home health, easier for LVNs?

[newlvngrad]

I have heard that home health is easier for lvns because they dont get the difficult cases and they dont have all th paperwork that RNs have. Is this true?

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

It is true that LVNs/LPNs don't have the same amount of paperwork as the RNs do, as they do not do admissions, follow-ups. discharges, etc. and thus are spared all that tedious OASIS documentation.

Our LVN/LPNs do pretty much the same cases as the our RNs... there are very few cases where they might prefer to put an RN that I can think of.

And certainly if there's something you might not be familiar or comfortable with yet concerning your skills, it is best to let your supervisor know before you accept that visit. Most HH agencies do ask what skills you have performed and which you have not, which you need brushing up on, etc. And then they will schedule you accordingly.

Hope that helped. :)

[caliotter3]

It depends on the individual case, your experience level, and the amount/quality of orientation your agency is willing to invest in making it work for you. With an excellent orientation by a good nurse, you can be taught to be able to handle most of the basics for most home health cases. Patients are supposed to be stable enough to be at home in the first place. Some nurses are concerned if they encounter patients on ventilators because they have no vent experience. Even vent training can be done so that you can work a particular case. The key is to read the 485 about the case before you consider it. Decide if it looks like something you can handle, get as much info as possible from the nursing staff, and get the best orientation to the case that they can give you. Then, if after the first shift or two, it does not look like a good fit, tell the agency that you need a different kind of patient. But to answer your general question: no, LVN/LPNs do not get the easy cases. Cases are deemed LPN level or RN level according to set parameters. Most of the time, RNs who do home care (not supervisors or those who do admits, discharges, recerts, etc.) do the same type of cases that LPN/LVNs do. They might be paid a little more in respect of their license.