LVN as a CRC...help!

[ats1983]

Hello again! I finally got a job, and I was curious if there are others out there doing what I do! I just got signed on as a clinical research coordinator for a clinical trials company in L.A. From what I know, usually LVN's don't typically go into research, but the doctor who runs the facility doesn't have any RN's working for her (which scares me in some ways!). Anyways, the work is completely different from what I learned in nursing school, but I am enjoying it somewhat. The thought of being on the cutting edge is rather cool. There are a few things that I'm concerned about though, so any comments/questions/etc is most appreciated!

Overall, the process is different, but I like the fact that I get more time to work with patients, which I like. I'm already missing nonstop patient care, but that's due to my training I think. I've been working there for about a month now, and some things are...strange. For one, there is no RN. There's the main doctor, a PA, then me, an LVN. The rest of the staff is comprised of college grads, phlebotomists, and MA's. Nothing against any of them at all, but is it supposed to be like that at these places? I have a friend who does research (she's an RN) and she works exclusively with a staff that is either doctors or RN's. Since I've been there, I've been a glorified phlebotomist...I get called in to do blood draws on almost every patient, since the phlebs and the MA's "just go grab the nurse, let him do it." I've also been helping on infusions...I had to spell out in detail to my boss (doctor) that I can't push meds IV as an LVN. She got mad that she had to press the start button, but since there's no RN on site, this is the way it has to be. At this point, I'm pretty much juggling infusions and blood draws all day. I get my first official study this week, which is exciting, but I'm still nervous about all of this.

The other thing that is REALLY bugging me is the pay. I don't want to sound greedy, but the starting pay is nowhere near what a typical CRC makes in California. My first 3 months are considered "training pay", and the doctor promises to increase my pay after said training, but she refuses to put anything in writing. Naturally, alarms are going off in my mind. Mainly, I'm worried that she's getting an LVN at an extremely discounted rate, and I'm going to get screwed on the financial end. I'm doing patient teaching, all the blood draws for the office, and doing infusions, monitoring clients, etc. I actually enjoy the experience factor of the job, and I need experience more than anything. Does the situation sound fishy here or is it just me? Since I've been there, I've seen half the staff replaced. The average shelf life of a staff member there is under 6 months. As a rational person, I'm very skeptical, but my view on this could be skewed since this is my first official nursing job and research is a brand new thing to me. At the moment I'm just using this to get my feet wet, earn some money, and get some of that coveted experience. I may be overthinking/stressing this job since I tend to be a perfectionist, but there's just a wierd feeling I have about this place. At the worst, it's a paycheck and experience, but I don't want to get used as a cheap LVN doing a lot of higher end LVN work. What say you?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

This workplace can get away with paying you a noncompetitive pay rate because it is located in L.A., which is not the best place to be right now for a newer LVN who is looking for employment. The LVN job market is really depressed in southern CA right now due to the numerous LVN programs on every other street corner that churn new nurses into a slumping job market with not enough jobs to go around for everyone who wishes to work.

Your boss is fully aware that if you resign due to the lower-than expected pay rate or the working conditions, there will be masses of unemployed new grads in the local area who would accept that research job in a New York minute without any second thoughts.