I agree one hundred percent. As someone going for her LPN before pursueing her RN i think that alot of hospitals will be for a rude awakening if the phase out all the LPN. I know some may say haveing RN,LPN and aides all take care of one patient makes for fragmented care. I say who will pass the meds, do the dressing changes and all the other things the RN has no time to do because he or she already has a heavy patinet load. And i to must say i've heared patients comment on how uncomfortable they are with a 21 year old takeing care of the when they are in a ICU. I bet they would rather have a LPN with 20+ years experience take care of them anyday over the other like you said.Some LPN choose to stay LPN because they love their job and they want to not because the are incapable of going on.

Ok please don't take offense at what I'm going to say. Registered nurses are considered the "professional nurse" with more education. Note I said education, not training. Hospital administrators are being extremely short sighted in not utilitizing the expert care LPN's are known to supply. The bottom line, in my opinion, is economics. They can pay a CNA less money to do the same work an LPN/LVN does, although you do almost everything I do.

Princess, the best care I think was back in the day when "team" nursing was the norm and not primary care. Everyone was responsible for every single patient. No one argued about that's not my patient, or I didn't know because it's not my patient. We all worked together, cohesively as a superbly run team.

Charita, I never said hospital administrators used their brains much. It's the way they think! I know a CNA can not do what an LPN does.

"The bottom line, in my opinion, is economics. They feel they can pay a CNA less money to do the same work an LPN/LVN does, although you do almost everything I do."
Sorry when I wrote my original post I left out a few pertinent words.

A CNA can not do everything an LPN does! I used to work as a CNA and i would never say i can do as much as an LPN. Last time i checked CNA's could not give meds or admitt a patient etc. or take over for an RN in a pinch. An LPN is a nurse and lets not kid ourselves when its convienent they are treated as cheap RN's and told how wonderful they are but then when their not needed are reminded they are just and LPN. I agree we all need to be part of the team to take care of the patient. And most of the time the patient never askes are you an aide, lpn or rn? If they don't care why should we?

Advanceweb.com

New-grad LPNs often find themselves holding supervisory positions sooner than they expect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Joe Darrah

Once new grads grasp their practical nursing diplomas, their expectations begin to rise. With just a licensure exam standing in their way, their dreams of becoming nurses are that much closer to coming true.

While many facilities are developing more sophisticated orientation programs to ease the new-grad-to-new-nurse transition, employment opportunities for LPNs are becoming more demanding as the nursing shortage pervades all areas of healthcare. And with more opportunity comes more responsibility, even for new grads.

Green Hills, an assisted living facility medication-pass training program for the facility’s nursing aide staff LPNs are needed for charge positions and sometimes hold administrative roles. New-grad LPNs can be assigned supervisory positions in acute care, assisted living and home care where nurse’s aides are employed.

‘I’M AN LPN; I CAN LEAD’

Christine Kline, LPN, also knows what it’s like to be thrust into a leadership position soon after taking a nursing job. A member of the June 2005 graduating class Kline, 41, earned her LPN by July of that year and took a job as a med/surg staff nurse that summer.

At Reading Hospital, all LPNs are responsible for assisting RNs with delegating tasks to nurses’ aides and patient-care technicians on their units, Kline said, adding that this duty provides a sense of authority as well as clinical management.

‘YOU’RE AN LPN; YOU CAN LEAD’

Also sensing a need to refine LPN responsibilities when she joined Green Hills, Kline initiated a staffing change that called for LPNs to be designated “unit supervisors” to oversee nursing aides. Kline knew that their practical nursing education helped prepare them for such responsibility, so she assigned Melanie Hartzell, LPN, and Wendy Weitzel, LPN, 10 aides each, the total number of support staff on the day and evening shifts.

As supervisors, Hartzell and Weitzel are responsible for delegating assignments, overseeing med passes and documentation, and ensuring that aides sign off all completed tasks.

charlita said:

Who would you rather take care of you-a foreign RN just out of school or a LPN with 20+ years of experience? I know which one I’d choose.

WITHOUT A DOUBT ABSOLUTELY THE LPN !!!!! AND THE LPN HAS 20 + YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, IT WOULD BE "AN HONOR" TO CHOOSE THE LPN !!!

Yikes ! Where is a' wanna be nurse someday ' to start? I have been reading the posts here and there and had thought I would go in for my pre reqs then CNA then LPN/LVN then if I was able and wanted to I would continue onto RN.
But after reading allot of the comments I am thinking the best would be to start knocking off all the credits in school and just go stiaight for the RN . Sounds like with waiting lists for the RN I could work my way there in school and be ready with all my credits by the time I was called for the RN Course? Also, sounds to me like LPN/LVN are being eaten alive between CNA's and RN's? Whew! My hat goes off to all in the med proffesion,I know it will be hard work but rewarding as well. And I do look foreward to finding the right career path for myself. Any Advice?

I graduated from PN school in Aug of last year, and I can tell you, we were the step children of the program. One day I asked an instructor about something for the next semester and he told me he didnt know, he didnt deal with the lpn classes. We were the first group to go through the new curriculum, so the first two semesters, we were mixed in with the RN students, third semester we split.

But, I still felt like we werent really their main priority. Looking for a job is difficult because a good majoirty of the hospitals are trying to hire only RNs. So, needless to say, I dont know why everyone is so hard on each other and does it really matter what letters are behind your name if you are al there for the same goal? The health and wellbeing of the client.

elph7420 you are so right, We are all here for the health and wellbeing of the patient. It does not matter to me what letter you have after your name. I feel we have all gotten into the nursing field for the same reasons, ( and some of us are not in it for just the money) I think everybody should get credit where credit is due. CNA's, MA's, LPN's and RN's. There are nursing homes and hospitals where we all do get along. Seems like we dont here about those ones. What a shame. All us RN's should not be judged the same. There is good and bad in all.

Hi, everyone...just wanted to add my two cents in this debate. I feel that everyone is being overlooked in health care...RN's, LPN's, and CNA's, even HHA's! We all work hard, and yes there are few bad apples, but don't let them spoil us all. I went from a HHA to a CNA, and now I'm taking classes to be a CMA, which is a CNA who is authorized to pass out meds in Nursing Homes, and Assisted Living. Yes, someone mentioned before.. it's all about "team nursing!"

 When I first became a GPN, I started at a Level 2 Trauma Center.  There were 2 other hospitals in our city.  One of the hospitals had a nurses union in it.  That unioned hospital gave their nurses raises.  When word "leaked" to our facility, our nursing department decided to give the Professional nursing staff and non professional nursing staff raises.  The RN's were given a $2.50/h raise.  The Non-Professional Nursing staff were given a $0.05/h raise.  At that time, LPN's were just about in equal number as the RN's and we didn't have any CNA's there.  I was excited to get more money an hour within the first month of work than I did yesterday.  OMG!  Did I get an education in respect from the more experienced LPN's.  

The outcry from the LPN staff was a united voice and very loud.  They were not afraid to voice their displeasure with administration.  Administration had no idea why the LPN's were so angry or upset.  They also thought it would just blow over.  I worked with some very smart and intelligent women who talked about respect and understanding our role in the success, or failure, of the hospital.  I also watched them clog the tube station in administration with paper that had $0.40/day  taped to it.  Some did it in pennies, some in dimes.  Most with the note printed at the bottom that Administration shouldn't worry about the taxes on the daily payout, we'll gladly pay it just to get you to understand how insensitive and insulting it was to get that nickel an hour raise for doing the bulk of the floor work.  While the RN's were being paid $20/day more.  

Administration met separately with the LPN's and discussed the situation.  

What I learned from that situation, when you are united in the cause, something gets changed.