:mad:I really do wonder who the idiots are that make the policys in NY state. Over the past several years, they have been making a push to eradicate all LPNs from hospitals, by making them unable to do the job they were hired for- I myself was fired from a maternity poistion I had held for 9 years and LOVED...because I was an LPN, and the hospital was getting rid of them because of the restrictions placed on scope of practice. I was devastated, and cried for 3 days. Fortunatly, I also had a part time med/surg cardiac position in another hospital where I was able to go full time. I finished my RN, and remained at the same facility. They have been trying to encourage the LPNs to go elsewhere in this new facility- Last night I just found out they fired our last LPN....who aside from being a fantastic nurse...has been working as a floor nurse for 33 YEARS!!!!! SHe must be devestated! SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE IN ALBANY WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We work short staffed frequently, and we are loseing a strong nurse because of what she has after her name....BUT HEY! we still get to keep the brand new baby nurses spit fresh out of RN school, who can take care of 2 whole patients by themselves, and write a SPIFFY care plan:yawn: Our hospital logo is "It's the PEOPLE, it's the CARE!" I believe we should change it to "Screw the patients, the hell with the staff....cause it's the MONEY!!!!!!" We are facing a horrible nursing shortage, and they are getting rid of valuable, experienced LPNs because Albany wants everyone to be an RN. I really hope the poplicy makers get hospitalized for something, and look up to find out that their brand new RN-lette doesn't know what end of a bedpan to use, but that the nurse who has 30 years experience is now working at Walmart.Thanks so very much!
That's horrible. Unfortunately, I see this all the time where I work. People with genuine experience are pushed aside for fresh, young, inexperienced recent graduates. I think they just want to avoid paying the people with experience. Any way you slice it, it's ridiculous.
IWhy didn't your friend get an RN license after 33 years? And furthermore, I know how to put a patient on a bedpan.
There are part time programs where you can get your RN from 9 months full time to 1 Year part time. It is a shame a great nurse was not counseled that if she wished to remain in her position that she would have had to return to school.
LPNs, really, honest question: Why don't you go back to school for your degree? Will your employer not pay for it? You can't work your schedule around it? You just don't want to? What? As long as you're an LPN, you'll never be an RN, no matter how many years experience you have. It just seems like such a waste.
I did try to go back twice, the first time I ran out of money while I got all of my pre-req's done and the second time I was married and moved around too much and schools were not like they are today and I had to take pre-reqs over and again I ran out of money and moved again. The flexablilty of schools today were not available back then. After 19 years I left nursing, and I'm now trying to return by taking a refresher course for LPN's to re-activate my license in GA. I will be 60 years old this year, at most I have 10 years of full time work left, probably more like 5-7 years, in my area there are 2-3 year waiting lists for RN schools, I've considered Excelsior, but first, at my age I do not want to incure that kind of debt and second, I have some chronic health conditions that would flair if I tried to work and go to school, I can do one or the other but not both. If I was younger and healthier I would consider going back again, but at this stage in my life I just want to get my LPN back and work out my remaining years and be the BEST LPN I can be. Also, I like being an LPN, the areas I like to work are clinic nursing and ambulatory care, very few doc's would pay top dollar for RN office staff. Also, in all my 19 years of working both hospitals, teaching hospitals, clinics, LTC's none at the time offered tuition reimbursment - times have changed and some do, but because of the economy I also think this will again go by the wayside.
The only way I would consider it is if I meet another Mr. Wrong:rolleyes: with money (not likely) or I win the lottery and if I won the lottery you could color me gone from the work force:D.
I did try to go back twice, the first time I ran out of money while I got all of my pre-req's done and the second time I was married and moved around too much and schools were not like they are today and I had to take pre-reqs over and again I ran out of money and moved again. The flexablilty of schools today were not available back then. After 19 years I left nursing, and I'm now trying to return by taking a refresher course for LPN's to re-activate my license in GA. I will be 60 years old this year, at most I have 10 years of full time work left, probably more like 5-7 years, in my area there are 2-3 year waiting lists for RN schools, I've considered Excelsior, but first, at my age I do not want to incure that kind of debt and second, I have some chronic health conditions that would flair if I tried to work and go to school, I can do one or the other but not both. If I was younger and healthier I would consider going back again, but at this stage in my life I just want to get my LPN back and work out my remaining years and be the BEST LPN I can be. Also, I like being an LPN, the areas I like to work are clinic nursing and ambulatory care, very few doc's would pay top dollar for RN office staff. Also, in all my 19 years of working both hospitals, teaching hospitals, clinics, LTC's none at the time offered tuition reimbursment - times have changed and some do, but because of the economy I also think this will again go by the wayside.
The only way I would consider it is if I meet another Mr. Wrong:rolleyes: with money (not likely) or I win the lottery and if I won the lottery you could color me gone from the work force:D.
Why did you keep your Lpn active if nursing was so important to you ? Most states only require taking CEUs and paying the fee?
Also with your experience, you can apply to to doctors office's and clinics and work as Medical Assistant. Or become a coder, it is a high paying job and can be self taught. It could be a bridge before you get your LPN reinstated, You would be employed.
I am not that far from your age, and went back to school to get my MSN, I am also a breast cancer survivor, I took out a student loan which I am paying back now. I did that while working full time as RN. I have never let my license lapse.
I teach in PN program, the program is much more intense than when you went school. If you plan is work in LTC so much has changed since you practiced nursing. With your current medical conditions do you feel you can physically handle the position? How can you handle the changes in nursing practice without and extensive orientation ?
I can understand the BON position, that you have been out of practice for many years, times have changed, nursing practice has changed. A refresher course that includes a clinical experience would be best, that is my opinion as a nurse who has continually practiced for the past 33 years.
I feel sorry that your personal situation is so dire, but with your skills there are clinical opportunities that you could use to get a pay check, work as Medical Assistant, work in a hospital as unit secretary, become a coder , medical transcriptionist,phelbotmy , EKG tech, pharmacy tech, being a LPN is not your only option at this time.
I live in a medically-underserved area in upstate NY and we are NOT phasing out LPNs. In fact, my local hospital is looking to hire an RN for nights - to supervise the ED, the 15-bed unit, and the 90 beds in the NH. And another med tach. They will not pay for another f/t RN, period.
Why did you keep your Lpn active if nursing was so important to you ? Most states only require taking CEUs and paying the fee?
Also with your experience, you can apply to to doctors office's and clinics and work as Medical Assistant. Or become a coder, it is a high paying job and can be self taught. It could be a bridge before you get your LPN reinstated, You would be employed.
I am not that far from your age, and went back to school to get my MSN, I am also a breast cancer survivor, I took out a student loan which I am paying back now. I did that while working full time as RN. I have never let my license lapse.
I teach in PN program, the program is much more intense than when you went school. If you plan is work in LTC so much has changed since you practiced nursing. With your current medical conditions do you feel you can physically handle the position? How can you handle the changes in nursing practice without and extensive orientation ?
I can understand the BON position, that you have been out of practice for many years, times have changed, nursing practice has changed. A refresher course that includes a clinical experience would be best, that is my opinion as a nurse who has continually practiced for the past 33 years.
I feel sorry that your personal situation is so dire, but with your skills there are clinical opportunities that you could use to get a pay check, work as Medical Assistant, work in a hospital as unit secretary, become a coder , medical transcriptionist,phelbotmy , EKG tech, pharmacy tech, being a LPN is not your only option at this time.
MedSurg32RN, Your persistence in my situation is ummmm interesting sigh, so I'll answer again.
As an LPN (re-activated in OH with online CE's) in another state, I can not work in this state as an MA, Tech etc. I would be considered working without an license (I've already talked with GA LPN BON about this at length). In this state you must be certified as a MA, EKG tech, Pharm Tech, Phlebotomy etc. I have applied to unit secretary positions but have not gotten an interview. Also, a friend just went through Medical Coding school and can't get a job in this state.
As I mentioned earlier, I do plan to attend a refresher but it must first be approved by the GA LPN BON and they move like slugs - you can read about my trials with them in the GA forum. I'm very aware that things have changed and therefore would not consider working without a refresher. If I lived in another state I would have already been through a refresher and back to work.
My health issues are chronic but manageable as long as I get plenty of rest, until I got laid off I was a Real Estate Title Examiner and the physicality of that job is similar to working as a nurse, on your feet, lifting heavy things and walking miles each day etc. I just had to take naps when I got home and sleep a lot on weekends. Even my doc's have told me either work or school both would be too much for me.
Again as I said before, at this time in my life I have no interest in incurring any debt, nor do I have any interest in the amount of stress involved in going back to get an RN to work for only a few years.
I've taken A&P 3 times over the years and passed with A's each time, once in LPN school and twice more doing pre-req's, I've also taken Microbiology twice with A's both times, Organic Chem and Physics once A's in both along with the math and english etc. Now my credits are again too old for any of the schools around here and I currently live in an unfriendly Excelsior state.
I do not have the "drive" to go back to school anymore other than to take my refresher for LPN's, keep up with CE's and go back to work as a nurse in hopefully a clinic or doc in the box setting. What time I have left in this life I want to enjoy, I don't want the added responsiblilities of an RN anymore nor the burden of debt.
I'm surprised that your are so adamant about me getting an RN if you teach at an LPN school, do you tell your LPN students that they should get their RN's? If so, how does that make them feel???
MedSurg32RN, Your persistence in my situation is ummmm interesting sigh, so I'll answer again.
I'm surprised that your are so adamant about me getting an RN if you teach at an LPN school, do you tell your LPN students that they should get their RN's? If so, how does that make them feel???
I think you misunderstood my post- practical nursing has changed,I have lived with change and see how it has progressed over the years, I don't think you realize that. When I look at the amount of material a PN has to learn is similar to what I had to learn at the RN level years ago.
No, I believe that the LPN role is critical to our health care system. As you said before it would be a waste of time retaking a LPN refresher course with a clinicals make sense since I don't think they seem to exist. I would tell you the same thing if you were an RN ( taking a refresher course with clinicals), That is my opinion. If I was sitting on the BON, I would be concerned any nurse ( PN or RN) who has been out of nursing the period of time you have been out needs a refresher course with a clinicals). I bet the nurses who sit on the GA BON share my opinion, but this does not give them the right to be rude or uncommunicative with you, that is very wrong. It also sounds that the Board members can't think out of box, since there could be ways to verify your clinical skills are up to date similar to what the EC uses to evaluate their students. The GA BON has been tougher than other state BON, they have not been supportive of EC nurses ( which is a NLN approved program) to get a license in your state.
Unfortunately, you live in a state that has a very tough BON who take a very hard line when it comes to licensing nurses. They were unbending to EC graduates and many of them were current LPNs and had past the RN NCLEX.
I read your posts in numerous in many areas, that is why I respond. To work in a clinic at least in my state you only have to be a medical assistant, that may not be true in your state, but in my area the pay is about the same as LPN, sorry to hear that your state does not allow this. That is the only reason why I made the suggestion.
I can't speak to your friend who took a coding course, I can speak to want I see, that many coders work from home. With your background it would be a great match ( and they make more $$ than LPNs).Also may coders work for different office practices, with your experience, education, intelligence and obvious good communication skills, this could be a route for you to go. I mention this since the areas of A&P have not changed over the years the way nursing practice has,.I know many local cancer registries use LPNs to assist in the abstraction of records and they also are other positions that you may qualify with out an active license.
Also in my state there are unemployment and job counseling to assist you, your state my have a similar program. I know in my state they were able to match people with positions that they would have not thought of applying for and opened doors for them.
I wish you the best of luck, times are very tough now, I am only giving you suggestions so you can get a pay check and not have to worry about living expenses, unfortunately you live in a state were the BON is not nurse friendly and has a history of being very difficult. Getting reinstated with this difficult board may not meet your timeline. I will stop responding to your post though.
No, I believe that the LPN role is critical to our health care system. As you said before it would be a waste of time retaking a LPN refresher course with a clinicals make sense since I don't think they seem to exist.
I'm not RETAKING anything, I'm TAKING a refresher course for LPN's and there are many. They have both theory and clinicals. I have to go through the approval process.
SHe must be devestated! SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE IN ALBANY WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We work short staffed frequently, and we are loseing a strong nurse because of what she has after her name....BUT HEY! we still get to keep the brand new baby nurses spit fresh out of RN school, who can take care of 2 whole patients by themselves, and write a SPIFFY 
helikias
136 Posts
That's horrible. Unfortunately, I see this all the time where I work. People with genuine experience are pushed aside for fresh, young, inexperienced recent graduates. I think they just want to avoid paying the people with experience. Any way you slice it, it's ridiculous.