What can an RN do that an LPN can't?

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Apr 23, 2006

In my hospital:

RNs only can do admission assessments

RNs only can start care plans for new admits

RNs can pronounce somebody dead

RNs can administer chemotherapy drugs

I think thats it

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2006

In my hospital:
RNs only can do admission assessments
RNs only can start care plans for new admits
RNs can pronounce somebody dead
RNs can administer chemotherapy drugs
I think thats it

In addition to the above.

Be in charge.

It's best to check with your BON.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2006

Where I work LPNs cannot push IV drugs, give blood or blood products or chemo agents. They can not access a port or utilize an arterial line or access a central line. I don't think they can take verbal orders in the hospital work in but they can in one LTC facility I supervise at.

Due to the possibilty of anaphalaxis in camp kids it would be nice to have IV skills added to your scope of practice. In Pa LPNs with IV training can start a peripheral IV.

nurse_wannabe · Apr 23, 2006

Okay, thank you all.

There will be several RNs there, so not being in charge won't be a problem. Frankly, I don't want to be in charge! :lol2:

I am IV certified, so I can start IVs all day long... I just can't push any meds through them.

And we do take verbal orders in LTC. I've never worked in a hospital, so I dunno about that.

flasandy42 · Apr 23, 2006

In my hospital LPNs CAN'Tadmit, assess, spike blood, insert NG tubes, sign off orders, do care plans, give chemo, pronounce pts.

LPNs CAN start and maintain IVs, give meds, take phone and verbal orders, push certain IV meds, maintain and give meds through central lines, and monitor and D/c blood.

Over the years a lot changed and some of the tings we DID do, such as admits and care plans we can't do not....but we CAN do things we didn't used to be able to do. It's always changing. Not always for the better either. For awhile they wouldn't let us flush our central lines...until they clotted off because the RNs couldn't do them all.

clee1 · Apr 24, 2006

Totally depends on the State and the facility.

In GA, per the State, LPNs can do any nursing tasks except initial assessments. Facilities have varying scopes of practice.

avery · Apr 24, 2006

NG tubes? Where I work, techs can do NG tubes!

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 24, 2006

NG tubes? Where I work, techs can do NG tubes!

I think things like that vary by state.

For example: I work as a dialysis tech in Texas. We are allowed to push heparin IVP and can do pre-treatment assessments. We had a tech join our clinic after being uprooted by hurricane Katrina. She said that in Louisiana they weren't allowed to push heparin and couldn't start treatment until the nurse did an assessment.

Last semester I had a conversation with a TA who got angry with me because our clinic allows us to push heparin and to do subq lidocaine, and she had to go through a 2-year med tech program to be able to do that. I was like "dude, hang on! We don't give ALL meds; just heparin." It was weird how she blamed me for being allowed to do something she needed to get extra training for.

smk1, LPN · Apr 24, 2006

i'm going to say what one one our teachers told us, she said basically the only thing you can say for sure that an LPN can't do is sit for the RN boards and delegate to an RN. Other than that it is going to vary widely by state with some being quite liberal with their scopes of practice and others being extremely narrow.

SlavicNurse · Apr 24, 2006

she said basically the only thing you can say for sure that an LPN can't do is sit for the RN boards and delegate to an RN.

In some facilities, LPNs supervise administratively but not clinically. I guess that would vary by state as well.

smk1, LPN · Apr 24, 2006

In some facilities, LPNs supervise administratively but not clinically. I guess that would vary by state as well.

true, but no actual "delegation" by definition could happen. Licenses would preclude that.