PCA to LPN??

KareBear0609 · Mar 18, 2011

It is not the PCT/PCA class that has allowed you to pass medications, because PCT/PCA's are not allowed to do that. It is the 8 hour training course that you took.

Also, if there is a LPN program in your area, you can always take that then do a bridge program (LPN to RN)

dialysisnurseLC · Mar 18, 2011

i am a med. tech at an assisted living facility in fl. and i pass meds everyday. I also just completed an LPN program here and being a med tech first gave me a 1 up on my classmates because i knew most of the meds and was very comfortable passing meds. if you would like to become a med tech at an alf. u can apply to be a resident assistant at any brookdale community as they are all over the nation hopefully there is one in my area. u do not have to be a cna to apply. good luck! )

:up:

purse · Mar 18, 2011

I do pass meds, at an Assisted Living facility, so I already feel like a nurse because I know all the pills these old people take, and why they take them. I've noticed though around here at other ALF there are PCAs and Med Techs, One person to pass meds, and one to help the residents with the other stuff, and usually there is a nurse too. However, we have one nurse LPN 7 to 3 Mon thru Friday, and the other days were on our own to do it all. Does this seem familiar to anyone else?? I know it might not seem hard because the people in assisted living are thought of as mostly still independent, but we have a level of care scale 1 to 4, 1 being independent and 4 being needs the most care, over HALF the residents on the floor are a level 4, so they need help dressing, toileting, showering, etc etc. I just get so overwhelemed sometimes, I never take one break the whole shift, even though we are pemitted a half hour lunch and two 15 minute breaks. If I took them then there would be tons of work I couldnt get done. Also, on the seven to three shift, breakfast is at 730, so we have a half hour to pour the pills, (16 residents each getting AT LEAST 8 or 9 pills at breakfast) and over 3/4 's of them need bp monitoring in order to take their pills, or blood sugar, etc etc. Not to mention the 9 or 10 patients who need help dressin in the morning. I find myself bringing them to breakfast in their pjs and robes and helping them dress and wash AFTER breakfast because of the lack of time. Im just curious as to if this is normal for this kind of job? I went from being a cash office clerk in a grocery store, and Ive only been a PCA for about 7 or 8 months so not much experience. I took the job because I can deal well with pressure, but it just seems like an awful amount of work on our shoulders.

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Mar 18, 2011

i do pass meds, at an assisted living facility, so i already feel like a nurse because i know all the pills these old people take, and why they take them.

i am in nursing school, set to graduate august 3rd, as a reference point.

you should not feel like a nurse, passing pills is in no way similar to the education, critical thinking skills, and assessment skills that a nurse brings to the table thanks to his/her education.

nursing is not passing pills, you can 'train' anyone to pass out a pill. anyone can believe they know why a patient takes a pill, and what it is for, but you have not taken chemistry or pharmacology, so you truly do not know. you know limited pieces of information.

nurses have the educational background to make judgment calls, judgment calls that you not only cannot make, but you would not necessary understand without education related to the pathophysiology of certain illnesses and processes.

if you think the amount of work you have is 'awful', wait until you become a nurse or go to nursing school..

dialysisnurseLC · Mar 18, 2011

yes i do experience about the same thing....when i was in LPN school i worked 11-7am as the med tech on the weekends and it was a lot. there was a resident assistant who came in at 5am to take over the floor that i had (the alf i work at has three floors) but now there isnt someone ( i still work 11-7 some fri.) and i am responsible for passing my meds and dressing and grooming a few people. it is a lot on ur shoulders for the amount of pay u are not given, but i am glad i am employed...its easy to complain but i will just be thankful. and most of the residents are really appreciative for the care u give. hopefully i will be taking my boards soon and will only have to pass meds if i decide to stay there

purse · Mar 18, 2011

I actually ave taken many chemistry classes, and starting a pharmacology class this summer. I am not trying to step on anyones toes by saying "oh i pass pills, im like a nurse". I didnt say that, nor am I in anyway applying that. The thing is, I work closely with the ONE nurse on our unit, and all she does is take orders from the Drs and writes them in our Mar. There have been many times when ive asked the nurse on our floor to look at a resident i am concerned about, but its 330 and time for her to clock out and she leaves. Also, if we were to need a nurse when our units nurse is off duty, we have to call to the charge nurse, who, 9 out of 10 times tells us to make the judgement for example if the patient should go to the hospital... Im not saying that what I do is anywhere near the work of a nurse in a hospital.

dialysisnurseLC · Mar 18, 2011

oh yea the nurses at my alf do more than pass meds as well but they dont really deal with the patient care as much as the med tech's do....overall i think my experience at the alf has been a great learning

purse · Mar 18, 2011

Maybe it is just different at my work. I LOVE the residents I work with, well most of them. I've just noticed the nurses at my work, are not comparable to the nurses I see in the hospital. Maybe it's because Im young and just need more experience, but I love my job Idont want anyone to get me wrong on that.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 18, 2011

I doubt seriously that an 8 hr course prepares someone to "know everything" about giving meds.

As for the original post: becoming an LVN/LPN might help you bridge to RN. Just be persistent and not stop there, as RN's are preferred in acute care settings. You do not want to limit your career (at least I would not).

Mrs. Sparkle Pants · Mar 18, 2011

Wow, way to freak out over a little comment that had nothing to do wotj the original post. Ugh, OP if you are wanting to gey a BSN at some point, use this time to get some of those classes out of the way. I am kond of in the same boat waiting til next spring, but there are lots of thomgs you can do to boost your resimr and application in the meantime. Take some foreign language classes or volunteer. Even if you getyour LPN its not guaranteed that you will get a job better than the one you have now. I woild stick it out and do some resume building. Good luck!

*sorry for any typos, my phone is not cooperating.

ObtundedRN, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

I agree with the above, I would take the time to get other classes finished and reapply to the RN program or consider the BSN program. In the time it would take you to do an LPN then LPN-RN, you probably could've just done a BSN.

As for the medication thing that everyone freaked over. I believe that med techs are allowed to pass meds because they are not "administering" medications, they are "assisting the resident" to take their meds. I'm sure you're not handleing any injections or IV meds? Probably not putting any through a feeding tube either. You probably just make sure they take the correct pill at the correct time and hand it to them, yes?