NursingLink

The nursing shortage is getting worse and worse. I feel the State of California and the Board of Registered Nurses should be addressing this in many areas and not just limit themselves to some. I heard recently that a Cna can challenge the Lvn boards. I wanted to know the facts so I contact the Lvn board and verified that in fact this is truthful. However an Lvn can not challege the Rn boards. I have been a Lvn for 19 years and all my work experience has been in a Acute care hospital or setting. I am also a Respiratory Therapist and hold two degrees. I have worked in a variety of areas throughtout the hospital in my 19 years of service.  Here is what I have found out. I worked with many smart Doctors and many smart Rn's, as well as many smart Lvn's. I have also worked with many Dumb doctors, Rn's and Lvn's alike.

Their is a vast number of Nurses I have worked with that say that they got into nursing for the money. I believe that is the wrong reason to choose a profession. And of course this is simply my opinion. What I would like to share and get some feedback on is. "Should a Lvn be able to challege the Rn's boards.  If you have a Lvn with lets says 10 years plus experience. Has gained vast knowledge of the body systems, pharmoglogy, assessment skills, and theory amoung other things through practicing their Nursing and caring for very ill patients. Why shouldnt she or he be able to challenge the Rn's board to help close the gag of our nursing shortage. Many of our patients are sicker and sicker theses days in the hospitals and the aquitity of care is higher and higher each day. Why is ok to have an Lvn on the floor or in Telemtry units and or a variety of other areas for that matter within a acute care hospitals taking up the slack so Rn's have a ratio of 2-1. While the Lvn carries 6 patients and in some cases more.

Why does our legislation allow us Lvn to provide primary care to these patients in this type of setting and deem us competent. We start our own Intravenous lines, pass our own medications, do our own ngt and gt feeding,  do our own dressing changes.  Do our own pre-post opertive care &  procedures. Recieve both incoming and outgoing patients to & from surgery. Handle our own orders T.O. doctors calls, and rounds. Hang our own blood, and provide patient teachings amoung other things. "They are not doing an assessment on paper nor hanging the piggybacks or doing Iv pushes".  Everything else we seem to do. Why is it ok for the Lvn's to close this gag in the hospital and not be allowed to close the gag in the nursing shortage we have by being able to challenge the Rn boards so their are more Rn's available to fill postions. I have personally trained Rn's in our Er Unit as new grads. Some are very knowlegable while others are not. And I find this to be true in all type of employment out there. Its not just limited to nursing. "We are not just Lvn's. We are smart valued, competent compassionate nurses trying to provide the best care we can for our patients and their families.

I think their is something wrong with our legistation and our fellow co-workers. when they say he or she  is just an Lvn. I was taught in Nursing shool to work as a team for the greatest possible outcome for patients. That we all are part of that team and each team brings a different ascept of care and knowledge to the table. And if we work like this together we will acheive the best possible care, and treatment for our patients. We would have a greater outcome. Instead "some" not all Rn's look down on Lvn's. If legistation and hospital administrators and Director of Nurses would look at this and study the facts they might possibly change their minds about Lvn challenging the Rn's boards. To help address our Nursing shortage. They might offer more grants and scholarships, open more schools & have more Rn's to teach. They might offer more 20/20 programs and interships or proctors. They might come up with more programs which allow Lvn's to becomes Rn's.

Now I realise this will strike a cord with alot of you and thats not my intention. I love Nursing and I couldnt image ever doing anything else. Therefore I will do what ever it takes to get my Rn. I will go back to school for 2 years and contunie to stive forward to achieve my dreams. I am sure their are alot of Lvn out there willing to do the same. I simply wanted to hear some honest feedback and some truthful evaluation of this topic.  We are not just Lvn's. If we all worked together on the nursing shortage and are were able to change some laws and requirments for sitting the Rn boards, and maybe the mindsets of legistation we might someday have enough nurses to go around.

I hope each and everyone who reads this can honestly hear and evaluate what I am saying and not take it personal. I beleive we could begin to change the nursing shortage. I believe if we all want to we can make a difference. Small things begin to address small changes.

And it does start with ideas and thoughts and suggestions to help make changes. Everyone bucks change but if looked back on later after the facts, most realise the change isnt so bad and is for the better. I feel its our duty to help address this problem we are faced with as nurses. Because after all isnt it the patients we care for that matter most. We are always going to need nurses and always have sick patients that need our care.

Thank you for listening

Your Fellow Nurse

See the thread regarding "...why can't lpn's be grandfathered to RN's" or something similar.  After over 100 posts on that discussion, I think you'll get the gist of how the various folks on here feel.  Take care.

Hi Ya'll

I do see how most folks feel on here about my topic . I guess this has been a repeated topic for awhile. Change can start however with Nurses alike addressing this with our goverment. I hope you all are having a blessed day. Whoooooooo Yaaaaaaaaa it Friday.

Oh and Luna ty for the gift it came in the nick of time. I am trying to figure out how to look at it lol.

Bunnie :))