LPN - can they force me to do this?

AcuteHD · Sep 21, 2015

Legal? Not the place to ask.

Force you? No, you can quit.

If union, check with your rep or whatever they are called. Otherwise, enjoy being a high paid tech.

It happens everywhere regardless of title.

bellabean · Sep 21, 2015

Thank you i appreciate it

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Sep 21, 2015

CNA duties do fall within your scope of practice, so there's nothing illegal about it. It can be uncomfortable to switch to an entirely different routine than you're used to, though ...and if you're no longer a "spring chicken", it can be physically difficult.

I'd say your employer is inconsiderate, at the very least. If you have other employment options, now may be the time to take one of them.

bellabean · Sep 21, 2015

I am not a spring chicken, i know it does fall under my scope of practice, one minute im working as a sub-acute nurse, the next, they close down my unit and now i'm left hanging here. i will unfortunately start looking for other employment. Yes, they were very inconsiderate, like i said, it was just thrown at me today and i didn't know what to do. If i told them no, she said they would fire me. Thats why i was so shocked. Thanks for your reply.

Farawyn · Sep 21, 2015

Bellabean will they pay you as a CNA?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

Is this legal and can they force me to do this?

Yes, what your employer asked of you is perfectly legal. Slinging bedpans and showering patients are tasks that fall with the LPN's scope of practice.

As long as you punch a time clock that does not belong to you, your employer can demand that you work as a CNA.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

I'm sorry this has happened to you. We are expected to take shifts as CNA sometimes, but they're just shifts.

I'd be as shocked as you if my employer expected me to assume that job all the time.

If what happened to you, happened where I work, I'd have to suspect they wanted me gone.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Sep 22, 2015

I am not a spring chicken, i know it does fall under my scope of practice, one minute im working as a sub-acute nurse, the next, they close down my unit and now i'm left hanging here. i will unfortunately start looking for other employment. Yes, they were very inconsiderate, like i said, it was just thrown at me today and i didn't know what to do. If i told them no, she said they would fire me. Thats why i was so shocked. Thanks for your reply.

Welcome to the club. Only they didn't shut down my unit, just that as an LPN they were "going in a different direction" and if I wanted to stay, it would be as a CNA. They could pay 2 new grad RN's at the price of what I was making. Loyalty be darn, they didn't care, they still don't.

Had a hard time as I had just gotten an "excellent" on my yearly evaluation. With a long blurb about how I always stayed within scope, etc. Interestingly, I had "mentored" some new grad RN's who were waiting to take the NCLEX. Once they did, I was out. A humbling and humiliating experience for sure. But as a business, they do not care about one's emotional ties to nursing.

If you have a union, speak to them. If they fire you, see what can be done about unemployment.

Because I had no choice as far as needing to work, I had to take the CNA gig for a bit. On occasion, they would do a little "well, we may reconsider under much stricter guidelines" stuff, which was akin to throwing me a bone. They had no such intentions. It was that if there was a change in condition of the patient, I would "know enough" to say something, to the masses of inexperienced RN's on the unit, (and bound to by my license) therefore, it benefitted their poor staffing process.

I had enough, moved on, and it was the best move I ever made. Since then, apparently they are hiring LPN's as CNA's for the exact same reason. It gives them more coverage as far as duty to act than UAP's.

Best wishes!!

elkpark · Sep 22, 2015

One way of looking at this is to consider it "inconsiderate;" another way of looking at it is that they are still offering you employment instead of just laying you off, which, to me, sounds more like "considerate." Either way, it's your choice whether this is acceptable to you.

AcuteHD · Sep 22, 2015

One way of looking at this is to consider it "inconsiderate;" another way of looking at it is that they are still offering you employment instead of just laying you off, which, to me, sounds more like "considerate." Either way, it's your choice whether this is acceptable to you.

Good point, since they closed the unit. What happened to the rest of the staff?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Sep 22, 2015

If it's a pay cut and significant you may be able to collect partial unemployment. If they closed an entire unit NJ DoL requires they notify the state of a reduction in force. (Supposed to, but many hope employees are unaware and they can get away with releasing an entire unit of employees) The employer may be charged costs to place RIF employees elsewhere and/or job retraining. They may be looking for you to resign or may claim termination for cause which could bar you from collecting unemployment. Contact the state unemployment office to determine your best options while searching for a new employer