How to transition an employee that was medic/LPN to RN?

[Trinurse11]

Hi I was looking for ideas and input for how other facilities handle this. If you have an employee that has worked for you a long time as a medic or LPN and then got their RN does your facility have a transition program in place to let them stay? Our facility will not hire them back as RN in their current postion until they leave and get two years experience elsewere. We lose some really good employees because of this. I feel they are being punished for getting more education. Right now its hard in our area for new graduates to find jobs, so I am looking at trying to create something to show that it is better to keep these people. To reward them, keep good employees, and also financially for the facility.

What are your ideas and input?

Thank-you!

[agldragonRN]

that does not make sense! the company would pay less the for the training of the "new" rn. these people are already familiar with the policy and procedures of the company and already know the routine. why not just upgrade these current employees to rn if there is a need? what is the reason for the 2 year rule?

i was an lpn and was upgraded to rn. i work the same floor/unit. they oriented me for like 2-3 days and i was back on the floor. the only new things i could do now as an rn are death pronouncements and "assessments". supposedly i was only "data collecting" when i was an lpn.

i work ltc/snf. where do you work?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Wow....they do that after all that loyalty just because they don't want to pay to orient the new grads. Sad

[Altra, BSN, RN]

That is so short-sighted it's hard to believe. You could try pointing out all that goes into acclimating new hires, not just to the specific duties of their particular job title at the moment, but to the organization in general ... and that in "throwing away" these employees they are losing the benefit of someone who is already engrained in the culture of the organization.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Wow. We like to grow our own. As for transition, when these employees come to new nurse orientation I stress scope of practice and our policies and procedures. Just like someone without a medical type background, each individual is responsible for knowing what they can/cannot do. I have not found it to be a problem. We have a bigger problem with EMS who working prn in the ER and try to work outside their scope. Their license is for pre-hospital only, and their license dies at the door. So just because they KNOW how to start and IV or intubate they are not allowed BY LAW to do so here. We have to re-educate people on this sometimes.