zippyLPN

Shanon, Im originally from Mass. STCC is an awesome school. Also in that area is Elms College! GOOD LUCK !

Umass Amherst has an incredible nursing program.......Look into it !

i am newly transplanted to ct from mass. yes the pay is better, some things are higher (ie, gas, rent). but alot outweigh those things. the school system is the top in the country, fresh clean air and good people. welcome to ct !!

boston - nurses at cooley dickinson hospital in northampton are supporting a bill that would have the legislature set minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in massachusetts hospitals. many nurses across the state say that because there is no ratio, they are overworked and their jobs have become increasingly difficult, affecting the standards of care they provide. ''frequently we are working with very unsafe conditions. sometimes you feel like the lucy and ethel chocolate factory skit!,'' said mary powers, an obstetrics nurse at cooley dickinson. the massachusetts nurses association and the massachusetts hospital association are proposing competing patient ratio bills, with the key difference between the two that the nurses association bill would have the ratio binding, while under the terms of the hospital association bill, the ratio would be a guideline, which is the case currently. the issues outlined the nurses association released a poll at the statehouse on tuesday showing that over three-quarters of state residents surveyed support minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. powers said she saw the same sentiment recently when she reviewed surveys filled out by former patients at cooley dickinson. the number one complaint was over-worked nurses and not enough nurses per patient, powers said. mary beth fairbrother, vice president for patient care services at cooley dickinson and the hospital's chief nurse, said she has added about 60 nurse and nurse support positions in recent years, bringing the number of positions to between 280 and 300. she said hospital officials are continually updating their analysis to determine how many nurses are needed. ''overworking does happen, that's the reality of the job. they are not overworked all the time,'' fairbrother said. powers, who has been on staff at cooley dickinson for 40 years, said the added support staff has not helped with bedside nursing. ''they've had control of the numbers and this is the mess they've made of it. it's time for the legislators to take this into their hands,'' powers said. while the journal of the american medical association recommends a nurse-patient ratio of one-to-four, the nurses association said many nurses deal with up to eight patients a shift. the association's telephone poll, by the cambridge-based opinion dynamics corporation, was conducted feb. 16-20, of 400 state residents. questions focused on quality of care and staffing minimums. the association's bill, called the safe rn staffing bill, would set minimum patient-to-nurse ratios according to the specific needs of individual hospitals. hospitals that don't meet the ratios would be subject to fines. originally proposed in 2001, the bill has never made it out of committee. a competing bill, the patient safety act, is being proposed by the massachusetts hospital association, which conducted a telephone poll of its own in november and found that of 401 registered voters, 56 percent were in favor of hospitals drawing up their own nurse-to-patient ratios and reporting them to an independent board. those ratios would be guidelines, and not subject to fines. the hospital association bill, sponsored by sen. richard moore, d-uxbridge, the chairman of the joint committee on health care financing, would let hospitals set their own staffing levels, rather than impose a government mandate. ''legislated ratios will tie their hands and won't make the care better,'' said paul wingle, director of communications for the hospital association. state rep. ellen story, d-amherst, is one of the 106 legislators sponsoring the safe rn staffing bill proposed by the nurses association. she said she believes it essential to impose nurse-patient ratios. story said she believes that the bill sponsored by the nurse's association has failed to pass because of money and control issues. story said she is not sure what the timeline would be for consideration of the ratio bills. she said the legislature is backlogged with bills due to committee restructuring. she said she would be thrilled if they could get a hearing late this spring or next fall, but that she hopes they will come to the floor for debate and vote at least before end of the two-year session~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:balloons: its about time !

amen nursepa !!!!!!!! well said ! i also can teach, have done mds's and so on...... theres alot to be said for lpn's !!

I think ya both need to move out of the states your in.....I dont answer to anyone but the Supervisor or DON ! I am a Charge nurse on my unit with yes another charge nurse. we are both responsible for the unit (split into 2 wings) Did I mention that we are both LPNS.....Wait, my supervisor is an LPN.....I delegate the cna's, I do the assesments, I do the md orders and oh my god.....I do my own admissions! I have been a supervisor of a 150 bed SNF/LTC facility....And I have known plenty of Unit managers that have been LPN's ....LPN's have come a long way in nursing, I think its time to get rid of the RN-"itis". !!!!!!!!!!! Were all in nursing for one reason and it comes down to caring for the pts!

oopsie...it also depends on where the excoriation is............... if its in a moist area(ie;under breasts, abd folds..ect..) i like nystatin powder

xenaderm!!!!!!!!! also like lantiseptic or a&d with zinc

just wondering.......lpn's in other states just wondering what lpn's can & cant do in other states.... im in mass. been a nurse for 8yrs now :balloons: and have done alot in my "short" career so far. ive been a wound nurse, mds nurse, add-on nurse and a shift supervisor in an 150 bed snf/ltc facility as well as being a cna instructor(state certified) and of course a floor charge nurse. currently im a floor charge nurse (myself and the other nurse are charge (ltc unit) ) i have 23 pts on my wing ..total of 43 on the unit with 6 cna's total for my 3-11 shift... how are the ratio's elsewhere? how is the pay in other areas? i made just over $55k last yr with very little overtime... like i said....just wondering................. i was also reading the beginning of this thread and i'm like...........what ???? lpns cant do assessments? md orders? im thinking , are these ppl from mars? the only thing i cant do as an lpn is sign the rap's and pronouncements....im sure there is a bit more , and iit depends on the facility....

IM an LPN in Ma Some hospitals do hire LPNs and some places do treat us as aides. Not so in Western Mass. There are certain limitations that we have to abide by, but mostly depends on policies. LTC is the best way to go. Lots of facilities will hire LPNs in managment positions. I have been a facility supervisor. LPN s can be unit managers do MDS's but not the Raps (lol) RN or LPN its all the same . Comes down to qaulity care of the patients. Good Luck

amen to your last statement nursenan......well said! those lpns are the ones who give all lpns a bad name....:angryfire here in mass. an lpn can start, stop and remove pher.ivs, but not place or remove midline, ect...monitor midline, centrals give med iv but not push ! we cant hang blood but can monitor...can hang iv abt no matter the type......... i do believe that its whatever the facilities decide in the policy books...i know my facility will not deal with any iv narcotics........that is just the policy and not a matter of rn vs lpn....... ive worked with an lpn as a adon...( she was better then the don lol).... like i said i think all the roles that an lpn can be depends upon the state and most of all the facility you work for.........:)

no southern i wasnt trying to offend you or anyone, i apologize if i had.....and, i couldnt agree more that titles mean nothing. i'm tired of reading thru posts that to me seem as if they are lpn-bashing. ive had more then one rn come up to me and ask " well why are u a supervisor?" my reply is always ..."well why didnt u apply for it?" lol in my area there really isnt a big difference what lpns can or cant do vs rns...i think im more surprised then anything on how lpns are treated so differently across the country ...........:)

all i can say is thank god i live and work where i do ! an lpn that cant take md orders? omg thats almost barbaric lol......... what on earth are they allowed to do?

why wont your facility hire one of the lpns for that suprvisor position? there are plenty of lpns in management positions.

amen nursefeelgood! yes , we all work hard to acheive the same result......quaility care! i'm glad i wasnt the only one to take it the wrong way.