RN vs. LPN

[kjrobinetteSN]

Besides pay, what are the difference between an RN and an LPN?

[catsladder]

RN has a LOT more paperwork. More responsibility also.

In terms of career advancement, RN has more flexibility.

[TitleTownRN, MSN, APRN]

Depending on what you want to do with your career I know most places have gotten rid of LPNs and are only using Rns when it comes to acute care settings. All of my LPN friends are in SNF and LTCF; def more flexibilty and upward movement associated with RN. Best of luck!

[kjrobinetteSN]

Depending on what you want to do with your career I know most places have gotten rid of LPNs and are only using Rns when it comes to acute care settings. All of my LPN friends are in SNF and LTCF; def more flexibilty and upward movement associated with RN. Best of luck!

Around here the doctors offices/urgent care facilities are hiring more LPNs instead of RNs

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

Around here the doctors offices/urgent care facilities are hiring more LPNs instead of RNs

A lot of our doctor's offices use medical assistants instead of LVNs- since they can pay them next to nothing. Unless the tide changes, LVN/LPNs seem to be having fewer and fewer opportunities, outside of LTC, unfortunately.

[x_factor]

When it comes to jobs and where LPN's are hired, it really depends on the location. Where I live, LPN's work in hospitals, as well as LTC areas. Working at a hospital as a CNA, we had plenty of LPN's working on the medsurg unit I was on, as well as many of the units I was floated to.

As far as the differences, there are some things within the scope of practice that LPN's can't do that RN's can. RN's do have more paperwork. The pay is more for RN's, and possibilities for advancement are higher for RN's, as well as areas to move around within the field of nursing.

[Kimynurse]

Believe you me, LPN's do paperwork

The major differences are

LPN can not assess a pt, they can gather info , about pt

LPN can hang an Iv drug, but can't push an Iv med

LPN can not hang a blood product.

LPN can not hang a picc med or change a picc dressing

Most other nursing skills both an LPN or RN can do.

Good luck, enjoy your journey

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Besides pay, what are the difference between an RN and an LPN?

It really depends upon where you work. Generally speaking, only an RN can do the initial assessments or generate a care plan. RN's will have more responsibility and more paperwork. The RN will usually have a greater scope of practice. This is, of course, dependent upon both the Nurse Practice Act you'd work under and local facility policy. With the "right" courses, it's possible that the LPN may acquire a scope of practice that comes close to, but not quite to, that of an RN, depending upon specific circumstance. For example, a High School classmate of mine was an LVN. He had taken an IV course, and could hang most IV meds, but couldn't do IV push meds, nor (at the time) could he hang or monitor blood infusions. The VN/PN should know their scope of practice. The RN may not be as familiar with the VN/PN scope, and may not know if it's truly OK to delegate things to that level of nurse.

Also, as part of the greater responsibility that the RN has, they also have greater liability. That's something that should be remembered.

I a previous life, so to speak, I had to be very much aware of my own scope of practice and determine whether or not a particular patient was appropriate to be transferred to me.