Sami Vish

So I'm an LPN, but I received the full education of an RN. I passed all of my classes; however I could not pass my program's exit HESI and therefore only received a certificate of Practical Nursing and then sat for the NCLEX. I earned two additional degrees in related fields prior to to my nursing certificate. I've also worked in other industries at an expert level. I'm very educated and I have to routinely remind my mangers that I am not an RN and therefore my scope is limited. Don't assume just because a nurse has this title that it automatically means they are less educated. We have varying education levels, just like RNs have varying education levels. Instead think LPNs have more limited scopes of practice than an RN. That said, this unit manager's interference in your work has nothing to do with her being an LPN and has everything to do with her desire to micromanage. You should most definitely report her behaviors to your supervisor. But to actually answer the question you asked, I work in New Mexico and I don't know about every state, but I know that in this state Long-term Accute Care Settings fall under the same regulations as Skilled Nursing facilities. In my state it is within the scope of practice of an LPN to act as a Charge Nurse in the SNF setting as long as there is an RN somewhere in the building. The idea is these patients should be relatively stable and not requiring repeat critical assessment. I've worked in Long-Term Acute Care and those patients are definitely not stable. I've never understood why in my state these two very different settings have the same policies and regulations. Maybe it's the same in your state.