They are educated for 1 year with clinicals and book learning, then "sit" for an exam. They *can* do everything a PCA, an NA, and a CNA does, but an LPN also administers SubQ injections, passes oral medications, takes vitals, and reports to the R.N. In the 1980s and 1990s, many USA hospitals tried to eliminate all NAs so the hospital could pay one pay rate and benefits (if any) for 1 person to do everything from personal care to medication passes. At the same time, many of these hospitals only wanted a B.S.N.-- a nurse who graduated with a Bachelors in Nursing. Hospitals used L.P.N.s for all the back-breaking work while (many) B.S.N.s did desk duty with charting and paperwork.
In addition to the formalized education they receive in nursing school, there is also much to learn when they transition from student to professional nurse. It is the responsibility of the organization to make sure that their staff is competent and skilled to perform the duties expected of them. Morrison (2011) states “When patients or clients enter the healthcare system at any level, they make at least one assumption – that those who are treating them know what they are doing”. In the case of Lawanda Person and St. Dismas hospital, it seems that there were many areas where fault could be found. Lawanda Person was a recently graduated nursing student with limited medical/surgical unit experience hired to work in a critical care unit at St. Dismas Hospital.
The only downfall on leadership for the Medical Unit was getting backfill for the LPNs that were being transferred off the floor. The concern was that the LPNs working on the floor had been working there for years and were knowledgeable in the patients and expectations, so would the replacements by in the form of Nursing Aides where their scope of practice was way more limited than the LPNs or would they be replaced by RNs. And if so, what type of RNs – new grads? Fortunately for Donny, he left Hilo Medical Center before he was forced out of his position on the Medical Unit. He recalls on his last visit to see some old friends at the Hilo Medical Center, the hospital administration incorporated a mixture of both new RN grads and Nursing Aides to backfill the LPNs.
So, how exactly does one achieve this goal? Obtaining both your BSN (bachelor's of science in nursing), your designation as a registered nurse, and your master's in nursing with an accredited nurse practitioner specialization are the only requirements to become a nurse practitioner. Most, if not all, NP programs will have you focus on a specialized area, such as adult, neonatal, or pediatric care. As was mentioned before, there is no formal examination required to be recognized as a full-fledged NP. The salary and benefits of being a nurse practitioner are also much higher than being simply a registered nurse.
She said that A&P is very important for a nursing student to grasp because in nursing it never goes away. She said that understanding the details of A&P and how the body works makes your nursing classes a little easier to grasp. When she started taking her core nursing classes at Hannibal-LaGrange, she said that that was when the real reality of college hit her. Her first semester at Hannibal-LaGrange was devoted to the Fundamentals of Nursing which are the basics. You learn how things in the body are supposed to work.
As a young RN, I worked in a critical care setting. I remember accepting many 20 hour shifts and working under horribly huge patient loads. When I worked in the inpatient setting, in the 1970’s and 1980’s, I was never aware of protections like Safe Harbor. I am glad that new GNs must pass an examination regarding nursing jurisprudence. Hopefully this will allow them to make reasonable and responsible decisions regarding their own nursing practice.
Therefore, once medically cleared, we have to rely on inpatient psychiatric facilities or group homes like the one Dr. Primrose runs to ensure that these patients remain safe while, in this case, initiating prescriptions to manage medical and psychiatric issues and gathering resources that will be necessary for this patient to regain her independence. This teleconference was efficient and cost effective for the following reasons; an unnecessary one hour trip was avoided to the facility where no beds were available. This patient was able to receive appropriate, necessary medical treatment while psychiatry was reviewing the patient’s chart and then, in this case, finding appropriate placement. The two Psychiatrists involved were able to teleconference with the patient and gather necessary information and details of the patient’s present state of mind and ability to act with sound judgment. The patient’s accessible EMR avoided time spent faxing and/or having to orally present patient’s case several times over.
In the hospitals that I was serviced at, I was amazed on the professionalism that the medical staff gave its patients. Having a slow process of healing and being sent back home on an honorable discharge, I’ll never forget the treatment I received from the medical staff and how important I felt at those hospitals. Permanently home and out of the military I sat down and figured what I need to do with my life. Not having gone to college after high school I signed up for classes at a local community college in my area. With no set interest in what major or minor to obtain I set myself to finish out my general education courses.
Off-Peak Hours Threaten Patient Safety Research is showing that off peak hours in health care facilities is when the most medical errors and subpar care are taking place. Risk managers are looking for the reasoning and solutions to avoid further medical mishaps. Hospitals peak activity time is 7am – 7pm Monday thru Friday. It is when the most staff, resources, and supervision is available. The peak hours actually only make up 36% of the time hospital nurses work.
In a letter entitled “Is Hospital Birth Better?,” which was posted on a midwife education center online, the writer firmly states, “Women are led to believe that they can have a wonderful home-like birth in hospital birthing suits with OBs, when the reality is that childbirth without intervention is virtually nonexistent unless a midwife is in attendance.” Although it is not necessarily their fault, obstetricians typically do not get to know their patients on a personal level; rather they see them simply as one of their many patients, and try to get through routine things quickly so he can move onto the next patient. While doctors are trustworthy for their medical knowledge, they do not know how to assist during natural birth. The Business of Being Born discusses this. They bring up the thought provoking fact that the peak times for cesarian sections are 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. The fact that they are so often finished with surgery right before dinner and bed underlines just how much doctors are accustomed to the convenience of the modern advances in medical technology.