How do you function in the Hospital setting?

kat7ap · Nov 17, 2007

1. Are you allowed to have your own patients? How many patients can you have partnered?

I work in mother-baby, and I have my own pts, usually 3-4 couplets.

2. If you are paired with an RN - what duties do you do and what does the RN do?

Yes. RN does intial assessment of newly transferred pt. from L&D and signs my chart that the "care and assessment were reviewed with LPN"

3. Are you allowed to do the assessment on the patient? Does the RN sign off on it?

Yes. See above.

4. How does your day go?

Report. Vital signs and assessments on mom and babies. Discharges new admits. Lots of teaching, breast feeding help, meds IV, PO, and IM. We function same as the RNs on our unit, with the exception of limited meds we can do IVP, no hanging blood, no mag pts, no antepartum.

5. What state do you work in? I'm in Georgia.

Washington state

LPN0207 · Nov 17, 2007

1. Are you allowed to have your own patients? How many patients can you have partnered? I carry all my own patients, when we are busy about 8 or 9 patients. We don't do partners, if I have an IV drug to give, I tell my charge nurse and she does it.

2. If you are paired with an RN - what duties do you do and what does the RN do?

Only the IV stuff

3. Are you allowed to do the assessment on the patient? Does the RN sign off on it? I do all my own assessments, and if there is a new admit, I still do it, but an RN cosigns. Other than brand new admits, my assessments are all on me.

4. How does your day go? My day goes fast, lol. Report, then on the floor doing my thing, assessments, meds, orders to note, family to speak with, charting, paperwork, etc.

5. What state do you work in? Iowa, baby :)

I love working in my hospital, I never feel put down, or made to feel guilty because I can't do certain duties. I am one of 3 LPNs. ( we only have 9 nurses) SMALL hospital

pagandeva2000, LPN · Nov 17, 2007

I work in a clinic and we are basically more autonomous in our roles with a few exceptions, but I will try and answer based on what I know LPNs do in med-surg at my place of work:

Hi!
For all of those who work in the hospital, how are you set up? I work on a medical/dialysis floor.
1. Are you allowed to have your own patients? How many patients can you have partnered? LPNs do not have their own patients, per se, but are double assigned with an RN. LPN is required to administer the medications to those patients. They used to have primary nursing where the LPN had more stable patients assigned to her. I heard this changed due to an administrator that stated she no longer wanted LPNs to have their own clients.
2. If you are paired with an RN - what duties do you do and what does the RN do?
See above. However, in some cases, when the LPN has completed administering the medications, she might help with tube feedings, suctioning, and other duties. But, from what I see, there is an LPN-RN war going on, so, most seasoned LPNs do not assist them outside of medications.
3. Are you allowed to do the assessment on the patient? Does the RN sign off on it? That is hard to say, even in our clinic. I feel that the LPN does assess, however, we have to word it as data gathering. But, as a rule, on med-surg, LPNs don't really do charting, either, so, I guess I would say that they do not assess in med-surg. In the clinic, we are a bit more autonomous (even though we can't say that we are officially), and therefore, we gather information. What is out of our hands, we take to the RN.
4. How does your day go?
Stressful, no matter what area our nurses work in.
5. What state do you work in? I'm in Georgia.
New York.
Our hospital is working on defining the roles for LPNs. I'm excited that I get to help with it and have a say.
I think that my hospital has to do that. We are basically confused most of the time, so, I stay within policy, as stupid as that policy currently is. I would love to have a say in defining our roles.
Thanks,
Lucy

Godswill · Nov 18, 2007

1. Are you allowed to have your own patients? How many patients can you have partnered?

Yes i am allowed to have my own patients. we do not partner and we have 4-5 pt daily.

2. If you are paired with an RN - what duties do you do and what does the RN do?

We are not paired, the only thing different between a lpn and rn on my floor which is post op is they do all the pushes and start the blood. oh yeah and they charge which i tell ya . i really don't want to to. even after i get my RN

3. Are you allowed to do the assessment on the patient? Does the RN sign off on it?

i do all my assessment and a rn does not sign after me. The pt is my responsibility.

4. How does your day go?

my day is busy doing everything from admiting to dischargeing, assessing my pt, to calling doc, passing med, starting ivs, giving iv medication, pulling jp tubes, removing and inserting ng tubes. monitoring pca pumps etc. Hey I am a post op Nurse:lol2:

5. What state do you work in?

I live in Louisiana

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2007

1. I have the same patient load and the same types of patients as the RNs.

2. I am not paired with an RN. If there is a task outside of my scope of practice, I let the charge nurse know and they either do it or refer me to another RN. If a patient becomes unstable, I call the charge nurse.

3. I do my own assessments. An RN does not sign off on them.

4. My day is usually spent trying to get my assessments done while also putting out fires. I look ahead to see what meds the patients have, and if there are any that are outside my scope of practice, especially if the patient has a central line.

Basically, I am viewed as someone who is working toward their RN. My floor would not have hired me as an LPN otherwise. My position is temporary, to be re-evaluated upon the passage of the NCLEX and the obtaining of my RN licensure. There are far too many medications and procedures that are performed on a regular basis on my floor to have a lot of LPNs running around. Basically, it places a hardship on the RNs who are also busy with their own patient load. Our facility is actually phasing out the hiring of LPNs, as the local nursing school is also dropping their LPN program in order to provide a BSN program.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2007

1. Are you allowed to have your own patients? How many patients can you have partnered?

The LPN has their own patient assignments.

2. If you are paired with an RN - what duties do you do and what does the RN do?

The RN has to co-sign the admission data collection and the admission assessment.

3. Are you allowed to do the assessment on the patient? Does the RN sign off on it?

Only the first assessment upon admission. Ongoing assessments are done by the LPN independently.

4. How does your day go?

Crazy for the most part.

5. What state do you work in? I'm in Georgia.

Florida

Please note, that I'm answering as an RN on my unit. I feel the LPNs I work with are being taken advantage of for the responsibliities they have for the much (8.00 hour less) lowered pay they receive. As noted above, the LPN functions fairly independently with little RN supervision. This is similar to godswill above who says "the only difference is.........", here the only difference is a few things and a whole lot of money per year.

swee2000 · Nov 21, 2007

Hi!
For all of those who work in the hospital, how are you set up?
1. Are you allowed to have your own patients? How many patients can you have partnered?
Yes, I am allowed to primary up to 3 patients....which is the same for RNs when they primary.
99.9% of the time I am paired with an RN, and it all depends on which one to determine exactly what I'll do. Some do not like primarying a group &/or are not used to an LPN being able to(all the other LPNs on my floor have been at it for years but utilized as CNAs at an LPN salary. I am a newer LPN and management wants me functioning like how a true LPN should)
2. If you are paired with an RN - what duties do you do and what does the RN do?
Again, all depends on which RN it is. Sometimes I primary patients, doing all the nursing and tech work(data collection=assessments, meds, beds, baths, etc). Other times I might just do the tech work and help with giving meds. Each day is different.
**If I take my own group, I still have to keep the RN informed on the patient's status, progress, changes, etc, because he/she is the one ultimately responsible and who would contact the doctor/PA if needed. Also, I cannot give any PRN meds WITHOUT approval from the RN.
3. Are you allowed to do the assessment on the patient? Does the RN sign off on it?
Yes, but only the ongoing assessments. RNs have to do the initial ones on new admits &/or post-ops.
Yes, the RN has to sign off on my charting. Most will just enter a note in the computer saying "I, XXX-RN, agree with the charting and assessment of XXX-LPN" on the specific patients. Of course, that also means the RNs have to assess each of the patients I am caring for.
4. How does your day go?
Up, down, sideways, inside out.....you name it, it goes there.
Most days are steadily busy with a little chaos here & there. The past 2 months, however, tell a completley different story. Each day has been beyond crazy(and I'm not just referring to the day ...) and chaotically busy from the moment I punch in to the moment I punch out. Not that I'm complaining too much because all the "running around with my head chopped off" craziness has helped me to lose some weight!!!
5. What state do you work in?
Wisconsin
**Being an LPN wasn't my original goal/dream. I was actually in an RN program when health issues got in the way and forced me to leave school for awhile. When I was finally ready to go back, life had different plans in mind, including becoming an LPN instead. Having said that, I do not regret the way things have turned out. Rather, I cherish every day that I hold a license and can see/write "LPN" after my name. Also, I am honored to be a part of this group of nurses. We are hard-working people who, in my opinion, do not (always) get recognized as nurses nor get enough credit when/where it is due. And even though I intend to finish school & become an RN(which would make my manager & coworkers ecstatic, let alone myself), I will always treasure my days as an LPN and look back on them with admiration and appreciation for the opportunities it gave me.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2007

Though I've never worked in an acute care hospital, I have worked in a psychiatric hospital. My function was strictly to pass medications to all of the inpatients, though I sometimes participated in group sessions, did 15 minute checks, blood glucoses, and so forth. The RN did all of the admissions, charting, and assessing.