I had know idea what to tell her, so I thought I would ask the FOAK!
Background:
A woman that I know has been out of Nursing for a while (5+ years), but has kept her license as an RN current. She is having a difficult time finding work as an RN because of her:
(1) Time away from work=loss of skills and experience.
(2) Wants to avoid Hospital work because of some physical limitations that she has.
She told me that she would love to work in a clinic, but nobody seems to be hiring RNs for clinic positions anymore. They only seem to hire LPNs or Medical Assistants.
She told me that when she contacted several facilities hiring LPNs/MA, they told that they could not hire her as an RN (to work as an LPN/MA) because she does not hold a license in those areas. She was told that it didn't matter that she was educated and had been trained as an RN, one needs to actually hold the license in the area that they are working in.
Does anyone have any information on this that they could share with me? I've never encountered this question before and I really didn't know what to tell her except to contact her state BON and ask them.
I was just curious if anyone knows whether this is true or not. Not that I don't believe her, but I just assumed that an RN could work as an LPN if they chose to.
Does your friend have a BSN? During my community/public health rotation there was a woman who was an RN-BSN who had taken 16 yrs off to raise her son and she got a job in public health because she has been out of the hospital so long. It was mostly case management, less hands on patient as you would in the hospital, almost like a combined nurse and social worker job.
Does your friend have a BSN? During my community/public health rotation there was a woman who was an RN-BSN who had taken 16 yrs off to raise her son and she got a job in public health because she has been out of the hospital so long. It was mostly case management, less hands on patient as you would in the hospital, almost like a combined nurse and social worker job.
No. She has an Associates Degree RN.
I called the CA BON today and they told me that one must have an active LVN license to practice as an LVN. It doesn't matter if one currently possesses an active RN license.
Since her LVN license has expired (many, many years ago), I guess she is going to have to figure out what she needs to do to obtain a new/active LVN license.
My guess is that that she will have to retake the LVN exam.
She really wants to work in an office or clinic, so I guess it would be worth it for her.
NYS is the same as CA. Since she already had a LVN license at one point, it should be even easier for her to re-activate. I plan on keeping my LPN license current after I get my RN. I like having options. :)
NYS is the same as CA. Since she already had a LVN license at one point, it should be even easier for her to re-activate. I plan on keeping my LPN license current after I get my RN. I like having options. :)
I agree. Now that I have been seeing the options that you have possessing both licenses, it can't hurt...especially with the way Hospitals are cutting back on staff!
I know a woman that went through the RN program and procrastinated taking the NCLEX because she enjoyed her position as an LVN. The facility she was working for told her she would be moved to a position dealing with Medicare patients once she got her RN (which = a ton of paper work) and she didn't want that.
HeartsOpenWide, RN
1 Article; 2,889 Posts
Does your friend have a BSN? During my community/public health rotation there was a woman who was an RN-BSN who had taken 16 yrs off to raise her son and she got a job in public health because she has been out of the hospital so long. It was mostly case management, less hands on patient as you would in the hospital, almost like a combined nurse and social worker job.