I don't understand

[bugzie]

I am a fairly new LPN, I am on my second job, the 1st job being paid a decent wage but not enough hours to make ends meet, now I am on my 2nd job and I am being paid very little (real close to mim. wage) but I am getting more hours. It is almost like I am being paid the same. How can my place of employment and surround area get off by paying so little. It is very upsetting to know that McDonalds assistant managers make more than me!!!. Sometimes I feel like I have wasted my time and money on going to school to be a nurse. Don't get me wrong I do like what I am doing now especially comparing it to what I used to do. I really don't understand this am I being phased out already? Should I go back to school? I am confused and I just needed to vent alittle.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I guess it depends on the area you are living. I keep hearing from this site that many areas are not using LPNs the way that they used to. In my side of the world, they are still being used. Find out by checking the papers, asking your old instructors and other LPNs to see the outlook for LPNs in your area.

What I do see is that depending on the need, there are phases of when it is pro-RN and others where it is pro-LPN. Once, before I started working at my hospital, they laid off a great deal of RNs, and hired more LPNs, but had an occasional RN to supervise. Now, because of Magnet, who are pro-BSN/RN, LPNs are not being as utilized in some areas. But, from my experience, the tides change again, and they will take any licensed person they can, and alter policy and procedure to give LPNs more skills to do. Our scope of practice is vague in my state at best. What they say is certain core things, such as no IV push, no assessments. But, they also say, in the same breath is that what we can do is instituted by the policy and procedure provided in our facilities of employment. Personally, I am not worried about it. I work for a city job that has a strong union. Before they lay us off, they have to at least offer us other positions of equal pay; which I would take if necessary.