Lpn Vs Cna

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Are Lpn Duties Very Similiar To Cna Duties?

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Specializes in acute care.

LPN is a nurse, a CNA is a nurse's assistant or aide (not a nurse). While a nurse may be able to perform all the skills a CNA can perform, a CNA cannot perform all the skills a nurse performs. A CNA performs basic care like bathing patients, taking vital signs, and basically assits patients with activities of daily living. Training for a CNA is usually a few weeks long while becoming a nurse usually takes at least a year (there are some LPN programs that are less than that) Basically, the education levels for each are very different. OK, I'm going to stop right here so someone else can better explain it to you.

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LPN is a nurse, a CNA is a nurse's assistant or aide (not a nurse). While a nurse may be able to perform all the skills a CNA can perform, a CNA cannot perform all the skills a nurse performs. A CNA performs basic care like bathing patients, taking vital signs, and basically assits patients with activities of daily living. Training for a CNA is usually a few weeks long while becoming a nurse usually takes at least a year (there are some LPN programs that are less than that) Basically, the education levels for each are very different. OK, I'm going to stop right here so someone else can better explain it to you.

Why stop? You were doing great! :D

All that I'd add is that, depending on facility and actual job description or assignment, LPNs and RNs are expected to do everything that the CNA does, as well as "their own" jobs. NY Dreamer already gave the basic rundown of what CNAs do.

LPNs can complete their education in as little as 10 months (I don't believe I've heard of faster, but who knows); it's generally about a year, give or take. CNAs can complete their program in about five weeks. WAY different job expectations and responsibilities.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Are Lpn Duties Very Similiar To Cna Duties?

An LPN/LVN is a licensed NURSE, a CNA is NOT a nurse, but a certified nursing ASSISTANT. LVN's can do everything in the CNA's scope plus more. An LVN passes meds, does IV's if IV certified, changes dressings, inserts and removes catheters, gives injections, hangs blood and so on (I am talking about my scope in California) As a CNA I gave bed baths, took vitals, did ADL's with patients, fed them took them to the bathroom, put them on the bed pan etc. While I still do all of those as an LVN my scope is broadened to include my LVN scope.

Truth be told, there is not much difference in what an LVN can do as opposed to an RN, at least not in CA. I cannot assess, push IV meds or hang IV piggy backs. I can hang blood, hang TPN/Lipids, give IM injections, sub-q injections.

I am a little flustered to see that so many people compare LVN's to CNA's. I have been both and believe me I have much more resposibility as an LVN than I did as a CNA

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LPNs can complete their education in as little as 10 months (I don't believe I've heard of faster, but who knows); it's generally about a year, give or take. CNAs can complete their program in about five weeks. WAY different job expectations and responsibilities.

In the majority of Canadian provinces PN's attend college for four full semester (two years at most schools). Some colleges compress the four semesters back to back in about 15 months.

Education, responsibility, and knowledge of the nursing/healing process is the difference.

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Truth be told, there is not much difference in what an LVN can do as opposed to an RN, at least not in CA. I cannot assess, push IV meds or hang IV piggy backs. I can hang blood, hang TPN/Lipids, give IM injections, sub-q injections.

You can hang blood, but not piggybacks?! Not sure I follow the State's reasoning on that one. We (the RNs) have enough trouble on my med-surg unit keeping up with the meds (IV push, blood, PICC infusions and dressings, etc) that an LPN can't do on their patients; I think the floor would come to a dead halt if the LPNs couldn't hang the thousand or so IV piggyback antibiotics each day!

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In the majority of Canadian provinces PN's attend college for four full semester (two years at most schools). Some colleges compress the four semesters back to back in about 15 months.

Education, responsibility, and knowledge of the nursing/healing process is the difference.

Canada operates differently; I was responding to the fact that the OP is in the USA. Here, an LPN is not required to be in college at all, let alone four semesters. Before I get a string of "but I went to college" posts, of course there are LPN programs that are based in colleges, but it is not required. I don't know if your PN and our LPN are equivalent; if they are, sounds like there's a difference in education and/or approach before licensing.

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I am a cna and I work with cna's and I get annoyed when they call themselves a nurse. I am in Nursing school and am working very hard to get to that prestigeous point, not that cna's are not important, after a night like tonight I Know as well as the RN's how important we are but as my downeast mainer husband would say "Due Respect". to those who wallow in the seaweed to find a few fish, he is one of those crazy fisherman in dutch harbor. the deadlest catch he is a engineener on a fishing boat out there. anyways an RN has to go through soo much school. But I work with a LPN now that if when I become an RN, I could only dream about being such an incredible Nurse. Even though she is not an RN she it top-notch. I am a nurse assistent. I care, I listen, I work hard, but i deeply respect all licenced Nurse albiet RN's or LPN's.

God BLess :balloons:

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
You can hang blood, but not piggybacks?! Not sure I follow the State's reasoning on that one. We (the RNs) have enough trouble on my med-surg unit keeping up with the meds (IV push, blood, PICC infusions and dressings, etc) that an LPN can't do on their patients; I think the floor would come to a dead halt if the LPNs couldn't hang the thousand or so IV piggyback antibiotics each day!

I will be a LPN next summer just to get the increase in pay and job responsibilities until I finish my RN program. Thus, I have spoken to the LPNs and discussed duties and responsibilities to get a better idea of what I can expect.

In my hospital, LPNs would not be assigned patients that need such care even on a Med-Surg floor. This is how they (the hospital) keeps things from grinding to a halt. In fact, my hospital does not hire very many LPNs. I will get a job because I already work there... but if I could not get a job there, I would work in LTC until I finished my education.

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I am a local board passer in the Philippines and I already passed all my exams including cgfns,nclex and ielts but because of retrogression i'm planning to apply via sponsorship somewhere in canada or maryland .. which comes first my family will sponsor for me....but the thing is I'm going to work as a CNA... I'm thingking if I would be in Maryland If I could change my work from CNA to RN or even just LPN...I dont have any experiences due to freeze hiring in hospitals in our vicinity...i have two applications but still thinking what to choose... canada or maryland...which one is better+++ im thinking maryland would be better because i can apply my exam through licnse examination application...is that right and how about the salary???

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Are Lpn Duties Very Similiar To Cna Duties?

Very confused here...You have been a member of AN since 2007. You are a nursing student. I read through many of the other posts you have written.

You also just posted a thread about LPN bridge to RN.

Do you really need clarification on the duties of an LPN? And if they are similiar to the duties of a CNA?

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Shelly, the original date of this posting by HenrysWife is a year ago (august 25, 2007).

She's since, probably, started school and now knows the differences between an LPN and a CNA.

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