LPN's

[flamingfingers]

Trolling tonight? Of course you are.

And even we tell families they can whatever they want.

Trolling? Not likely. Family members trump LPNs, CAs any time.. Of course they can do whatever they want. Even give meds out of blister packs when they should not be given. Pull your horns in kid.

[oneh2obabe]

What is NA?

Just a guess ... Nurses Aide?

[Phoenix Within]

What is NA?

Just a guess ... Nurses Aide?

Or Nursing Assistant. Some new name I've heard around for Care Aids. Same position, just a different title.

[Queen K]

Oh we get lots of different titles all the time. Lost count.

[Phoenix Within]

Do not fall into the the LPN, NA RN fight. We are all one.

[fluffy]

Do not fall into the the LPN, NA RN fight.
We are all one.

Hmmm, hasn't there been some dispute brewing for a while in provincial government employment circles, with the union that represents RNs (BCNU) trying to woo LPNs away from other unions (BCGEU/HEU)?

[Catz]

When I was still working they did want to have the LPN's join with BCNU.
I fell out of the loop.
What I am saying is when I worked on the floor we worked together as a team, all have something to learn from each other, and in my opnion we are all one.
? make sense Fluff...kinda...hope I explained it well.

[grammafreddy]

Where my mom lived, the cook gave my mom her meds from her blister pack.

The whole system in BC is screwed up and needs a total revamping putting patient care first, followed closely by efficient money management.

[Phoenix Within]

When I was still working they did want to have the LPN's join with BCNU.

The BCNU did a raid last year, but they didn't do it the right way. It was declared illegal and overturned. BCNU wasn't allowed to do another one for 11 months, and that time is coming up soon.

[Phoenix Within]

So, how this whole thing turned out for you? Doing good?

For the most part, it's worked out well. It's a career change that in the end I'm glad I did.

I had PM'd mammamoon about this, but I'll post the information here too if anyone else is interested. As much as I like what i do, I'd almost recommend against going for it. Primarily because there's a surplus of new grads every year, and just not enough jobs to go around. There's three schools in the Okanagan and each one averages three new classes throughout the year. So in the following year's time, there's up to nine classes graduating with 25 to 30 new LPN's per class. Yes the population is getting older, but they're still a good decade or more from the first set of baby boomers that will need constant care or assisted living.

Yes it can be a rewarding career, but the competition level for available jobs in the valley is very high.

[Piecemaker]

I used to dispense meds from blister pacs 35 years ago when I was in High School and worked at a geriatric/mental health facility. (I was an untrained monkey!) I actually looked them up in the pharmacological book on the shelf in the office so I knew what I was giving patients. I was going to become an LPN...and then life happened...later I went back to school to become an RN...and then social work happened!
Everything in our world is becoming more complex and specialized,including nursing and other aspects of health care. Each member of the Health Care team is important...including the janitor and the launderer.

[Phoenix Within]

It's official. the LPN program in BC goes to 18 months as of the 1st of Oct.

[flamingfingers]

Now all we need to do is get rid of all the RN 'nurse managers' who walk around with clipboards checking off protocol items and get them back to actual NURSING and directing patient care as hands on instead of administrivia! And pull out a whole mess of middle management and assistants to assistant administrators to fund actual patient CARE front line workers and we will see some cost effectiveness in the health care field.

[Phoenix Within]

i don't see what the length of time the LPN program has to do with healthcare's issues, but... ok.