LPN vs RN???????

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2009

oh boy here we go again.....you do realize that lvn's work other places beside the hospital and do not have to have the rn co-sign or supervise anything for them.....plus there are a lot of states that allow the lvn to push drugs, deal with piccs, hang all the iv meds, monitor blood admin and do the daily assessments (just not the initial)..... i have a feeling that you will have your information clarified for you before this thread is over or shut down........thanks for resurrecting a sleeping monster

EMT216 · Dec 30, 2009

WOW!!!!! No need to be ugly...It was just a simple observation/question.

determined2banurse · Dec 30, 2009

LPN's and RN's are not classified as the same hence the different names. In life and in the workforce there are different levels of everything. I am quite sure that your employer knows the scope of practice difference in RN's and LPN's and yet and still they hired the LPN's. Some would consider an LPN a glorified PCT or Aide, but I consider them "Nurses" because according to whatever state that they are licensed the BON has given them that title! LPN's work hard to get that license just like RN's. I hope you as a RN never work in a hospital that has a no aides and nurses are required to do all basic care, because I guess you as an RN with 2-4 years of schooling behind you would be just a glorified PCT or aide, too. There are a lot of people who would take offense to that glorified aide comment and I am one of them. LPN's are Nurses there title is Licensed Practical Nurse! :yeah:

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2009

your the one being ugly ...you not making simple observations you are basically saying lvn's have no place in nursing because they are not rn's .... you obviously have no idea of what they do....do a search on here and you will find your answer instead of starting up this old already dead debate......

wow!!!!! no need to be ugly...it was just a simple observation/question.

FLArn · Dec 30, 2009

Prepare to be flamed! Depending on the setting, there is really very little difference between what the LPN's and RN's are permitted to do. Remember, not every nurse works in the hospital. In the nursing home setting the basic difference is that RN's do IV's and LPN's do not. And that has changed a lot from when I graduated. With an IV course LPN's are now able to initiate and maintain most any IV fluid with the exception of blood and a few IV push meds. LPN's in most nursing homes are permitted to do admission assessments which are "signed off " on by the RN. In most LPN programs, there is a much higher percentage of the time spent actually providing hands on care than the RN students get. For bedside nursing LPN grads are usually a lot more prepared to "hit the ground running" than the RN grads.

If the place you work is using their LPNs as aides most days then they are SERIOUSLY under-utilizing their staff.

Also, if you want to succeed in your job after graduating, I suggest you either work somewhere that has an all RN staff or lose the RN's are better than everyone else attitude quickly!. Everyone has a role to play and we all work together for the patient's benefit.

Oh, and by the way, I am an RN married to an LPN and he is every bit as competent as I. I was never an aide or LPN but appreciate their contribution to the team!

LPN_2005/RN_10 · Dec 30, 2009

I work in a hospital and do my own admissions, discharges, assessments, IV fluids, IVMB, IV insertions, call mds, ect. If a patient requires blood transfusions, ect, then the RN will be assigned to that pt. Your personal attack against LPNs are uncalled for, given you're not even an RN! You act like you're the one that have to take "5-8 patient" and cover an LPN. Did all of the RNs have a meeting with you to discuss their frustrations regarding covering LPNs?

Yes RNs and LPNs don't have the same scope of practice but we are still nurses! The hospitals may restrict what LPNs can do, but other places such as nursing homes, clinics and home health care, they are more independent without needing an RN for alot of the work.

You telling someone to knock off their attitude? You started this thread with a bad attitude!

kathy313 · Dec 30, 2009

Hahaha....you sound like two nurses I used to work with. Too funny, I called them the "sit and swivel" team. When I was assigned to work with them in CCU, I got the admissions/discharges (this included assessments, clarifying orders, interpreting strips and yeah, I even hung the IV's that I could), I got the vents, the trachs....they kept the ones who were going to dialysis or surgery (which meant off the floor) or the pts who were more stable and little work. My pt. load generally consisted of 6-8. If I needed them to push an IV med, I usually had to go hunt them down in the break room and listen to the heavy sigh....

When I was in the ED, it was teamwork, we all jumped in. I never quite got the sense of "RN=real nurse" vs. "LPN=low paid nurse" that can be so apparent in other areas. Maybe I was lucky.

But, I also did things to broaden my knowledge, I am a BLS Instructor, certified in PALS, ACLS and ITLS(BTLS).

Hope you lighten up some....there are some really good, experienced LPNs out there.

elkpark · Dec 30, 2009

WOW!!!!! No need to be ugly...It was just a simple observation/question.

You appear to be the one with the attitude.

I agree that you should prepare to get flamed (by many of the competent, hard-working, valuable LPNs who participate on this board). I keep hoping we're done beating this particular dead horse, but newbies keep coming along and stirring up the same tired old debates.

If you believe, as you said a couple different times in your original post, that LPNs and RNs are "classified the same," you clearly don't understand much yet about how nursing works. LPNs and RNs are not "classified the same," they have clearly delineated scopes of practice (and different titles -- "RN" and "LPN" -- was that not a clue? :rolleyes: )

"It seems to me that LPN's are just overglorified PCT's or Aides ... more of a pain in the Nurses (RN) a**" is hardly "just a simple observation/question."

There are many members of the modern healthcare team, and they each serve an important function of their own. Perhaps as you get farther along in nursing school and gain more experience, you'll come to appreciate that.

Batman25 · Dec 30, 2009

LPNs and RNs are both classified as nurses because both groupings are just that...nurses. Both have schooling that alows them to sit for nursing boards and once they pass both are licensed nursing professionals. The scope is somewhat different but both have their place in the nursing community. I'm a RN and see LPNs as the licensed nursing professionals they are. There is nothing wrong with being a CNA or PCT but that is not what LPNs are. All nurses should respect one another and their roles.

paacollins · Dec 30, 2009

Lord do people even THINK before they post on here?

LPNS and RNS are both NURSES. In NC the ONLY difference in the scope of practice is that LPNS cannot teach, access, or push IV drugs. Not sure how much IV work than can do but I know they can start and hang IVS. LPNS are NOT glorified CNAS. I worked as a CNA in LTC with many LPNS and I assure you they did way different jobs than I did.

You say RNS and LPNS have the same name but different scopes of practice. That is true. What about a teacher who has a BS and teaches high school. Compare that to a teacher who has a MS and teaches at a community college. Next is a teacher who has a PhD but teaches at a university. They are all known by the title "TEACHER" but they have different levels of learning and different levels of teaching.

A nurse is a nurse no matter what degree she has but the scope of practice is different.

EMT216 · Dec 30, 2009

Yeah... well if you would of read my posting I SAID that they are claaified the same by both being called nurses.. I have my opinon snd you have yours...