LPN had more than twice load of the RNs

[Jo Dirt]

My husband was admitted to the med surg unit for testing and stayed overnight and most of the next day. When I went to see him I ran into a nurse I used to work with. She is an LPN and has worked for this hospital about 15 yrs.. She works rehab but had been floated up to help out. I was standing there talking to her and noticed she had about eight patients while the two RNs had three each. She told me they were running her to death and she has been starting IV's and doing discharges and cleaning pts up in between.

It's true, I have never worked in a hospital so I don't really know how it operates, but was management dumping on the LPN? Seemed kind of strange to me at the time, but maybe there is something I don't understand.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

many hospitals are different, but at mine, the LPNs have more simply because they cannot admit patients....only discharge. So if there's expected surgeries or if the ER is busier than usual, the RNs are the only ones who can admit those patients and then take care of them.

Many LPNs in a hospital setting complain of this fact, but it's the way it is.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

Other our facility, LPN or RN isn't taken into account. If I have 6 patients, then the LPN I am working with has 6 patients. We just try to make sure that the LPN doesn't have patients getting a lot of IVP drugs. And they do get admits like us, and they can do the inital paperwork and assessment, with an RN signing off on the assessment.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Our facility works similar to that. While I can understand and feel that way myself as an LPN, I can see why this can make sense. We do not assess, or admit. Most times, the LPNs in our med-surg units administer medications, the RNs are admitting, discharging, doing treatments, meds that LPNs are not allowed to administer and other things.

I work in a clinic, so, we are more balanced out with the RNs, really, with the exception that we do not triage patients or take on the charge role. But, I can honestly say (for myself), that I would rather do what I do than to take on the RN's responsibilities. It seems even more insane than what I currently experience.

[suni, BSN, RN]

Having been an LPN and now an RN this does happen, however there are certain things that only an RN can do, hang blood, call physicians, sign off orders, take verbal orders, do IVPmed, hang TPN. Until I was an RN I did not realize everything tht comes with the title, plus look up labs, and delegate effectively.

So there are times when the LPN has more patients but when the RN is caught up she should be helping our the LPN and the aides, it is all about the patient.

As for LPN's admitting and discharging patients I believe it depends on your state and your Nursing Law in the state. In my state this does not fall under their scope of practice, they can do some of the admission but the physical assessment is done by an RN.

[Bella36RN]

Our facility splits it as evenly as possible. if their is an odd number then he charge nurse usually takes the less.

[Jo Dirt]

Just to clarify, when I say I used to work with her it was at a job she was doing for extra money (private duty).

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I work as an LPN in acute care, and I am given the same number of patients as the RNs (4-5). I can admit and assess, but I cannot implement care plans.