RN signs for LPN discharge

[TinyNurse, RN]

in my ER i have LPNs asking me to sign for their discharge. They've done the dc they've done the teacing...... i usually sign but is this wrong?? I know the RN is responsible for teaching.

[carcha]

TinyNurse, some years ago while working on a unit I was expected to sign for the work carried out by the LPN'S. I refused and was told by my manager that if I dident sign I would be fired. Of course the hospital was just keeping its insurance carrier happy by having people like me as fall guys if something was wrong. In the meantime they hired more and more LPNs while RN's like me were expected to sign for and take responsibility for work we dident even see. I called the union in and said I would be happy to sign for all the work only if I inspected it first, all of it. The practice was dropped and I no longer had to sign. your licence TinyNurse is too precious to throw away.

[veetach]

Our LPN's sign their own discharge instruction sheets. RN's do co-sign for their initial assessments though. We have awesome LPN's, some are better than many of our new RN's.

[mobileLPN]

As an LPN who works ER, I'd never work in a place that required me to have my dc charts co-signed. The only thing that an LPN should require be cosigned by an RN is triage. Medicare rules require triage be done by an RN. Pt teaching is quite within the scope of practice for an LPN.

"Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless and corrupt" - Mahatma Gandhi

[TinyNurse, RN]

thanks charcha!!!! i will follow this from now on. xoxo jen

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

They used to have the RN's cosign the triage notes in our hospital, but the patient could be in and gone for hours before we saw the chart to cosign it. I only floated to the ER but thought it was an invitation for problems.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

In our state the LVN may teach, but the teaching plan has to be initiated by an RN. In general, I would not sign anything I had not done personally. Period.

[Calfax]

What's an LVN?

[Darlene K.]

An LVN is the same as an LPN.