LPN as a Case Management Nurse?

[hoosier guy]

hello all,

my mother works as a case management nurse for a residential and home based habilitation company. she oversees all of the client's medical records and medicines, trains staff how to give meds and test blood glucose, and is available, by phone for any questions or concerns the direct care staff has. she is an lpn and is not only the only nurse hired by the company but also the only health professional (there used to be a behavioral health specialist but he was fired some time ago and has not been replaced)

my question: is this within the scope of practice for an lpn or should this job be done by an rn? are there any legal concerns she should be aware of? i don't want to rock the boat for her but i also don't want her to get into any kind of legal trouble.

[caliotter3]

This would depend upon the state scope of practice for LPNs. Your mom should write a letter of inquiry to her state Board to get a formal answer. Sometimes employers skirt around the rules.

[hoosier guy]

thanks for your reply. so depending upon the state it could be completely legit. if the board were to say it was beyond her scope i suppose she would be out of a job? or would the company have any responsibility to keep here employed?

[caliotter3]

I am certain she would be out of a job if she brought up the matter. No employer is obligated to keep an employee if that employee is not filling their need. She might want to hang onto the job until she has lined up a new one, otherwise, the employer might be able to keep her from getting a new job. Perhaps it might be worth seeing an employment attorney should she find out "bad news" from the Board.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

What you describe is completely normal and legal in a residential/independent/assisted living setting. This is far from an "acute" setting.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

Definitely depends on the state. In my state, only an RN can assess or educate, from what I've been told in school.

Might be worth her while to get her employer to pay for her to do an LPN-to-RN bridge program -- she gets a free education, they get a higher-level employee for legal purposes.

[kellenl]

I am a case manager/auditor for an insurance company. We have no RN's here, 5 LPN's. We report directly to an MD so an RN is not required. The rules are different when you are not in a patient care setting and have no direct patient access.