LPN's in Critical Care

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Specializes in CVICU, Education Dept., FNP Student.

I'm curious to know if anyone employs LPN's in critical care or step-down positions. There has been an issue recently at my hospital that has sparked a small debate. At my facility the ICU and PCU (progressive care) staff are interchangable depending on staffing needs. I can totally see the rationale behind only RN's in these areas...Just wondering what other facilities do.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

hello, alccrn,

check out this thread found here in this forum about this topic:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f15/lpns-ccu-vent-99684.html

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Specializes in LDRP.

I am on a PCU, we have one LPN. Rest RN's.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I work at a small hospital. We have an LPN in our unit. She's worked in this unit for over 15 yrs and is currently doing a home-study RN program to get her RN license. She is WONDERFUL!! Much better a nurse than some of the RN's in our unit! I trust her completely! The only things she cannot do as an LPN is give IV push meds and complete a physical assessment on a new admit.

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Specializes in CVICU, Education Dept., FNP Student.

That same LPN works at my hospital...hehehe....We have 2 LPN's that are excellent and I would totally trust them with my life. However, there was an issue with a code recently and it was appointed to me to find out the concensus on LPN's in the unit/PCU.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.

I know for a fact [my new phrase, LOL], that Army Medical Centers use both civilian & military LPNs in their ICUs. IMHO, it works just fine for those LPNs that are strong in critical care nursing. I've noticed most, if not all the civilian LPNs I've worked with at both BAMC & MAMC were prior service military LPNs.

The LPNs cannot start blood product infusions, do admissions, etc. w/o RN co-sign. However, the LPNs are well appreciated in the Army ICUs.

:)

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Specializes in Step-down and Critical Care.

We have one LPN in the unit and I tell you work she works her but off and is very smart. I go to her for suggestions and I trust her whole heartly and I know she will have my back if I need her which is not what I can say about some of the RNs that work in the unit. I do not mind covering her and signing off her orders and pushing her meds because I know she would do anything for me. She was given a hard by our nurse educator because she is an LPN and I think that is crazy because she can work circles around some of our nurses. Our nurse educator would not let her take ACLS because she is an LPN. I tell you what if I have a patient crashing she is the first person I want in my room...

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Specializes in LTC,MED/SURG,ICU.

I work in a small community hospital ICU. We have one per diem LPN assigned in our unit. Sometimes difficult assigning patients because of the limitations of the LPN. Also diffucult for the RN's since they have to be responsible for the LPN's assessments, IVP meds, and co-signing their work. ????is who is responsible if an error occurs on the LPN's assessment. ( The RN also has their own assignment-usually the more critical pts!!!) :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Reading hospital in PA hires LPNs is ALL areas of the hospital including ICU CCU NICU and MICU, ER and Trauma, Neuro trauma. In fact I don't think there is one area that they do not hire LPNs for. However, all the other local hospitals in the area prefer not to hire LPNs. Guess it just depends on the hospital.

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I'm an LPN working in PCU and I do everything except IVP and one part of the admission paper that has to be filled by an RN. Other than that, everything being equal (except pay). We do not assign pts based on case or Dx so I will be getting the same kind of patients as the other RNs do.

So far, I have great support from my RN coworkers. Believe me, it is even more frustrated to me that I have to go ask someone to do an IVP. In fact, it takes up more of my time to find someone to push it. I will be able to better manage my time if I can do it all by myself.

My hospital does not hire LPNs but they considered me as an exception. I'm a couple of months away from ADN graduation therefore they took me in. The other LPNs have been with the hospital before the straight RN policy is in place.

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Specializes in ER/ ICU.

In the 2 ICU's I have experience with, no LPN's are utilized. They did send us one as an agency nurse and she ended up as a NA for the day. LPN's cannot give meds IV push, cannot assess patients w/ out an RN to co-sign.It probably varies hospital to hospital.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

We have "enrolled nurses" rather than LPNs in Australia, but none in ICU, although there was a push to change this (of course) due to staffing shortages. In theory, I'm not in favour of it. Critically ill patients need critical care-trained RNs.

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