I knew it wasn't right while I was doing it...

Nurses General Nursing

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Last night, towards the end of the shift, most of the staff was either in the report room taping or busy in their pts rooms. We didn't have a secretary, and the charge nurse was away from the desk. One of the LPN's was charting at the nurse's station. When I came around the corner, she was just hanging up the phone. She said, "That was Dr. Soandso. He wants the foley in 716 to come out at 5 am. I repeated it back to him. Will you write it for me?" I know that it wasn't the right thing to do, but I wrote it anyway, signing my own name after the doc's.

I guess we should have called him back and explained that the nurse who took the telephone order was an LPN, and isn't allowed to do so, but we didn't.

I know I was in the wrong, but I am frustrated at her too. She should have told the doc that she couldn't take the order and put him on hold for a minute to find an RN. I've seen her do this once before.

Does this happen where you work too? Just wondering.

So are you saying LPNs cannot take TOs? That is strange. I have worked in 5 different states and LPNs can do almost everything RNs can do with few exceptions. As a matter of fact, the facility I work at, our charge nurse is an LPN and has RNs working under her supervision.

Here in Minnesota an LPN isn't allowed to supervise RNs. She may monitor staff but she can't be a supervisor. This is something that I found strange because I was an LPN for over 7 years and never thought I was doing anything wrong until I went to school for my RN and the nurse practice act was taught to us. And we weren't allowed to take telephone orders in the hospital. In the nursing home we did just about everything including starting and titrating IVs. I think someone should have a conversation with this LPN. She is practicing outside her role according to hospital policy and it's the RNs that will be accountable for for any mistakes that she makes if they transcribe orders that they didn't get from the doctors. Be careful!

Specializes in ICU, Education.

I cannot believe your supervisor would take an order adn not write it herself. I would have had no problem assertively telling her to write the order she took.

Here in Minnesota an LPN isn't allowed to supervise RNs. She may monitor staff but she can't be a supervisor. This is something that I found strange because I was an LPN for over 7 years and never thought I was doing anything wrong until I went to school for my RN and the nurse practice act was taught to us. And we weren't allowed to take telephone orders in the hospital. In the nursing home we did just about everything including starting and titrating IVs. I think someone should have a conversation with this LPN. She is practicing outside her role according to hospital policy and it's the RNs that will be accountable for for any mistakes that she makes if they transcribe orders that they didn't get from the doctors. Be careful!

As I mentioned in a later post, LPNs can supervise administratively and not clincally and there is nothing illegal about that. It has been going on for quite some time.

you will never regret doing things right the first time...if something comes up at least you know that you are responsible

if you feel uncomfortable working with lpns you should bring your complaints to the ptb and rearrange your working days so that you will be separate

I found something out today that makes this whole situation even more maddening in my eyes! I usually work evening shift, so the LPN in the OP is the only LPN I end up working with 95% of the time. Today I worked days, and happened to be chatting with a different LPN about what our Nurse Practice Act does and doesn't allow them to do. (I didn't mention the situation in my OP.) I found out that LPNs CAN in fact take verbal and phone orders in my state, and can set up and adjust PCAs! She mentioned the LPN from the OP by name as said "but Susie absolutely refuses to do those things, she won't even check her own MARs." Turns out that when the laws changed over 15 yrs ago, "Susie" refused to change with them.

This is a nurse who NEVER fails to punch out exactly on time, even if one of her pts codes during her shift! No wonder she is so efficent, she just gets everyone to do her work for her. Too bad it took me 5 mos of working with her to figure it out. Stupid me, I just thought she was a good delegator.:angryfire

So are you saying LPNs cannot take TOs? That is strange. I have worked in 5 different states and LPNs can do almost everything RNs can do with few exceptions. As a matter of fact, the facility I work at, our charge nurse is an LPN and has RNs working under her supervision.

In most hospitals they have a stricter standard than the BON as far as LPN scope of practice...in south Florida BON says LPN's can take TO's, VO's and a bit more but most hospitals don't, only RN's....what gets me is that UNIT SECRETARIES can take orders in hospitals and they aren't even licensed!!!!:uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3:

double check with your facility as to what they allow....as I said previously it is often much stricter then the BON.....and yes I have seen RN's and LPN's fired for just "signing" after the LPN....I even had a nurse manager that would check handwritting to make sure that the LPN didn't write the order and then have the RN sign it off as her own.:nono: :nono: :nono:

Specializes in Medsurg, home health, ob and rehab.

accordint to state board, lpns cannot be in charge only rns which makes since because a rn can do more according to the license

...what gets me is that UNIT SECRETARIES can take orders in hospitals and they aren't even licensed!!!!:uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3:

And what gets me is we are starting to have ambulance drivers, er, I mean Paramedics work along side of RNs and LPNs doing NURSING duties

accordint to state board, lpns cannot be in charge only rns which makes since because a rn can do more according to the license

What state is that? In Tennessee an LPN cannot supervise an RN clinically but can administratively. Matter of fact, non licensed personnel can supervise administratively. I have worked in places where the medical records person was the administrative supervisor for the shift.

Specializes in designated med nurse,med surg,hh, peds.

This is a little off topic but...re:traumaRUs - In Illinois LPNs can take verbal orders and telephone orders, and our scope of practice varies from facility to facility. LPNs can do much, much more in a critical access facility as opposed to a jacho facility.I found this out just last week when I interviewed for a job at a critical access hospital in central Illinois. At this particular facility, LPNs did many RN tasks,starting IV's,giving IV meds, about the only things we did not do were anything to do with a central line,or start the blood transfusions.(Didn't take the job, I don't do dayshift,and had a few reservations about the facility) Working in the SNF/LTCs around here, many times there are no RNs on nights,so we have to call the doctors and take phone orders, we also call the coroner with time of death, and get phone pronouncements from the docs. I do not claim to be on the same level as a RN, actually would like to go back and get my RN in the next couple of years. As for the post, IMHO in the future if this happens again, tell her "you took the order, you write the order" if it continues, ask for an inservice on the legalities of writing an order you didn't personally get from the doctor, and make sure your supervisor/nurse manager has EVERYONE sign a completion/comprehension form, that way, you can say to the other person, "you know I can't do that, don't you remember our inservice?"

This is a little off topic but...re:traumaRUs - In Illinois LPNs can take verbal orders and telephone orders, and our scope of practice varies from facility to facility. LPNs can do much, much more in a critical access facility as opposed to a jacho facility.I found this out just last week when I interviewed for a job at a critical access hospital in central Illinois. At this particular facility, LPNs did many RN tasks,starting IV's,giving IV meds,

In IL LPNs can take verbal/telephone orders, but under no circumstance is a LPN in IL allowed to give IV push meds. LPNs can flush saline locks and hang piggybacks, but no pushes.

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