What is the Diff LVN and RN!!! help!

[ladybugme!]

okay, so i know people say that an lvn is sooo different from an rn ...but is it really??

i just got accepted into an lvn program and wanna continue with my education until i get my ph.d in nursing! i wanna focus on women's health!!

well.. i'm curious as to what all an lvn does!?

do they start iv's ?? do they get to work in l&d???

do they get to work the er???

i know these are simple questions but i would love to know more..

when you search lvn you read nothing but...they are lower than anyone else... all they do is wipe butts... but i know for a fact is this not true! i volunteer for on of the meth hospitals in texas..and the lvns on the tele floor do all the same things as the rn's..same amount of patient's and same responsibilities.. i guess i would like to know the exact difference??! thanks!!

[nerdynursy]

It depends on your state. LPN or LVN cannot assess patients or plan a goal of care independently. They are directed by or with the Rn

I am an lpn and I have been trained to do IV's I can push drugs except for cardiac and blood transfusions. Like i said it depends on the state, I am bridging to my RN becuase there are not alot of options for LPN in my city.

[LPN_2005/RN_10]

Contact by email or phone the Texas BON to find out the different responsibities LPNs and RNs have for your state. You will get various answers to your question from nurses in different states, so your best bet is to go to the source to get your answers.

http://www.bne.state.tx.us/

http://www.bon.state.tx.us/contact/

[ok2bme]

Congratulations!! I live in Texas too, and I agree that LVN's and RN's are essentially indistinguishable. There is one big difference though..the pay! Expect to get about half of RN's even though you assume the same pt load and acuity of pts. If you want to know the legal differences check out the Nurse Practice Act for both nurses, there are differences in scopes of practice, significant ones, but they are rarely heeded in my experience. Do this at your own risk though..

[Bree124, BSN, RN]

I definitely agree to try to search for the differences between roles in your specific state.

In my area, I have only seen RNs functioning as hospital nurses. It seems as though most LVN/LPN roles are in LTC facilities. However, I am assuming it's not like this in all states (and possibly not in more rural areas of my own state).

[mamamerlee, LPN]

Seems like you need to do more 'homework' about all this - contact the schools, the BON, etc. If you are interested in a PhD, you should be in a university setting, or at least a community college. Why bother wasting your time with an LVN program - a few months more gets you an ADN, and easier access to a BSN, etc. My feeling is that "Ls" will soon be defunct in many places except LTC facilities.