The path to nursing...

Wow. Transferring from a CNA to an LPN (sorry that's how I know it here) with solely a pharmacology class? So could the pharmacy techs come and cover the floor when we are short staffed? That is crazy to me! Is this an accredited program?

And I understand the frustration about the overlapping of job titles. RNs can do much of what RTs can do and phlebotomists can do and what IV Therapy can do. But the fact is there IS a nursing shortage and this compartmentalizing of staff make RNs job manageable (And not that I am comparing these jobs, because all of these people are 100% essential and experts in their fields).

I definitely agree with you though, nursing shortage or not, shooting people through nursing school like a rocket definitely won't solve the problem. More educational programs and more teachers to instruct them would be a better solution.

I think this also goes back to why nurses sometimes don't get the respect compared to other HCPs. We need to have defined parameters of educational requirements to become an RN. We walk into a patient's room and they don't have any idea whether we are a Master's prepared nurse or used to be a CNA and took a 54 hour pharmacology class.

Sorry, now I'm ranting! Hope everything works out at your hospital love!

-NurseNickSTAT!

If you think that's scary, wait until you here this...

In Florida, CNAs are allowed to function in ALFs as Med Techs, as long as they have taken a 4 hour class on administering self assisted medicines. I took the class and it was a total joke. We learned how to open a pill container, and put a pill in a medicine cup w/o touching it. We didn't learn anything about dosage, how to make sure we are giving the right pill to the right person, drug interactions, etc.

So, for Floirda at least, the response to the nursing shortage, in LTC, at least, seems to be to "train" low skilled workers to perform certain nursing functions, almost assembly-line style, and hire fewer nurses to "manage" them. Since their nursing staff is spread thinner, they are saving $ in staffing costs, while not having to hire nurses from a depleted pool of applicants. It is a win-win situation for the LTC staff, but it seems like the patients are the ones left holding the short end of the stick.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one outraged by this, however, I'm sad to hear it may become a national trend. I chose this profession with pride, and I worked hard to obtain a BSN.

I remember educating people that thought a nurse was just a doctor's helper, who's education was minimal and only consisted of passing pills. These people believed nursing was an easy education that required little to no thinking because the "doctor writes the orders and the nurse just does it." Then, I had much to argue. I would show them my patho, pharm, and other text books to prove we really had to learn. We had to critically think and determine if certain therapies were adequate. Now what will I tell them? That nursing is a joke and some random Joe can just elect to take a class and become a nurse! Nah, maybe I'll just picket in Sacramento...