Rn being trained by lpn?

[studentnurse9806]

What are your thoughts about this?

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

If you are in RN school, this is perfectly acceptable. The LPN's at the hospital where I was in school had the most direct patient care and passed most of the medications. The RN's were in charge. I'll admit, when I was in school I was an "I'm an RN student snob", but when I started doing clinicals I found out very quickly how knowledgeable many LPN's are. Yes, some are there to do the bare minimal and go home (some use the LPN title as a crutch and throw off as much work as possible on others)..but the GOOD ones use their maximum scope of practice and I learned more from the LPN's than I did the RN's.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

If you are in RN school this is perfectly acceptable. [/quote']

And perfectly acceptable in a lot of workplaces.

[LVN2RNMom, ASN, BSN, LVN]

I'm an LVN but I've learned from CNA's, secretaries & MA's. I feel there is something we can learn from everyone & a title is just that, a title.

[Mr. Murse]

I'm not even bothering to read through all the responses, I just know that where I work many LPN's were doing nursing duties for years, even acting as charge nurses, before policy changed and reduced them to techs. So you have someone who's technically an LPN, but has actually been nursing for 15 years or whatever, then some wet-behind-the-ears 22 year old new grad coming straight out of school. Who would you want training you? The LPN with real world and facility specific knowledge or the "more educated" RN with a fancy sheet of paper?

[LaRN]

In many states that have separate boards for rns and lpns.......the LPN boards may set a liberal scope of practice for them (with a few exceptions) but then the RN board further restricts what an RN can delegate to an lpn.

such as lpn boards may allow lpns to start IV's or flush picc lines, but rn boards state that rn's cannot delegate these things to lpns........which effectively means an lpn cannot start iv's or flush picc lines if an RN is her/his supervisor.......and that is the case in most nursing homes, hospitals, surgical centers, etc. where directors of nursing are RN's.

and i've gone off topic. thats what i get for not reading the original post.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

LPN practice varies state to state according to the nurse practice acts.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

LPN practice varies state to state according to the nurse practice acts.

As well as the policy for the facility. There are a number of LPN practice acts that state that LPN's can do whatever they are competent to do per facility. It is facilities that restrict what can be done by an LPN. There are many LPN's who start IV's and are part of IV teams--and even IV certifcations for LPN's. LPN's who are charge nurses in skilled care or LTC, and an RN may "direct" an LPN, but few delgate to same. Delegating usually refers to UAP's. Which both RN's and LPN's can do.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

As well as the policy for the facility. There are a number of LPN practice acts that state that LPN's can do whatever they are competent to do per facility. It is facilities that restrict what can be done by an LPN. There are many LPN's who start IV's and are part of IV teams--and even IV certifications for LPN's. LPN's who are charge nurses in skilled care or LTC, and an RN may "direct" an LPN, but few delegate to same. Delegating usually refers to UAP's. Which both RN's and LPN's can do.

When I practiced in Indiana LPN's had and still do have a broad practice spectrum they are allowed to do many tasks if they are trained and "supervised " by the RN including IV's and IV meds and of course according to facility policy. I know of LPN's in Indiana who insert PICC lines.

The best training I ever got was from a LPN who took pity on a new grad wet behind the ear....Thank you Louise!

While a LPN may "supervise" a RN but she may do so only in a non clinical manner as the RN has the "higher" clinical practice. The LPN can delegate tasks but not the RN's practice...this is pretty standard. Anyone can delegate a task but one needs to take into consideration the qualifications of the care provider that they delegate the task to.

When I moved to New England and in the state of MA their practice is very restricted by the state nurse practice act where IV"s and IV meds are restricted and have to be directly supervised. Some of the practice is modified by practice act by facility ie: LTACH/acute care.

[lovenotwar14]

If the LPN is competent I don't see anything amiss with it.[/quote']

Agree

[sorry]

That is sad because LPN's are being treated like they are uneducated as far as RN's are concern. Do you know I have had several patients refuse to have a new RN take care of them.Many would rather have an LPN with experience than an RN with no experience.As an LPN myself, sometimes I have to catch myself and just stand back and listen to the things that the RN be saying about LPN"s, but when they do not understand something who do the RN go to. In my years as an LPN I have trained and SUPERVISED RN's. And yes, LPN can do assessments, whoever told you that they couldn't then they need to go back to school and if it's in the text books then something is wrong. What do you think that an LPN do when one of her patient's condition changes and the LPN has to call the doctor and explain that change to the doctor? When an LPN do treatments, who assess that wound, do you think she/he stop and call for the RN? My list can go on and on at what the LPN do assess, without the help of an RN. If you take a vote you will be surprise at the number of LPN's vote that they have to do assessments.

[NanikRN]

Someday,prettylady87, you will think back to your post and blush in embarasement. But it's ok; we've all made statements/posts like that when we were wet behind the ears and didn't know how much we really didn't know

[sorry]

How long have you been out there in the real world?