Does anyone know anything about the LPN profession?

[honeywolf7]

Blondie, how do you get to be a CNA?

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Honeywolf -

My Mother has taught a CNA certification class at the Community College for years. The work isn't the most glamorous in the world and the pay isn't huge, but finding a job is really easy.

Many Nursing Homes and Hospitals will pay for the class if you promise to work for them afterwards. Alot of them also have programs where you continue to work for them through your LPN and RN training and they give tuition assistance. It's a great way to get a free education if your interested in the healthcare field.

My Mom teaches most of her classes at night and on weekends, it only takes a couple of months to get certified.

 

[honeywolf7]

Toby'sFriend, I didn't figure the work would be the most glamorous and I'm not really looking for a huge amount of pay at this point but I do want to get my foot in the door. I know which particular hospital I'd PREFER to work at (it's on the bus line, in a decent part of town, and they took good care of me when I had Bobby as well as taking good care of him when he had to be hospitalized there....they also seem like they really do care about the patients.) Would you suggest calling them and finding out if they have a program like this?

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Would you suggest calling them and finding out if they have a program like this?

Most definately. Somebody in their Personnel department is probably their liason with the local schools. They should be able to give you alot of information on Registration and where classes are held.

 

[Blondie]

As a CNA you aren't limited to working in just a hospital.

Many doctor's offices hire CNAs because it's cheaper for them, and they can perform some of the same duties (or they'll train them to) as an LPN or RN in the doctor's office environment.

 

[honeywolf7]

It looks like the one thing I don't have that I would need is a reference from a volunteer experience. I did volunteer in High School at an elementary school, but the school that I volunteered at no longer exists. The application is due in January so I don't know how I would get the volunteer experience before then (at least not long enough to get a valid reference from it.)
That's interesting Blondie....I will try to see if I can find any CNA training programs in Richmond.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

The application is due in January so I don't know how I would get the volunteer experience before then (at least not long enough to get a valid reference from it.)

Why not? Looking at my calendar, it's only November 12th. That is 1 1/2 months. I'll bet you $20 that the same hospital has a volunteer program and that they would love to have you volunteer 3 to 4 times a week. Call them and get started.

 

[Mermaid02]

Another related career you might want to look into is a CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) at my college it's a 2 year program and around here offices are hiring them left and right!

 

[honeywolf7]

Well, I do kind of know about the volunteer program at that particular hospital. First, you get the application. Then you fill it out and make an appointment for an interview. Then you have to get a TB test, wait 3 days to have it read, then wait two more weeks, get another TB test and wait another three days to have it read. Then, you can make an appointment for Orientation. Then, finally you get into actually volunteering. They have a uniform that they require you to buy and wear (I don't mind the wearing part but the buying part might get expensive.) I could check with some of the other hospitals in the area about their volunteer programs though.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

ok Honeywolfe - you know what?

There are hundreds of thousands of volunteer opportunities out there. If you want to volunteer somewhere, call your daughter's school and tell them what hours you are free. I'm sure they'll be happy to have you at school to work the copy machine tomorrow morning. If you don't like that idea, call your Local United Way and tell them you need some volunteer experience. If you don't like that idea, we are coming upon Winter and the Holiday season....homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries are in desperate need of help right now.

You can either do this or not. But sitting down and making lists of excuses of why it won't work out isn't going to impress many people and it isn't going to get you anywhere in life. At the end of January you can either have a couple of months of volunteer experience somewhere --- or not. It's your call.

 

[honeywolf7]

I'm not trying to write excuses....I'm trying to brainstorm. As I said, volunteering at that particular hospital won't work but there's at least one more hospital on the bus line and I could check them out. Obviously it can't be a place where I just volunteer a couple of hours and then go on my way (a soup kitchen, etc.) and although it's not required, I would think that a medical facility (nursing home or hospital) would be a good idea. There are a couple of nursing homes that I can definitely contact if one of the hospitals doesn't work out.

 

[Disney Doll]

I am an RN, but work with many LPNs. I am going to give you my observations, which should in no way be construed as putting down one or the other of the designations.

An LPN training course is generally shorter than an RN training course. In my area, the LPN training course is 2 years. There are also RN training courses where you come out with an Associate's degree which also take two years.

In the hospital where I work, LPNs are allowed to do quite a bit, but I think my hospital is a little more forward-thinking on this subject than other hospitals may be. An LPN always works under the supervision of an RN...the RN is always ultimately responsible for what occurs on the unit. In my hospital LPNs are not allowed to do certain procedures or give certain medications that RNs are allowed to do/give. The LPN pay scale is less than the RN pay scale...I guess they base that on less education=less pay. I'm not saying I agree with that...I'm saying that's how it is. I have heard that some hospitals have an LPN work more like a nurses' aide than a licensed nurse. As I said, in my hospital, LPNs are definitely administering most medications, doing most treatments etc.

I have worked with several colleagues who started as LPNs and worked while continuing their education for being an RN. I also have several colleagues who are LPNs, have been LPNs for many years, and intend to stay LPNs. In general, with the changes in nursing that are happening, LPNs will probabaly end up doing more of the "bedside nursing"(medications, dressing changes etc) while RNs will do more of the "administrative" nursing(charting, docotrs orders, charge nurse duties). I work with several LPNs that I would rather work with than many RNs that I know.

The "pros" about becoming an LPN are that you can do it fairly quickly, the pay is decent, you can determine whether nursing is the right profession for you without a HUGE outlay of time/money. The "cons" of becoming an LPN are the limitations with regard to certain things you won't be able to do,you will not be in a supervisory position(if that's the kind of thing that matters to you),if you do decide to become an RN, it will take you longer than if you had decided to do the RN program right from the beginning, in a crunch situation(which I don't foresee happening for many years!)the LPNs would probably be let go first due to the limitiations of the duties they can perform.

Good luck in your decision-making.

 

[honeywolf7]

Disney Doll, I have to say that I personally would prefer the "bedside nursing." Maybe that's just me, but that's how I feel.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

I am an LPN. I went through an 18 month college course. You need good math and science skills. The only thing I can't do that an LPN can is start IVs and give IV push meds. Everything else I can do. You need good people skills. COmpassion and common sense is a must. It is hard, usually thankless, but if it is the "right" profession for you, those things won't matter.

 

[honeywolf7]

The only thing I can't do that an LPN can is start IVs and give IV push meds.

I assume you mean that's the only thing you can't do that an RN can do. I definitely have good math skills. I'm not quite as sure about the science, but I have a good memory and I was always in Honors science classes. (I just didn't get Physics all that well, but I think part of that was the teacher and part was that I need to be able to visualize something to figure it out and it was hard for me to do the way that he taught Physics.)

 

[Krisu]

I have been working as an LPN for almost 25 years. I have worked in all aspects of nursing except Home Care. Nursing is perfect if you have small children. There are many opportunities and different hours to suit your lifestyle. Even working as a CNA could get you nursing home or home care jobs. I would start slowly and work yourself up. I do not have a desire to go back to school for nursing myself but that's only because I want to do something else at this stage of my life. Just get out there and get a marketable skill Took my son on a tour of 2 local technical high schools last week. I think if I was a lot younger that's the route I would have gone. They have programs for adults as well. I would look into them in your state. Culinary, Drafting, hairdressing etc. Oh, and BTW I was never very good at Math but somehow calculating med doses did not seem as hard once I was taught!!

 

[Krisu]

I just read a previous post about becoming a Medical Assistant. I didn't think to mention this before. Want Ads are filled with jobs here for this profession

 

[Fire14]

I can do just about everything a RN can do except give cancer related meds and Do IV's but this is only due to me not having the certifaction. I love my job and work in a nursing home. I do agree with many others about working as a CNA before/while going to LPN training, It's one thing I wish I had done. I make a pretty decent amt of change but I also work thru an agency so I go different facilties in my area. I work as a staff LPN before and loved that but didn't get along with my boss.

 

[honeywolf7]

There are several programs here for CNA training. I could even get the CNA training, finish my degree in Psych while working as a CNA, and then see whether I wanted to be an LPN or whether I wanted to do something else (a Masters degree in some other field.) I am almost sure that I'm going to go ahead and do the CNA training.

 

[damom2daboyz]

Honeywolf-

I'm a RN who works in critical care in a small hospital. One of my partners is a LPN, 26 years of experience in critical care, and she is very frustrated with the system because things she normally has done they are telling her she can no longer do. She complains all the time that she regrets not finishing her RN.

In our small hospital, LPNs are given courtesy days (day off without pay) when the patient census drops which turns out their paycheck is short. More and more LPNs, in my area, are just being utilized in the nursing homes.

I, personally, wouldn't trade my LPN for another RN that I work with, she has the knowledge and the skills, considering I have only been a nurse for 3 years.

My point is, if you want to specialize, then go on and get your RN. Unless you have alot of college credits completed before applying to RN school, it will take longer than 2 years to complete just an associate degree. I'm not saying that it can't be done, taking your general education courses with your nursing courses, it is just more difficult. If you have a SO or children, then I suggest that you complete as many of the basics before applying to the program. On our first day of nursing classes, the instructors told us: "Out of the 30 of you here, half will not make it. Of those of you married, 1/3 will be divorced. Those with children, take pictures now because they will be 2 years older before you get to spend good, quality time with them again." At graduation, there were 13 students (3 of those were repeaters), 2 of the 13 had filed for divorce, and many, many more quit because of children problems. Out of our 13 to take the state boards, 9 of us passed it the first time. I lost many nights of sleep to studying. My books accompanied me to ballfields ( I never left the car to watch the games, but I was there). I had no social life, I did not date. I ate, slept, and breathed nursing for 2 years and graduated 3rd in my class.

I understand that the same speech we were given is given to others, RNs and LPNs, to some degree. Nursing is a demanding profession but has the greatest potential for growth. We are in a shortage period now and the nursing schools are going to be accepting more applicants than before (requirements are strict). I am to begin work on my BSN next fall, trying to finish it before my oldest graduates high school. I hope to follow through with my CRNA or my nurse practioner license. It's demanding but I love it.

Good luck, PM me if you have any questions.


Debbie