Scope of Practice in US

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

Just a question out of curiosity! I am an LPN in Canada, specifically Alberta. I know the scope of practice in Canada can vary from province to province and I know that it does in the states as well. There are things I am allowed to do that my colleagues in other provinces may not be able to such as titrate insulin and heparin drips whereas I cannot spike a blood bag however I can monitor and ID the patient (with another RN) and other provinces they are able to. I understand that this is something Alberta is looking at changing but I digress. Anyway! Let me know what kinds of things you can and can't do and how long your program was! Thanks in advance!

Not only is the LPN scope defined by the state, as you mentioned, but it is also defined by the facility you work in. I've worked in two different states now with VASTLY different scopes of practice, and I've worked different facilities in the state I'm in now. What I was able to do depended on what the facility would let me do. You'll find a lot of facilities don't let you do things that are within your scope. As such, I can't answer the first part of your question.

To answer your second question: my LPN program was 12 months, and my LPN-RN bridge was 12 months.

+ Add a Comment