kellenl

I take PRN OR/ER call for a local hospital, and I am an LPN. We get a flat rate a day to hold the pager, $100 a day then $56 an hour if you get called in. In Arkansas LPN's can do everything RN's can do. We can hang blood, hang chemo, administer IV sedation and they pay difference is essentially none-less than 1 dollar an hour.

Depending on the rules and regulations of the facilities, most LPN's in the ER and OR setting report directly to the medical director and not a RN. Before leaving the hospital setting I was an OR nurse and we did not have on single RN. We had an APN that did the pharmacotherapy for the MAC and pre op medications but LPN and PA's did everything else. Lindarn sounds like you have major RN-itis.

Each state and each employers rules are different but I have worked in surgery centers where we reported directly to the medical director with NO RN's on staff.

Baylay and TLC: As an employer I would NEVER consider hiring a LPN or RN without them carrying their own malpractice insurance. The insurance employers provide does cover a portion of legal expenses but most employers require nurses carry their own and it is foolish not too.

We have a medical director who will decribe patient using made up abbreviations. " 54 year old AAF, CAS"= 54 year old african american female, crazy as ****." lololol We also have a made up code for the OR suites=code brown. It's when a patient gets a little Versed/Fentanyl combo and loose their bowels.

namastenurse: i have worked in many large cities with lpn's as charge nurses and don. just because you are an rn doesn't remain you are qualified for a leadership position.

LPN's can definetly be charges over RN. In my currently job the DON is an LPN who graduated from nursing school in 2001. She has 3 LPN's and 2 RN's under her. Most new grad LPN's are more knowledgable than RN's as RN's studies are more book work oriented.

I would ask what is the case load and what will your job entail. Especially since you are a new grad with no experience. At my facility the "newbies" with no CM experience start out in precert and QA for the first 1-3 years. Case management can include PA, QA, Utilization Review, Audits, Appeals, patient liason.

Case Managers deal DIRECTLY with DON and MD a lot. A precert nurse may tell you that an insurance company had denied or partially noncerted a hospital stay and as the CM you will have to go tell the charge nurse or doctor to get the patient out of the hospital. YOU will be the one to take the brunt of the agression from these people!!!!

If you do not have UR experience you need to start transitioning into an administrative nursing position. In the hospitals I have worked at and now I am in insurance, we required a minimum of 3-5 years nursing experience with at least 1 year of QA/PA experience before you could do Case Mangement or UR. It's a great, flexible field to be in and you will love it!

Nurse Auditing and Appeals. At the insurance company I work at that is the next step. After that it is to get a RHU. (registed health underwriters certificate to write insurance policies.) I was a QA/Precert nurse before transitioning to CM. I did CM for 2 years before bumping up to my current job.

I am a case manager/auditor for an insurance company. We have no RN's here, 5 LPN's. We report directly to an MD so an RN is not required. The rules are different when you are not in a patient care setting and have no direct patient access.

I would say that it depends on what state you live in. In the south (I have worked in Texas, Ark and Tennesse) LPN's can do basically everything an RN can do. (Hang blood, hang chemo, administer BCG, etc) RN's are mostly in administrative positions such as DON. I have worked OR, ICU, Oncology, Diabetic Education all as an LPN. The pay between LPN and RN is not that much different, about $1 an hour starting difference. When I worked in ICU we had 1 BSN that was our director of nursing, 1 PA that that reported directly to the ordering doctors and 1 APN on call but everyone else was an LPN.

I worked at the hospital as a nurse extern prior to getting my license. Most facilities will allow you to have a non-licensed nursing job if you are transitioning from student to licensed nurse.

Currently in Arkansas- Case Manger for an insurance company. Paid benefits. 6 weeks paid vacation per year. 35 hours a week. $52,500 year.