I am a LPN and I just want to chime in! In my state most LPNs can get IV certified and I think they should. I don't hate on anyone in the nursing profession. We all have to work as a team to get the job done. You have to consider your state's nurse practice act, within that law lies the difference between what a LPN and a RN can do in that state. There is a difference, but that shouldn't divide nurses in doing their duty for  patients!

Well I have a little input on this converstion. I am an LPN and I am a nursing student. I have to do a paper on what are the differences between an LPN and a RN. This is my job description and my duties. I am the charge nurse. I work and think independly . I do admissions and delegate to other staff members. I take direction from the doctors and if there is something i am uncertain of, I discuss it with my other co-workers ( whether being an lpn or rn. I also get direction from my don. However if the other nurse including the rn's dont know what to do, they ask me or other nurses or the don. There is nobody when the DON leaves that give me direction. I am responsible for the building. This is in a long term facility. I have never seen a RN do a careplan. Not in 13 yrs of being a nurse. I know that when I graduate and if i stay where I am at, not too much is going to change. I will do iv pushes. I will get like 4-7 dollars more an hour. I know in other facilities and hospitals there are some differences. The differences that I know is working in ICU or crital care, head positions, iv pushes, central lines, tpns, and hanging blood. Can anyone help me and tell me what other factual info i can use?Also to a previous comment. I have called a code, I have intiated cpr and I have pronounced someone expired. These things I have listed are expected out of me from my job and prevous jobs. So how can i write a paper and say about all the differences when I am expected to do what others say are not the scope of practice of an LPN

help

sue

athenaspell says ...

 Well I must say.. I have read many of the posts here and I completely disagree with the difference between RNs and LPNs. Rns do have more general education requirements but the assesment of patients can be made on the same level as an RN. I hold a Bachelors degree in philosophy and a PhD . I have been an LPN for over 32 years and what I did not learn in a classroom I have gained in valuble experience from the clinical enviroment . A nurse does not need general education requirements to be a nurse.. This is foolishness. Experienced LPNs should be allowed to challange RN exams after so many years in practice as many have gained experience and specialization in the scope and practice arena equal to an RN . I think RNS and LPNs do exactly the same things in practice and are only limited by state boards of nursing . I do think that LPNs should have a more broad educational background and be trained as DIPLOMA RNS from the start.. No more LPN differences.. ALL NURSES should be registered. I only feel this way because I believe it an injustice that LPNs perform the same tasks virtually as RNs and the things they cannot do should be built into their training programs.. period. 

Let LPNs take the RN boards after 5 or 10 years in practice. Do an educational analysis and research project allowing LPNs to test after a review of RN exam credentials.. Why are state boards so threatened by this ? Oh.. I know.. because the US Department of education would take a huge financial hit if LPNs were not forced to sit through needless hours of training they already utilize in their daily practice... Give me a patient and Ill do a complete assesment and also recommened to the physician what medications he should try for the patient.. Im an LPN and I do case management... I am no less of a professional nurse than an RN... although I do hold advanced degrees I still am forced to operate under a limited scope which is ludicris. 

 

Repair the breech and unite all nurses .. Im really not an LPN.. Im a diploma RN with a bachelors degree in another field and a PhD in another. Im only called an LPN by state standards. I must operate as such . I feel policies and scopes of practice must be amended to reflect the reality of what nursing really is . I have my general education and then some.... so why cant LPNs challange state boards ? I certainly qualify for an associates degree in nursing dont I ? Oh wait... I suppose I dont since I need more clinical ! Oh my... 32 years as a practicing nurse.... whats a gal to do !  Spend more time and money doing something shes already qualified to perform? 

mb_18_1986 says ...

It is so cute how the ones that didn't suck it up and survive RN school want to talk about how LPNs are the same thing as RNs. They are not. It doesn't take a seasoned RN or LPN to even figure that one out. If you want to be an RN, go to school for it. If you decide not to become and RN, then stop hating. There are tons of differences between LPNs and RNs.

Have a great day : )

You know what's cute? The fact that you're only 18 and act just like it (the inflexion of your immature statement gave it away). Emotionally maturity should be a pre-req to getting into a nursing school, unfortunately it is not. That's a good thing for you!

I think you need more schooling on proper sentence structure and grammer, I believe you are a little weak in that dept. But then you probably had mommy and daddy pay your way through school, so you don't really care now do you? Take your snobby a** elsewhere with all that noise. The original post asked a question you failed to explain or even expand further on, how about listing those instead of getting on your soapbox about "haters". 

"Have a great day!" :)

BA BA BA the Question is base salary RN,LPN in New York City it"s about 40,000 that"s right I said it, RN 25-90 per hour LPN 18-35 per hour. Rn Staff 68,00-110,00 Lpn 35,000-50,000

wow, after reading this forum, it is amazing to me the differances in each area to what a LPN is allowed to do. some place your not allowed to work in specialty area's such has ER, but in the hospital I work at, i have 5 yrs ER experiance has a LPN, and there is still LPN's in that ER. some places you can make more than an RN, which realy blows my mind.  I never even heard of not being allowed to start the first ABT, here in TN, the LPN has 4 hours from the time the order is wrote to get the first one hung, or its a med error. so I would think the only real diff. is has a RN, you already know what you can and can't do. where has a LPN you have to learn all over what is and isn't allowed in each building.

I ran across this conversation while looking for the difference between LPNs and RNs in Ohio without having to read the whole Nurse Practice Act.  Initially I was offended that instead of answering the question it turned into a debate.  Reading through I was able to distingish the difference and remembered what I had read in the Nurse Practice Act at the beginning of my program.

STNAs, LPNs, and RNs are ALL very important!  I hope everyone remembers to be respectful of one another. 

 I have been an LPN for 15 years. Working per-diem in LTC I make more than an RN who is just out of school with no experience. In fact several co workers of mine have been LPN and gone back to school to b an RN then end up with a pay cut because they base your starting salary on experience. I will say that in the state of VT an LPN is very limited in what they can do. Every year the policies change and the board of nursings scope of practice law or nurse practice act is so vague. Personally just recently I've been told I can't asses patients anymore e ie: bowel sound or lung sounds either! I've been doing admissions all the assessments giving meds through picc lines starting IV's drawing blood my entire career. Now I'm told I'm not able to do any of those things even though I've taken continuing education classes and have certificates stating I have completed the course and passed. I have been going to school part time and need two more classes to receive my RN however with all the responsibility on the rn's and the LPN being just a glorified med tec I'm not so sure I want to Finnish anymore. I'm now looking into legal nurse consulting. Mostly due to the discrepancies in the laws and how facility to facility they differ. I see that everything an LPN does must be delegated by an RN and that's a lot of responsibility when ther are 6 LPN to each RN where I'm currently employed. 

 The highest payed nurse is a Clinical Research Nurse,

The field is expected to grow 22% by 2018. 

Please let us know if you are interested in getting Certified!

I am currently and have been very proud to be an LPN for the last thirty two years.  I do not compare myself to an RN because I realize in some respects  I am not as educated and in others I am more so. It is not the title that makes the nurse but the compassion and the caring to do your best each day and even bettertomorrow.  When I approached my father for financial help I was told I would not receive any and would most likely just end up barefoot and pregnant.  Instead I dropped down to the LPN program which I could  afford on my own and worked full time through the program as well.  This education cost me approxiametly ten thousand dollars and almost two years of my life.  I am proud of what I have done for myself and my community and feel fortunate to have what I have. I do not understand why this needs comparing when we all serve such a valuable roll.  Maybe we need to stop comparing and start sharing in our chosen profession.  I worked over the years in both team and primary care focus settings any where from hosptials to clinics and currently occupational. I sport certifications in IV therapy, phlebotomy, respiratory/ventilation care, surgical certification, Bls certification, Osha Certification, Independent home care certification ' hospice ceritfication and many others, this does not make me any less or any more; It just makes me a NURSE. 

Thank you for all the information on this link.  I am a CNa but have applied to three different programs of nursing to advance my career.  With all the wait listing and competitive entrance test scoring I applied to all three types of nursing schools (LPN, ADN, and BSRN).  I was accepted into the LPN and a BSRN and really needed to get a true understanding of day to day life of these two nurses before accepting either seat.  What should have been a no brainer was very difficult due to the amount of money I was going to spend by moving five hours away and taking the BSRN seat.  It sounds to me like the only solution for my personality and the pre requisites that I have already completed is to accept the BSRN. 

Thanks again to all of you for sharing.  The only thing that I did not see addressed was the differences in the Associate degree RN vs the BSRN.  An LPN is actually two steps down the nursing ladder (on paper) than a BSRN and most of the posts on here referred to an RN as an RN without referencing her degree as Associates or Bachelor degreed.