RN responsibilities in LTC

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I'm a new RN considering to apply for a position in LTC. However, I admit that I'm not very clear about the responsibilities on an RN in LTC, since it seems that most is done by aids and LVNs/LPNs and RNs hold mainly office jobs. I have seen nursing homes advertis positions for RNs without specifying that it would be a management position, so I'm a bit confused.

Also, what exactly would a LTC weekend supervisor do, and would a new grad be qualified for this position?

Specializes in Developmental Disabilities, LTC.

At the risk of taking this thread even further away from what it was originally intended (RN duties, remember?), I have to agree with CallieSue. I've worked with some wonderful LPNs, as well as CNAs. In fact, as a CNA, I remember more than a couple of RNs that were unable to be scheduled to work together due to "personality conflict". The aides & LPNs were never afforded this luxury - we were always too busy taking care of patients & helping each other out in order to get our jobs done to bother with any personal squabbles.

I hate to say it, but LPN's and nurses aides will never be what RN's are but wish to be, and this is why they are not nice people in the working environment.

I think this is a horrible thing to say. I've known several LPNs who were quite satisfied with their chosen profession. One told me she was never interested in becoming an RN because she could spend more hands-on time with her patients as an LPN. I've even known 2 CNAs who were given the opportunity to attend nursing school to become RNs (1 even made it through the entire program), only to stay true to their profession as aides because they felt that was their true calling & they wanted the one to one time with their patients. I remember one gal said to me, "Why would I want to do that? I get to talk to my patients everyday, find out how their feeling, listen to stories about their families, have dinner with them - I wouldn't trade that in for all the money in the world!"

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I will not apologize for my personal feelings toward LPN's and nurses aides; however, I do feel that my attitude has nothing to do with how I have been treated by them. I have found in many settings LTC and in the hospital setting that LPN's and aides do cause 90% of the interpersonal conflicts in the workplace and that it seems they get to keep their jobs while the rest of us suffer. When I was an LPN I never had any conflict with the RN's because I knew respect and I think this is what alot of new LPN's coming on board don't know. Working with unlicensed staff such as nurses aides is very difficult especially for a supervisor when they don't listen to directions is what I have found. If this statement angers anyone, it is just an observation of what my experience has been.:cry:

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I will not apologize for my personal feelings toward LPN's and nurses aides; however, I do feel that my attitude has nothing to do with how I have been treated by them. I have found in many settings LTC and in the hospital setting that LPN's and aides do cause 90% of the interpersonal conflicts in the workplace and that it seems they get to keep their jobs while the rest of us suffer. When I was an LPN I never had any conflict with the RN's because I knew respect and I think this is what alot of new LPN's coming on board don't know. Working with unlicensed staff such as nurses aides is very difficult especially for a supervisor when they don't listen to directions is what I have found. If this statement angers anyone, it is just an observation of what my experience has been.:cry:

Well considering where I work at Lpn's and cna's make up 90% of the facility, I could see why it may seem that way to you. However, You don't need to criticize people by the title behind their name. In general I work with some wonderful cna's,Lpn's and Rn's. I worked as a cna for several years prior to getting my LPN and I here comments from them that I use to think myself when I was a cna about LPN's. Just goes to show until you walk in someone elses shoes "YOU JUST DON"T KNOW". As a LPN I don't want your apology for your personal feelings about my title (one you had yourself) I have the choice the write up "cna's" if they don't listen to directions, although I very seldom go this route, I have learned that respect is earned and not just given to someone because of their title.

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Well considering where I work at Lpn's and cna's make up 90% of the facility, I could see why it may seem that way to you. However, You don't need to criticize people by the title behind their name. In general I work with some wonderful cna's,Lpn's and Rn's. I worked as a cna for several years prior to getting my LPN and I here comments from them that I use to think myself when I was a cna about LPN's. Just goes to show until you walk in someone elses shoes "YOU JUST DON"T KNOW". As a LPN I don't want your apology for your personal feelings about my title (one you had yourself) I have the choice the write up "cna's" if they don't listen to directions, although I very seldom go this route, I have learned that respect is earned and not just given to someone because of their title.

I think it is wonderful that you work with some excellent LPN's and CNA's however my experience has not been the same. I am not criticizing anyone because of their title, but society does look differently at an RN vs. LPN or aide.:D

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Specializes in Geriatric/Psych.

I am an RN/Charge nurse .........and work the floor passing meds, etc while being the charge nurse. I work with an LPN who has more experience than I and I go to her for advice quite a bit. I'm so tired of the LPN/RN

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I think it is wonderful that you work with some excellent LPN's and CNA's however my experience has not been the same. I am not criticizing anyone because of their title, but society does look differently at an RN vs. LPN or aide.:D

Good luck on your career as an RN, you will need it if your attitude toward others "beneath" you don't change, As far as what society thinks, Some of my better friends at work are housekeepers....who work very hard also. I think if you would stop and put yourself in others shoes before you judge them you may have a happier work enviroment for yourself. Of course Society looks at each title differently because they are different. When a cna tells me something is different with one of my pts, I take it seriously until I at least lay eyes on them and check it out myself. I have seen other nurses just brush it off or make the cna feel "stupid" for even bringing it up. I have had Rn's ask me for help with things because of my experience not my title. My point is we each have important role in healthcare. No not everyone is a pleasure to work with (including myself at times)we all have bad days however I don't consider myself a trouble maker or someone who is jealous because I am not an Rn,for now being an LPN is enough for me.:twocents::twocents:

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Specializes in Geriatric/Psych.

Didn't get a chance to finish my post.

LadyJrn1:

It is RN's like you that think they are higher than anyone else that gives our profession its awful reputation. Yes, you have a right to your opinion, but it was distasteful and disrespectful. And that is my RN opinion. You definately were treated badly because of your high opinion of yourself. I gaurantee it.

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Specializes in Did the job hop, now in MS. Not Bad!!!!!.
I am an RN/Charge nurse .........and work the floor passing meds, etc while being the charge nurse. I work with an LPN who has more experience than I and I go to her for advice quite a bit. I'm so tired of the LPN/RN

Furwillfly,

I am also over the nonsense. Let the experienced guide the non! I'm looking to enter a N.H. as a RN/BSN and I welcome you to read and respond to a thread I just started about "what do you love about LTC/NH"

Chloe

RN-BSN, BA

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Didn't get a chance to finish my post.

LadyJrn1:

It is RN's like you that think they are higher than anyone else that gives our profession its awful reputation. Yes, you have a right to your opinion, but it was distasteful and disrespectful. And that is my RN opinion. You definately were treated badly because of your high opinion of yourself. I gaurantee it.

The RN/LPN status will never go away and RN's will always be looked at in society as a "real nurse." This is the way it is. I have had bad experiences with LPN's and nurses aides and until I meet one who is not a trouble maker and one who does not wish to be deceitful, gossip, and cause emotional and mental anguish to an RN, then I will possibly change my mind, until then my opinion of the LPN and the nurses aide is very poor.

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Yes, I am afraid to say that LPN's and nurses aides in LTC are at the bottom of the food tree and my experiences with them have not been positive. Where I worked in LTC, these two catagories of workers have caused more interpersonal conflicts and issues between RN's and staff that people lost their jobs over it. I hate to say it, but LPN's and nurses aides will never be what RN's are but wish to be, and this is why they are not nice people in the working environment. Funny, I was an LPN before I became an RN and still to this day, I have never tried to cause trouble for any other nurse and this I am proud of. I have a high standard of ethics for myself and wish no grief on anyone else.:yeah:

For someone as intelligent and educated as you'd like to believe yourself to be, it seems you would know that the expression is "food chain" not food tree.

But then again, I was a writer long before I became a lowly LPN.

You were once an LPN and became an RN. My guess is that you had to go to school for an additional 9 months. And somehow that makes you superior than an LPN?

I can assure you that your ethics are no more superior than mine. It sounds like you are an extremely bitter person who has let your two-year degree go to your head. I can only hope that you run into some NP's and M.D's with the same degree of ignorance.

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The RN/LPN status will never go away and RN's will always be looked at in society as a "real nurse." This is the way it is. I have had bad experiences with LPN's and nurses aides and until I meet one who is not a trouble maker and one who does not wish to be deceitful, gossip, and cause emotional and mental anguish to an RN, then I will possibly change my mind, until then my opinion of the LPN and the nurses aide is very poor.

How can you generalize so much and still consider yourself a professional?

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For someone as intelligent and educated as you'd like to believe yourself to be, it seems you would know that the expression is "food chain" not food tree.

But then again, I was a writer long before I became a lowly LPN.

You were once an LPN and became an RN. My guess is that you had to go to school for an additional 9 months. And somehow that makes you superior than an LPN?

I can assure you that your ethics are no more superior than mine. It sounds like you are an extremely bitter person who has let your two-year degree go to your head. I can only hope that you run into some NP's and M.D's with the same degree of ignorance.

Chain or tree, it is still at the bottom isn't it? As far as my degree, it is much more than a two year degree and I worked and payed extremely hard for it. That is why when I was an LPN, I always strived for more and wanted to be more than just a "glorified aide" pushing a med cart and fixing boo-boos. I will not apologize for wanting more and wanting to be the best which is why LPN are on the extinction list and many LPN are going on to be RN. Haven't you been asked as an LPN at one point in your career "aren't you going on to be an RN?" Doesn't that make you feel like you are at the bottom of the heap? Doctors and NP's would much rather deal with RN's than LPN's and you know and I know that is the truth. There is nothing that I have not said here that isn't the truth.:yeah:

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