LPN's could lose jobs

[amymae]

the head of nursing program gave my class this scary announcement

medication technician amendment

please be aware on tuesday, december 7, 2004 there will be a hearing at the statehouse on an amendment to senate bill 196. this amendment was introduced by rep. shawn webster and is backed by representatives of the long-term care associations.

the amendment, if passed would allow another level of healthcare worker in our health care system. the amendment does not require the medication technician to have any prior health care education. this new position would allow a minimally prepared person to administer mediations to residents in long-term care or assisted living facilities. this amendment will be attached to senate bill 196. the lpnao is working to prevent the introduction of this amendment in the lame duck session. if passed during the lame duck session, the amendment will allow a pilot study to be developed. the pilot study will become automatic law in two years.

we need to fax or e-mail the following legislators today! we need to prevent the introduction of this amendment to the lame duck session. this amendment would cause a major change in health care delivery to our elderly residents. such a major change in health care needs to be introduced in a bill of its own. a bill would allow for open debate and input from the ohio consumers of healthcare.

please fax or e-mail our legislators today!

example: larry householder email: [email protected]

shawnwebster district 53

tim schaffer district 91

jon husted district 37

chuck calvert district 69

mcgregor district 20

brinkman district 34

cates district 55

combs district 54

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

That is already being done here in Oregon! In Assisted living a RN can delegate med administration to unlicensed staff and they can proceed to give medications. The training required of the RN is very vague and not well defined...so a simple...check MAR, check Med, give...situation is happening too frequently! I guess they assume if there is a RN on duty at some point, or on call...that if something goes wrong they are covered! EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK, scares the crud out of me!!!!!! (I refused to delegate this practice..and they were cool with that...I do emergency education mainly, especially BLS, assessments, O2, and what to do when an emergency happens..my gals are GREAT at it now!).

As far as LPN's loosing jobs...opposite here, our State is calling for more to take the place of RN's! An LPN can do floor work at a lower price (NOT FAIR!!!!!!), and just have one RN supervisor on premices during the day (our facility has one RN 24 hours...but we are rare..most have one on call or just weekdays during the day). I handle the paperwork to keep everything working well when a LPN is on the floor, and there for acute situations. I recently have had to do floor work again because an LPN was injured, and the company is getting rather upset because of the price they have to pay for an RN to do the floor work (and the paperwork doesn't get done so huge liablity!).

The probelm with this is it makes the LPN's scope of practice so vague no one knows what they should or shouldn't do..and often they have to take on the RN role and can get into trouble not knowing (or in my case...I can too since I haven't been able to get a clear definition of assisted living LPN's duties vs RN's...even my State won't respond to my letters asking!).

Definately write your congressmen...don't let this happen! It is a huge accident waiting to happen frankly, and administration really doesn't loose, it is us hard working medics that suffer..and our patients!!!!!

Fight it..or you will have assisted living facilities popping up like strip malls like they are here!!!!!!!!!! (they are becoming as numberous as Starbucks...A NW reference to be sure huh...but WOW!!!!! They seem to grow out of the ground on every corner now!).