How does your hospice facility utilize LPN's or don't they?

[kstec, LPN]

I got hired on prn at a hospice and absolutely love it, but am very very limited in what I get to do. And now that I'm off orientation they don't need me now. For one I've only done one f/u visit by myself and now I'm off for a while due to not being needed, Yet we only have 4 RN's, and2LPN's, and appx 60 patients. Why are they not utilizing us LPN's more? If I'd known that I would be so limited in my scope I would of never excepted this job, but I of course was told differently when I interviewed. Maybe I should just chalk this up to another trial and tribulation of being a LPN.

[KJB_65]

We work in Teams. 1 RN Case Manager and 1 LPN to assist. Most of the case managers have 22-28 patients. I have 20 and they tell me I don't have enough patients to get an LPN on my "team". Bahhh. They aren't trying to case manage and see all of my patients either. The LPN's we do have are awesome and very experienced.

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

We also worked in teams in hospice. RN/LPN/CNA team to each15 to 20 patients. It worked really well for us.

[NurseAlwaysNForever]

1 RN-1LVN on each team, we have 3 teams to manage 69 patients. LVN duties are the same as the RN at the company I work for with the exception that LVN's have to coordinate all care with the RN and RN's are responsible for admissions, recerts, and Supervisory visits. RN must do NH death's, LVN's do home deaths.

[TammiRN]

In our office, we have one LPN who has her own caseload and there is a PT RN who does her RN visits for her. It works out well because the rest of the staff are RNs. We also utilize LPNs to do continuous care on patients throughout the whole organization. I do know that in another office, they utilize an LPN in a nursing home where there are quite a number of patients and an RN has to do a visit every two weeks, but I am not sure how they work that out.

[DebiM]

I'm an LPN and have been a Hospice nurse on and off (mostly on) for 10 years. I've worked in 3 different agencies and in all of them the LPNs generally have the bulk of the regular visits while the RNs handle Admissions, Recerts, Supervisory visits, and Death calls (I usually attend the Death call though I can't pronounce to assist with emotional support care).

[oilinmylamp]

The LPN's are assigned personal care for patients where the family cannot adequately manage baths,showers etc. We adjust the number of days per week the LPN goes in , for any particular patient, depending on the need. The RN visits once a week for pain management and assessment. The RN goes for all deaths. We have a small case load in a rural setting. Some patients may be an hour and a half drive. We contract for Home Health Aids if the amount of time a patient needs is more than our LPN's can manage. We have 1 full time LPN amd 1 Part time LPN,3 part time RN case Managers and 1 per diem RN.

[Brightonrn1]

I have joined this evening and was just about to post this same question.

I have been in hospice for over a year working as a case manager.

Recently an Lpn was assigned to case manage with me. she is very knowledgeable but we do not think the same. It is becoming a issue because she will see a pt once and then I will and somehow we are not on the same page. We are two different people and I fear that this is not working out so well. She is the only Lpn at our agency. Although she is very experienced in hospice over 5 years, We seem to be tripping over each other.

Can anyone offer any ideas to make this partnership work???