LPN's

Queen K · Post by **Queen K** » Jul 5th, 2011, 6:41 am

Home Support Workers or Community Care workers have been dispensing meds from blisterpacks for an awfully long time now. No wonder so many clients think we are "nurses". I correct anyone who says that everytime. And overthecounter meds count too, we have to call the RN to get those approved in the careplan before we just go giving clients what they bought.

I have never seen a system so snobbily stratified as healthcare. LPNs in IH management encounter pressures they don't like to admit.

coffeeFreak · Post by **coffeeFreak** » Jul 5th, 2011, 7:07 am

Care Aids are presently dispensing most meds in some facilities, with exceptions, such as narcotics.

CoffeeCanuck · Post by **CoffeeCanuck** » Jul 5th, 2011, 7:25 am

I used to say, any well trained monkey can dispense a med from a blister pack. The trouble is, they (upper management who don't have a clue as to what really goes on in the duties of a care-aide) continue to cut staff and increase responsibility. It will only get worse too. It's why I finally threw my healthcare towel in and said buh bye. It just finally got to me not being able to meet ALL of my residents needs. You couldn't pay me $50 an hour to go back into the system the way it currently is. What the schools teach and what the real world is like once you hit the ground running are very different. Many health care workers end up leaving after the first year because they just can't hack it.

~D

Phoenix Within · Post by **Phoenix Within** » Jul 5th, 2011, 8:20 am

shoo wrote:I heard recently that an LPN working for IHA makes $26 per hour with good benefits.

$24 to start, and no benefits as a Casual (on call), which is where everyone starts as.

Phoenix Within · Post by **Phoenix Within** » Jul 5th, 2011, 9:03 am

CoffeeCanuck wrote:Over the years, and specifically the last 6 years, the LPN scope of practice has greatly increased. I believe (but not positive) that BC is now the only Province where the LPN course is still only one year. Other Provinces have extended the course length from 18-24 months to handle the extra curriculum. It's crazy that BC still has not extended the course length. It's majorly intense and when I was working there, I saw many ill prepared LPN students. It was one of the main factors why I did not pursue upgrading.

BC's program is what they call a "condensed" course. My understanding is that due to the pass rate of BC compared to the rest of the country, they've seen no need to expand the course is it is. However, with the LPN scope in BC soon to mimic that of AB, they're revamping the training program and will have to expand the length of time of the program. There's simply no way to pack any more information into the course they way it currently is.

CoffeeCanuck · Post by **CoffeeCanuck** » Jul 5th, 2011, 3:42 pm

Phoenix Within wrote:However, with the LPN scope in BC soon to mimic that of AB, they're revamping the training program and will have to expand the length of time of the program. There's simply no way to pack any more information into the course they way it currently is.

They've been talking about increasing the LPN course length in BC for the last 6 yrs. It will be good when they finally get with the program like the other Provinces.

~D

Queen K · Post by **Queen K** » Jul 5th, 2011, 4:26 pm

CoffeeCanuck wrote:I used to say, any well trained monkey can dispense a med from a blister pack. The trouble is, they (upper management who don't have a clue as to what really goes on in the duties of a care-aide) continue to cut staff and increase responsibility. It will only get worse too. It's why I finally threw my healthcare towel in and said buh bye. It just finally got to me not being able to meet ALL of my residents needs. You couldn't pay me $50 an hour to go back into the system the way it currently is. What the schools teach and what the real world is like once you hit the ground running are very different. Many health care workers end up leaving after the first year because they just can't hack it.

~D

You never say what your "position" was but I sense a lot of snobbery here. Well trained monkeys? Are you serious? You need an attitude adjustment.

oneh2obabe · Post by **oneh2obabe** » Jul 5th, 2011, 4:54 pm

Queen K wrote:
CoffeeCanuck wrote:I used to say, any well trained monkey can dispense a med from a blister pack. The trouble is, they (upper management who don't have a clue as to what really goes on in the duties of a care-aide) continue to cut staff and increase responsibility. It will only get worse too. It's why I finally threw my healthcare towel in and said buh bye. It just finally got to me not being able to meet ALL of my residents needs. You couldn't pay me $50 an hour to go back into the system the way it currently is. What the schools teach and what the real world is like once you hit the ground running are very different. Many health care workers end up leaving after the first year because they just can't hack it.

~D

You never say what your "position" was but I sense a lot of snobbery here. Well trained monkeys? Are you serious? You need an attitude adjustment.

No snobbery involved at all. She was using "well-trained monkeys" as an example of how upper management views what a care-aide does while they continue to cut staff and increase responsibility.

Phoenix Within · Post by **Phoenix Within** » Jul 5th, 2011, 5:35 pm

CoffeeCanuck wrote:They've been talking about increasing the LPN course length in BC for the last 6 yrs. It will be good when they finally get with the program like the other Provinces.

They'll be increasing the course length because they're increasing the scope of practice. Until this point, there was no need to increase the length of the course, due to the high pass rate.

CoffeeCanuck · Post by **CoffeeCanuck** » Jul 5th, 2011, 5:47 pm

Queen K wrote:
CoffeeCanuck wrote:I used to say, any well trained monkey can dispense a med from a blister pack. The trouble is, they (upper management who don't have a clue as to what really goes on in the duties of a care-aide) continue to cut staff and increase responsibility. It will only get worse too. It's why I finally threw my healthcare towel in and said buh bye. It just finally got to me not being able to meet ALL of my residents needs. You couldn't pay me $50 an hour to go back into the system the way it currently is. What the schools teach and what the real world is like once you hit the ground running are very different. Many health care workers end up leaving after the first year because they just can't hack it.

~D

You never say what your "position" was but I sense a lot of snobbery here. Well trained monkeys? Are you serious? You need an attitude adjustment.

Nice Queen. I somehow expected a tad better from you. I am the furthest thing from a snob in my personal life and my work life. How about the next time that you're unsure of what a poster meant, maybe ask them in a nice way?

Thank you one2ohbabe.

~D

normaM · Post by **normaM** » Jul 5th, 2011, 6:42 pm

I know lots of Nurses, none of them like LPNs, none of the LPNs like the Care Aides.
then again, none of them are Doctors

flamingfingers · Post by **flamingfingers** » Jul 5th, 2011, 6:53 pm

I really do not see a problem in calling people who take meds out of a blister pack to give to patients 'trained monkeys'... family members do it all the time.... ;)

Queen K · Post by **Queen K** » Jul 5th, 2011, 7:21 pm

Deleted by Trip/Off topic.

Catz · Post by **Catz** » Jul 5th, 2011, 7:28 pm

As an RN...oh my...duties are changing.
Do not fall into the the LPN, NA RN fight.
We are all one. :sunshine:

Queen K · Post by **Queen K** » Jul 5th, 2011, 7:29 pm

What is NA?

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