Licensed practical nurse (LPN) operations and work descriptions commonly differ from state to state. In Colorado for example, schools of practical nursing use The Nurse Practice Act to define the LPN scope of practice. As a result, decisions regarding which tasks may be performed by a LPN, are based on the present curriculum criteria.
According to the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), the Colorado LPN curriculum course is nine to eleven months and concentrates on patient care with outcomes prediction. The curriculum focus falls on maintaining skills and performance with surpasses expertise in the technical arena. The LPN student is directed to isolate differences in the body system and seek any change in the patient state. In defining the LPN scope of practice, these are then communicated to the supervisory doctor or registered nurse for ongoing assessment procedure.
DORA: LPN Scope Of Practice Guidelines
The CBN is overwhelmed with calls on a daily basis to answer questions on practice scope and other matters. These are set up in alignment with DORA. As a result, their nursing practice allocated consultants who developed frequently asked questions for guidance. These may assist in generating ideas related to how the scope of practice may differ from state to state.
These questions include reference to for example the AddVantage intravenous system such as whether an antibiotics IV can be administered by a certified LPN antibiotics using the AddVantage system bearing in mind that it is mixed beforehand. The answer states that it is possible, and that if the RN or pharmacist assembles the unit then the certified LPN can administer the solution.
Defining LPN scope of practice around Delegation considers the primary concept of rules for delegation. The answer covers that all the law components and rules are essential yet based in limiting the registered nurse to a particular delegatee, client and time-frame. In other words it wouldn’t be accepted for the Nurses Director to delegate IV administration of medicines to the LPN’s in the setting in question to any facility client at any cost. LPN scope of practice and rules are founded in a belief which states that an ongoing registered nurse assessment from the delegatee, client, task, and time frame is needed.
In considering whether a registered nurse may delegate to licensed practical nurse the answer is indeed and that in the rules it is stated that a delegate is one who is not authorized to do the duty. In other words, a delegatee may be a CNA, LPN or professional without licence.
Within the delegatory LPN scope of practice, an LPN however cannot delegate according to the law. The delegatee can however decide not to perform the task according to rules in which state that whomever has been ordered to do a duty must obey. If they are not willing delegation is not valid.
In order to compare and understand an LPN scope of practice concerning matters such as what can’t be delegated; elements requiring consideration as to whether a task can and must be delegated such as showing that if an orderly takes a class showing catheter insertion in to the urinary tract and is certified to do so, whether the task be delegated without an evaluation of competency – and the amount of supervision required – the Colorado Board of Nursing Website further offers solutions to these inquiries.
Further questions address concerning authority and nutrition counselling in regard to an LPN scope of practice include answers to whether it is:
- Within the practice scope of an LPN with intravenous authority to draw blood directly from the vein?
- Within the practice scope of an LPN with the intravenous authority to give solutions which have been mixed beforehand with labeled instructions through gravity/pumps via IV or to piggyback instead?
- Within the LPN scope of practice with intravenous authority to do the same as the above mentioned but instead via an intravenous push?
- Within the practice scope for the LPN with intravenous authority to conduct an administration of antibiotic solution which was mixed beforehand, fluids and flush with usual saline/heparin as well as care for the dressing to veins which bear a catheter which originate in femoral/ sphenoid area and to terminate in the area of the inferior vena-cava?
- Determined that there are restrictions within the NPA (Nurse Practice Act) which cover the distribution of nutritive supplement products?
When considering the DORA graduate nursing program’s inclusion of a “hands-on” clinic-based component to training and where participation therein requires a nurse to be licensed in their residential state yet may sometimes require travel to a state where they may not have a license, DORA students do not need a Colorado license to engage in this clinical training.
The relevant legislation that allows this, cites that the board can issue permits for practice to both practical or professional nurses for a certain time period which must not exceed 2 yrs. Alternately, this can be stated according to the board to an individual from a state within the USA or a foreign territory present to do specialized training and observe nurse education programs. This must be conducted by proving so to the board by the nurse who is licensed within an LPN scope of practice within an individual the state, country or residence. The nurse practicing may be allowed by permit but is also subject to a limit, according to the particular practice performed as is linked with the specialized training program.
Alberta: LPN Scope Of Practice Sample
LPNs in Alberta have been working for more than sixty yrs and in this time, both clinical and education practice have evolved. This includes sweeping change to the basics of containing education as well as actual practicing environment, which have influenced the need for LPNs and spark ongoing opportunity across Alberta itself.
As professional nurses, LPNs operate in a certain practice scope adhering to the standard of practice and ethical codes required of them. The LPN study material is the same as registered and psychiatric nurses only having an approach more clearly focused on basic knowledge, judgement and critical thought to suit a contemporary LPN role. An LPN scope of practice integrates knowing, skills, judgmental capacities and ability needed to do justice to the various phases of health care from treating and managing acute illnesses to preventing others, as well as fulfilling palliative and longer term care needs. LPNs can have either an inter- or independent role in a care team, or they can overlap.
Alberta’s LPNs complete their courses through a 2 yr practical nursing diploma through the selected level at college. This program offers a min of 1,650 hrs of instructional teaching and 750 hrs covering the theory aspect, with nine hundred hrs clinical and laboratory experience. LPN jobs can also be defined via a variety of learning specialties post the basics, which result in opportunities such as advanced orthopaedics, immunizing, working in the operating room as well as renal dialyses. These include further programs for certification within areas like podiatry, psychology, acute disease management, care of wounds, leadership roles and palliative care.
Practicing nurses at National Institute for Health Clinical Center can select specialist roles in a variety of areas, including research support within its 27 separate centers and institutes for example the NHLBI for Heart and Lung treatments, NCI, National Cancer Institute and Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease.
When engaging in the field of nursing within an NHI Center, services take place in environments in which both research and care of patients come together. The setting offers LPN scope of practice in a one of a kind lab of clinical research which is conducted across each discipline. Nurses work on a daily basis with specifically informed and assured consent, family and patient education, collection of data and further aspects of implementing the correct protocols.
Individuals wishing to extend from a limited LPN scope of practice can consider staff and leadership functions such as teacher in clinical nursing, researcher, nursing manager, specialist in clinical nursing, practitioner, nursing consultant or nursing anaesthetist. The below outlines advancement options;
An Alberta LPN scope of practice is relatively autonomous and assumed total responsibility within their area of practice whilst in service of individuals, groups and families needs assessments and care provision with appropriate treatments. The various types of roles in the state of Alberta for nursing LPNs to embody include: community, primary, teaching, public health, acute care, leadership as well as occupational health and safety. LPNs work in collaboration with the family, team of colleagues and client to enforce consistent quality and care in the area of health services delivery.