I met many great nurses. I have also met great CNA's who had hopes of becoming LVN's or RN's someday. As happy as I am that some of them are realising their dreams I am not sure I am very content with the path they are taking.

The hospital I work in offers a CNA-LVN course that consists of a 54hr pharmacology class. Yes, just a 54hr class. The CNA must have had X amount of years of experience working as CNA's in med-surg, peds, maternity, and psych along with the pharmacology class to sit for the LVN boards. This route is approved in California.

I guess my beef is, how are they eligible to work as LVN's? Even if they passed the test, should they be allowed to function as LVN's? How does working as a CNA teach you to assess a patient? Insert a foley or ngt. Administer drugs and know their expected reactions. How does it prepare them for the patho of a disease or caring for patients with artificial airways.

I guess I am a getting somewhat frustrated with the way the nursing shortage is being handled (if this is the reason why such an exotic program was created). Some may think I am jealous (or something negative like that) but really I am glad that these women have taken some time to further their education (if that's what they want), but why this way?

Its just like the mortgage/housing crash. We provide a short cut for people without analysing the long-term outcome. Yes it will provide more nurses, but are they well qualified?

Its nice to be innovative but why can't be just stop with all this confusion and minimise the entry into the profession to say 2-3. Why does everyone's job seem to overlap each others? Why do people think that everyone's nursing education is equal regardless of degree or job title? Just yesterday I saw a post on a job search engige (looking for work for my friend, who recently gave birth) stating they were looking for an MA/LVN. What does that mean? Do they think they have the same job function

Okay, I'm done with my rant.

Feel free to express your opinion on this issue. I have kept it to myself for a while but I think discussing it with you guys will be nice. I get a liitle tired explaining my degree to people, especially when they ask why I spent 6 years in a university instead of going to concord for 6 months!:argue:

[2bNurseNickStat]

Wow. Transferring from a CNA to an LPN (sorry that's how I know it here) with solely a pharmacology class? So could the pharmacy techs come and cover the floor when we are short staffed? That is crazy to me! Is this an accredited program?

And I understand the frustration about the overlapping of job titles. RNs can do much of what RTs can do and phlebotomists can do and what IV Therapy can do. But the fact is there IS a nursing shortage and this compartmentalizing of staff make RNs job manageable (And not that I am comparing these jobs, because all of these people are 100% essential and experts in their fields).

I definitely agree with you though, nursing shortage or not, shooting people through nursing school like a rocket definitely won't solve the problem. More educational programs and more teachers to instruct them would be a better solution.

I think this also goes back to why nurses sometimes don't get the respect compared to other HCPs. We need to have defined parameters of educational requirements to become an RN. We walk into a patient's room and they don't have any idea whether we are a Master's prepared nurse or used to be a CNA and took a 54 hour pharmacology class.

Sorry, now I'm ranting! Hope everything works out at your hospital love!

-NurseNickSTAT!

[joolia]

If you think that's scary, wait until you here this...

In Florida, CNAs are allowed to function in ALFs as Med Techs, as long as they have taken a 4 hour class on administering self assisted medicines. I took the class and it was a total joke. We learned how to open a pill container, and put a pill in a medicine cup w/o touching it. We didn't learn anything about dosage, how to make sure we are giving the right pill to the right person, drug interactions, etc.

So, for Floirda at least, the response to the nursing shortage, in LTC, at least, seems to be to "train" low skilled workers to perform certain nursing functions, almost assembly-line style, and hire fewer nurses to "manage" them. Since their nursing staff is spread thinner, they are saving $ in staffing costs, while not having to hire nurses from a depleted pool of applicants. It is a win-win situation for the LTC staff, but it seems like the patients are the ones left holding the short end of the stick.

[love-d-OR]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one outraged by this, however, I'm sad to hear it may become a national trend. I chose this profession with pride, and I worked hard to obtain a BSN.

I remember educating people that thought a nurse was just a doctor's helper, who's education was minimal and only consisted of passing pills. These people believed nursing was an easy education that required little to no thinking because the "doctor writes the orders and the nurse just does it." Then, I had much to argue. I would show them my patho, pharm, and other text books to prove we really had to learn. We had to critically think and determine if certain therapies were adequate. Now what will I tell them? That nursing is a joke and some random Joe can just elect to take a class and become a nurse! Nah, maybe I'll just picket in Sacramento...