LPN's just glorified nurse aids in LTC? Huh?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2005

Consider the source and give the comment the ignoring it deserves. Shame on these two numbskulls. What you were exposed to is the frustration some nurses feel about their place in the nursing world. Chances are they were the two sitting in the back of their nursing classes laughing and whispering about their dates the night before instead of listening to the instructor. Unfortunately, not everyone is a team player. These people eventually burn themselves out or deservedly get pushed out of nursing and quit the profession because they are stagnant and unable to advance their thinking. Big mouths like this have a lot of difficulty in any job because people get sick of hearing their complaints and negative view of the world. Smart managers know how to get rid of them because they upset the team. Please don't let ignorant comments like this deter you from a profession in nursing. (Can't tell from your post if you are an LPN or a student.)

LPNs/LVNs are part of the backbone of nursing. Things wouldn't be the same without ya'.

cursenurse · Aug 13, 2005

onehusband... i don't why someone would tell you that. lpn's are the backbone of ltc. if it weren't for lpn's there would be hardly any nurses in ltc. i spent 7 years in ltc as an lpn, and was a nurse in every sense of the word. there were many times in ltc, when there would not be one rn in the house. when i compare the time i spent in the ltc as an lpn, and my time in the er as an rn, i think i had more autonomy in ltc. the pt's, and md's rely on the lpn in ltc, anyone that tells you different doesn't know what they are talking about.

mommie2bodie · Aug 31, 2007

I am a CNA at a nursing home and that is so far from the truth. The LPNs and RNs are considered the exact same except for a few things the LPNs cant do. Most of the nurses I have worked under have been LPNs.

JentheRN05, RN · Aug 31, 2007

That sickens me to think people think that way.

If it weren't for LPNs our nursing homes wouldn't have the necessary help to function. Some of the best nurses I've met have been LPNs (and I never knew they were an LPN) and some of the worst nurses (met one recently) are ones that have their masters!! This particular one, (remember I'm new on orientation) every time I forgot to do something (like a treatment) she'd tell me, 'oh don't worry about it, that's why I come in early' only to find out from other nurses that it wasn't ever done, and I'm the one signing my name (because I'm new, naive, and can't imagine a nurse flat out lying like that!!!). So don't believe all that you hear, and those alphabet soup of letters behind their names doesn't mean much, it's what you see, and know that makes a true nurse. One that (as my motto always says) treats every patients as a beloved, even if they are aggressive, family member. I've soothed the meanest of the mean alzheimers patients, by using loving words. When she sees me now, there isn't that automatic look of hatred. She still fights blood sugar checks, but only half heartedly with me, and as long as I tell her how much I care, and am trying to help. She always calms down. She will only take her meds from me, I've only been there a week. So go figure.

K - I've rambled off topic. But the point is, don't believe everything you hear. Judge for yourself what stock to put in others theories.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Sep 1, 2007

As a DNS, I like to hire good nurses. The first thing I ask is how much experience do you have?...the RN vs LPN question is about the last thing I ask. In long term care the only thing LPN's can't do is pronounce someone dead.

njbikernurse · Sep 1, 2007

At my last facility, they told us that LPN's cannot do a few things:

1. Hang the first bag of IV ABT, but can hang successive bags

2. Mix TPN

3. Do admission "assessments", can do the admission "evaluation" and have RN co-sign

That's about all. Usually none of the above are an issue, except on weekends. Once in a blue moon there's no RN in the building, which is a problem when you've got a TPN patient, or someone on a new ABT!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2007

LPNs run the LTC's here in this part of Florida.

pumpkin92356 · Sep 1, 2007

When I was first working as an aide in 1977 we pretty much did everything for the resident. Of course under the supervision of the licensed nurse. LVN's as they are referred to in California , go to school , get a license to do pretty much the same work as the RN yet they are paid half as much if not less. Why is that? Well its cheaper to have a vocational nurse doing same work as RN. I am a member of a union and I make more money an hour as a CNA with 30 years experience than a starting LVN. I think the LVN of today gets the short end of the stick. :uhoh21: :idea:

kmarie724 · Sep 2, 2007

I'm a CNA in a LTC facility, and as far as I can tell, the LPNs do the same things as the RNs. Sure, sometimes LPNs do "aide" work, but so do the RNs.

LesMonsterRN, ADN, RN · Sep 3, 2007

At my last facility, they told us that LPN's cannot do a few things:
1. Hang the first bag of IV ABT, but can hang successive bags
2. Mix TPN
3. Do admission "assessments", can do the admission "evaluation" and have RN co-sign
That's about all. Usually none of the above are an issue, except on weekends. Once in a blue moon there's no RN in the building, which is a problem when you've got a TPN patient, or someone on a new ABT!

That's odd to me. In MO, our IV-certified LPNs can hang the first dose of an abt - most of the time there's no other choice. We can't mix TPN, but we can hang it and Lipids as well, which in some states LPNs can't. Admission assessments are most often done by the staff LPNs in my facility (and every other facility I've worked in). We don't need a cosigner.

The facility I'm currently working in has only 3 RNs for a 120-bed building - the DON, the ADON and a floor RN who works sporadically (and honestly not worth much when she does, but that's a story for another time.) This means that, with our DON's blessing, the LPNs run the show. All the house supervisors, the "go-to" nurses (1 per shift, including me on days) are LPNs. What does that tell you?

So, for the OP, don't listen to the people saying that LPNs are just glorified aides. Even though I consider no nurse to be above Aide duties, LPNs are so much more than what you're being told. Maybe they're just envious of what you're trying to accomplish?

nursedawn67, LPN · Sep 3, 2007

I work in LTC, I am a LPN and I do exactly the same thing as the RN's with the exception of putting in an IV. I can pronounce, give meds, hang IV"s (just not put them in), tube feeds...all of it) But each facility is different in what a LPN is able to do.