No jobs for LPN graduates anymore?

NRSNFL · Jul 21, 2006

If I have read these posts carefully, no one individual has yet claimed to be an expert on every aspect of nursing.

Commuter-

Last time I checked, these boards were to be supportive of other nursing students and nurses...on all of your posts, you have never done just that. Try to be positive and less opinionated for once.

OP, if a job is posted for a hospital job and you want that job, do what you have to do to go get it. At times a posting will look similar, but in all reality may be a different floor manager hiring. And yes, at times it may be the same floor manager hiring and just has NEVER received your application. I wish you the best of luck. I too am proactively trying to avoid this same situation by working for the hospital FIRST and then going to school Good luck!!!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 21, 2006

Commuter-
Last time I checked, these boards were to be supportive of other nursing students and nurses...on all of your posts, you have never done just that. Try to be positive and less opinionated for once.

At best, I find it highly dubious that you have read all of my posts (2,240 posts to date). If you truly have read all of my posts, you would already know that many of them are supportive and positive in nature. I am going to be bold and state that you are not being very truthful at this time, since I sincerely doubt you've scrutinized all 2,240 of my posts over the past year and a half.

Many of my posts are quite opinionated, but I possess the right to opine.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jul 21, 2006

Hello-Can I ask you to cool the thread down please and refrain from insulting each other. It has been a well discussed thread so far. Thank you

NRSNFL · Jul 21, 2006

Thank you.

JONlvn-np2b · Jul 28, 2006

im currently waiting on my license and ive already been offerend 4 jobs. 1 snf, 2 sub acute and also a hospice agency. i live in california and i dont know how it is in the other states but the demand for lvn's and rn's here are huge. i dont even have my license yet and theyre already trying to hire me. as a new grad, i really dont know what jobs to take., anyone got any words of advice for me?

Reesa23 · Jul 29, 2006

I'm sad to hear your school is phasing out the LPN program. The wait list here for the LPN is around 2 years. I've been a CNA for 10+ years now and still have not finished nursing school due to several moves which meant college changes and long wait lists. I'm a high paid CNA, but I'd settle for getting into an LPN program!

Bala Shark · Jul 29, 2006

im currently waiting on my license and ive already been offerend 4 jobs. 1 snf, 2 sub acute and also a hospice agency. i live in california and i dont know how it is in the other states but the demand for lvn's and rn's here are huge. i dont even have my license yet and theyre already trying to hire me. as a new grad, i really dont know what jobs to take., anyone got any words of advice for me?

Hi, I am the orginal poster of this thread..Can you tell me what part of CA you live in..Do you live in the north or south part of CA..Thank you for your reply..

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jul 29, 2006

I graduated in May 2006...A lot of hospitals are not hiring LPNs anymore and only hiring RNs..The job market is very competitive..I am very sad..
Our LPN instructor told someone that our college is going to discontinue the LPN program in the future since most hospitals are not hiring them anymore..

I am assuming that this depends on what state a person lives in. I have seen that some of the hospitals in New York do not hire LPNs the same as before, however, my job, where I worked as a patient care associate sponsored me to attend school on a full time leave with pay to become a practical nurse. WHen I received my license in June, they immediately told me that I would begin orientation a month later and I would be returning to my clinic after six weeks of med-surg orientation. As we speak, I am entering into my second week of orientation in med-surg and will be returning to my former area of work as a nurse.

I found the med-surg floor to be a literal jungle, and it may have been to my better advantage to begin a a slower-paced, long term setting, but most of the nursing homes have 2 LPNs working a 60 patient unit; some are splitting the floor with 30 each, and then, there are others that will use one medication nurse for 60 patients and then a charge nurse. I cannot even phantom medicating 30 patients, even under the best of circumstances. At this time, I may care for about 10 and as a new nurse, even that is overwhelming. I believe that in most cases, there is work as a practical nurse, but as other readers here have stated, it may be best not to be keep an open mind about where you may actually wind up working. You may be pleasently surprized what may be available to you after graduation. And, after all of the work we did to become nurses, it may be nice to be daring and try something unexpected.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jul 29, 2006

It never does cease to amaze me that students still think they are going to come out of an LPN program and jump right into their dream job. I know I just graduated and had to do some compromising. Some people fail to realize that you have to get out there and get some experience first. I know that I would not want a new grad working on me in the ER. NO WAY!!! There is still so much to learn once your out of school and to be honest on my first day of work I felt like I needed to go back to school for another year...lol....Take your time and look at all of your options!

I had an adminstrator at my job that really pushed for me to come to the ER and vehemently refused because I am a new grad with no experience. I don't want to be rushed and kill someone. I also agree that with no experience, we may have to take a chance with something we didn't expect in order to get our feet wet.

JadedinPA · Jul 29, 2006

I'm new here but I can say that I've been reading this post with interest. You see, I AM one of those LPN's that came straight out of school and began a career in the ED of my local hospital...20 years ago. I have excellent assessment skills, top-notch IV skills, cardiac nursing and monitor experience, experience dealing with orthopedic, pediatric, psychiatric, geriatric, cardiac, trauma patients, etc. over my 11 year ED career. These skills were just as highly developed in me and my fellow LPN's as in the RN's that worked alongside of us...in fact, some of us were MUCH better nurses than some of the RN's. After 11 years the ED was "purged" of its LPN staff, in favor of an all-RN staff. Since that time, now almost 10 years ago, the local ED has been chronically UNDER-staffed due to the shortage of nurses in general, but particularly of RN's willing to work in an environment like the ED.

After being pushed from my ED job, I took a position in a facility that had a Family Practice on one side and a Walk-In clinic on the other side. The head physician was supposedly ACLS certified but was unable to start an IV, couldn't tell the difference between an asthma attack and a simple case of hyperventilation and advised NOT restocking the Epi and Atropine onto the Code Cart when it expired because it "wasn't all that necessary". We had a woman in frank Pulmonary Edema come into the Walk-In Clinic one morning. While the Dr. screwed around treating her as though she had pneumonia I begged and begged and begged for an OK to start an IV...and to call 911. I never got the order until the woman crashed, spewing copious amounts of white froth from her respiratory tract. I was then COMMANDED to "main-line" Lasix directly into the woman's vein in order to save that Dr's butt. In my state, LPN's are not permitted to give most IV push meds...Lasix included. When I balked the Dr. said, "If you don't do it, her death will be your fault." It was then that I knew I would end up losing my license if I continued working there...if not from being asked to do things not covered by my license but from the fact that *I*, the LPN, had more experience and knowledge than the physicians I was working with. I left shortly thereafter.

In the years since then, I've been unable to find a job anywhere but in a Long Term Care-type setting. I went from my ED job where my Dr's trusted my skills and my assessments explicitly...often ordering ceratin labs and X-rays at my suggestion. I felt as though I was a valuable part of the team. Now?? I work in an environment where I'm not "allowed" to make assessments...only RN's can do that. I have been told more times than I can count that I'm a "data collector" and I can "observe" things about patients, but I can't make an "official assessment". What's worse is that when I make my "observations" and report them to the RN's above me...no one wants to listen and/or do anything about the problem. That's is, until the small problem has snowballed into a HUGE problem and then there's always a large contingent of people (RN's, DON, Administrator, Corporate, etc.) willing to blame ME and chew MY butt for supposedly having not identified the problem way back when it was easily solved. Couple that with the fact that I'm also not permitted to do Rounds with the Dr., bring him up to speed on what's going on with my patients and/or suggest meds or treatment regimens. No, THAT is the duty of the RN. Basically, because I have the letters L-P-N behind my name, I've been forced from an environment (the ED) where I had worth and my judgement was trusted and appreciated to an environment where I have NO worth, my judgement ISN'T trusted NOR appreciated and I've become the scapegoat for the poor nursing and administrative skills of my supposedly superior RN's.

I can honestly say that from the experiences that I've had, I have come to HATE nursing...if that's what you can call the job they've reduced us to. I recently inquired at another nearby hospital about job openings. I was given a list and my heart skipped a beat as I noted TWELVE open positions in the ED. I practically mauled the Nurse Recruiter in my furvor to apply for a position. She happily took the application from me until she saw the box stating that I was an LPN. I was flatly turned down. I was so shocked I actually asked her point-blank, "You mean to tell me that you would rather be short TWELVE nurses than to hire ONE LPN that has 11 years of ED experience?!" "Yes", was all she'd say. So as far as I can see it, LPN shouldn't stand for Licensed Practical Nurse. It should stand for Little Pretend Nurse. And, yes, you can call me Jaded in PA.:angryfire

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jul 29, 2006

JadedinPA, I am totally moved by this post, because you sound like a phenomenal nurse. I just became an LPN in June, and I see that many of the LPNs in my job feel belittled by the staff. Many times, people have said to me "All you are is an LPN?" and I get pissed off, because, while I may not have the experience behind me, yet, I AM a NURSE. And, I often wonder if I will ever be able to amass the experience that you have because of LPN. I have to ask, did you ever plan to return for the RN?

For me, I can say that irregardless to what happens, I don't plan to return for the RN simply because I hated school. The game, the manipulation and competitiveness of the students and staff and the stress makes me say that no matter what the outcome, I doubt of re-entering into that will come into play in my life.

I can say, though, that I hope that you make the decision to do so, simply because you already have what it takes. I'll also be pm-ing you with this same post because I certainly want for everyone and YOU to know that you have MY respect.

Kitnurse · Jul 29, 2006

I've been an LVN/PN since 97 and am preparing to go back for my RN. From my experience in CA and now in OH there are jobs for LPNs but only in a very few fields such as geriatrics and home health. Jobs in clinics are few, far between and hotly competited for. It almost seems as though we are being Pushed into those fields RNs no longer want. I put myself through LPN school working nights in a nursing home and I never want to go back, but if I dont get my RN that may be all that's left. I think its great if thats what you want, but it shouldnt be ALL thats available.