GreytNurse

I've always carried my own policy. That garbage about the 'facility providing coverage'..........:roll You know how long they will stay behind you if something happens???????? About 2.3 seconds. CARRY YOUR OWN INSURANCE.........

I'm a charge nurse.......LTC. I am responsible for the CNA's who work under me, not other nurses. I guess it is different with hospitals? I would'nt want to carry my lic. and insurance for other nurses all the time. There is a ton of stress as it is.........

OMG.......... Some of you 'have it made'...... .......some have 8 CNA's for 60 pts....... .......some have 6 CNA's for 48 pts...... WOWIEEEEE!! Where I 'used' to work...in a skilled MC facility, we would have, at most, 4 CNA's for 60 on days. Remember, this is a skilled fac. w/ post surgery pts, MAJOR wound care pts.....etc...... Most of the time we would have 3 CNA's......1 for each hall of 30 pts. and one of the CNA's would be 'split', taking half of each hall. These girls had to get most of these pts. up (if indicated) showered, dressed and ready for breakfast (in the diningroom) in 1hr 45 min. You talk about superwomen!!!!!!! I now work in a brand new facility, ICF and so far, we only have 3 pts......I LOVE IT!! We are adding slow and staffing as we go. We have 1 nurse and 2 cna's on days and evenings and 1 nurse 1cna on nights. I am the night charge and the main problem right now is boredom.....we are checking on these pts. all the time (they are getting spoiled:D ) washing everything in site, waxing floors, organizing charts, you name it......I'm taking advantage of this as I know it won't last forever. We need national reform to set limits on ratios!! I know some legislature is in front of Pres. Bush right now.....let's all hope and pray it passes. But, the one big problem I see right now, connected to the staffing shortage is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Our CNA's work their butts off and are paid embarrassing wages.......I admire all of them and if it were up to me, they would all be making $20 hour!!:kiss

Diablo........Lynni........perhaps you all should double check with your states and the American Nurses Assoc. and the Nat. Assoc of LPN..... Anyway, I sure hope you all carry malpractice insurance. If you don't and you think that your facility will stand behind you......the only thing you'll get from behind is a boot on the back side!!!! If you've had the extra/special training, great! But, like I said, I would make sure, 100000000% that you are working under facility/state protocol.

All I can say is, you all better be double checking the standards for what you can do, legally, with the state. There are National regulations and I'm just glad I don't work with some of you.....sounds too scary!

Janice:p Gotcha, understand where your coming from. What is so sad, is that there are alot of nurses out there that will do or try anything.....it's an 'ego' thing. They don't realize, or care that lives are in the balance.....THEIR balance! I worked with a nurse that charted she hung IV antibiotics and didn't (they were still stapled shut in the bag from Pharm), she with-held GT feedings, causing weightloss, and even went as far as un clogging a GT with a coat hanger from the closet!!!!! She was reported and the facility did nothing. State was called in, they were paid off by the facility. They keep here because she is a RN and they are short of RN's. I'm not saying she is a 'killer'....but patients have passed on her shift that others thought suspicious. We need to realize that we are responsible for others lives.....is that not the most terrifying and yet the most awesome things? I absolutely LOVE my career. Sometimes it drives me nutts, but I still love it. Nurses.....PLEASE make sure you are practing UNDER the law, both for your state/facility AND the National Nursing Act. Regardless of what your state/facility allows, it may not be legal. Your facility is not the law. Double check if your not sure. I guarentee that if it came down to it, your facility would 'play dumb' and implicate YOU, saving their own butts!! I know that some of the 'nursing procedures' that Lynni are NOT legal for LPN's. Cover your self Please!!!!!!!! Double check the standards!

LynniNurse.......first of all, I'm darn proud of what I do, as I'm sure you are too. Bite you?....not for a million. Move to Tenn???? NEVER!!! Not if they allow LPN's to do 'whatever'..... The NATIONAL Nursing Regs, which governs LPN's as well, would love to differ with you too. They make the rules for the nursing body as a whole, not just state to state. Like I said, if your facility is letting YOU, a lic. prof. nurse.....LPN, push IV meds and administer cardiac meds......they are way over the line. I'm also a paralegal and know the law. I just hope you carry malpractice insurance! Janice.....what makes you think I 'sit back and decide what I'm going to do as a nurse? Maybe I misunderstood your comment???? I do use my judgment....peoples lives are at stake here. If I'm asked to do something that I KNOW is not legally allowed, I won't do it, even if I know how to. We LPN's are not given the credit we deserve. Most of us can 'nurse' circles around RN's, but we still need to realize that we are governed by rules and regs......just make sure you know what they are and follow them, even if your 'facility' allows you to 'do certian things'......think about it!

LynniNurse.....what the heck is your problem and I'm sorry, I just don't buy 'your duties'.....you stated that you, "draw from PICC's, IV push Lasix, mix any drug & administer it, were the only ACLS provider, ran the codes including administering ACLS drugs...." who are you kidding? I'm too an LPN, IV Cert. but know for a FACT that as an LPN, IV Certified or not, you CANNOT legally do most of what you stated you do. If 'your' facility lets you, shame on them and God help the patients! Your also ragging on JMP for an attitude????? Get with the program sister. I didn't sense any 'attitude' from JMP that warrented you jumping down throats. Take a chill pill, trim the ego and calm down. I, too, agree that the difference between an RN and LPN is mainly cost.....of the degree and pay. I work beside some really dumb RN's who make me wonder HOW they got their license. I do the exact same job, work just as hard but get paid less. I wish, and hope that someday, we LPN's can get the chance to 'test out' with RN boards. Heck, if some of these RN's I work with can pass, I know for a fact that I could ace it! It takes all of us, working together, making a difference. Nurses are nurses and worth our weight in gold......forget the initials because in the long run, they don't mean a thing, the heart does!