NO more LPN's

[itismemonica]

I doubt it with the shortage.

[Rotifer]

In four years I have never worked with an LPN, saw one once.

[lpnflorida]

Interesting as to the number of Rn;s who have replied no they have not worked with Lpn's. Yet on another thread they discuss how Cna's are now being taught tube feedings, trach care etc.... seems to me things are screwed up royally. To those Rn's who express the fear of having an Lpn's who has their own license working under them yet then are happy to have Cna's who have no license and they are fully responsible for... I do not understand it at all. To those of you who have not worked with an Lpn or have not worked with an experienced Lpn in a hospital setting you have no idea just how valuable and a help we are to the team.

[Rotifer]

I would not mind having LPN’s, I simply have no experience with them. From comments, it appears they are a vanishing species on the West coast – not necessarily elsewhere. A cost issue, I imagine. One can have nurses in a 16 bed ICU doing primary care with the aide of one hardworking, poorly paid CNA. On a medical floor, 7 nurses with 35 patients and 4 CNAs. Throw in LPNs and they are generally rather experienced, therefore you have to pay them more, while certified to do less – not cost efficient from an administrative standpoint. Could they serve as mentors to the labile young BSNs? Heck yeah, but most of the young nurses need to be broken down a bit before they can learn anything, and they tend to poop on anyone they think is below them. So, I don’t know. Perhaps LPNs, with certain qualifications, should be allowed to challenge the NCLEX. As, in some states, one can challenge the bar exam without law school.

[suzanne4, RN]

Thread moved to the General Nursing Discussion Forum since it is not in the form of a poll.

[Sydangle2]

employment

licensed practical nurses held about 749,000 jobs in 2006. about 26 percent of lpns worked in hospitals, 26 percent in nursing care facilities, and another 12 percent in offices of physicians. others worked for home health care services; employment services; residential care facilities; community care facilities for the elderly; outpatient care centers; and federal, state, and local government agencies. about 19 percent worked part time.

outlook

employment of lpns is projected to grow faster than average. overall job prospects are expected to be very good, but job outlook varies by industry. the best job opportunities will occur in nursing care facilities and home health care services, while applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition.

employment change. employment of lpns is expected to grow 14 percent between 2006 and 2016, faster than average- for all occupations, in response to the long-term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general increase in demand for health care services.

many procedures once performed only in hospitals are being performed in physicians’ offices and in outpatient care centers such as ambulatory surgical and emergency medical centers, largely because of advances in technology. lpns care for patients who undergo these and other procedures, so employment of lpns is projected to decline in traditional hospitals, but is projected to grow faster than average in most settings outside of hospitals. however, some hospitals are assigning a larger share of nursing duties to lpns, which will temper the employment decline in the industry.

employment of lpns is expected to grow much faster than average in home health care services. home health care agencies will offer a large number of new jobs for lpns because of an increasing number of older people with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home.

employment of lpns in nursing care facilities is expected to grow faster than average, and provide the most new jobs for lpns, because of the growing number of people who are aged and disabled and in need of long-term care. in addition, lpns in nursing care facilities will be needed to care for the increasing number of patients who have been discharged from the hospital but who have not recovered enough to return home.

licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses employment 2006 749,000

projected employment for lpn/lvn 2016- 854,000

[Tim92]

I don't think this is true. Pretty soon I will begin schooling to become an LPN.

:)

[SaraO'Hara]

If it's true, then why do I exist?