I know in Missouri LPNS are not allowed to do push IV drugs or admission intake assessments. Those are both out of our scope of practice. Have you been asked to do something you don’t think you’re supposed to?
First of all, contact your state licensing board for a copy of your LPN Nurse Practice Act and read it.
Basically, your scope of practice is based upon the formal education you received and any formal advanced training you have received that is approved by your State Board of Nursing.
For instance, some states approve IVs in various stages. Some allow LPNs to start IVs, some to start and hang IVs, and some don’t allow LPNs to have anything to do with IVs. So even if you were trained in a state that allowed you to start and hang IVs, but now work in a state that doesn’t allow you to do anything with IVs, your scope of practice is defined by the state where you now work.
Also…Just because you have learned to do something “on-the-job” doesn’t mean it is within your scope of practice. Some employers will train LPNs to do things beyond their scope, and then if something goes wrong….it’s YOUR license! So beware and check it out! Don’t ever let anyone ask you to do something you aren’t licensed to do!
I have to agree with Kathy. I have seen both hospitals and nursing homes train CNAs and LPNs to do things that are beyond what the law says they can do. Read your practice act, and if you have to, print it out and show it to whomever is asking you to perform “illicit” duties. When I was an LPN, I did this, and the administration backed down. If this doesn’t stop it, look for another job. Your license is too precious to lose, and you worked to hard to earn it!
Every board of nursing has a defined scope of practice. If you are not licensed to do it and you do it, you can lose your license.
We just had this issue come up where I work in regards to RN’s practicing outside of our scope of practice. Once I had read through the scope of practice for RN’s I started thinking about what steps I needed to take to start protecting myself and my license.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
I know in Missouri LPNS are not allowed to do push IV drugs or admission intake assessments. Those are both out of our scope of practice. Have you been asked to do something you don’t think you’re supposed to?
November 30th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
First of all, contact your state licensing board for a copy of your LPN Nurse Practice Act and read it.
Basically, your scope of practice is based upon the formal education you received and any formal advanced training you have received that is approved by your State Board of Nursing.
For instance, some states approve IVs in various stages. Some allow LPNs to start IVs, some to start and hang IVs, and some don’t allow LPNs to have anything to do with IVs. So even if you were trained in a state that allowed you to start and hang IVs, but now work in a state that doesn’t allow you to do anything with IVs, your scope of practice is defined by the state where you now work.
Also…Just because you have learned to do something “on-the-job” doesn’t mean it is within your scope of practice. Some employers will train LPNs to do things beyond their scope, and then if something goes wrong….it’s YOUR license! So beware and check it out! Don’t ever let anyone ask you to do something you aren’t licensed to do!
Kathy Quan RN BSN
http://TheNursingSite.com
January 27th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I have to agree with Kathy. I have seen both hospitals and nursing homes train CNAs and LPNs to do things that are beyond what the law says they can do. Read your practice act, and if you have to, print it out and show it to whomever is asking you to perform “illicit” duties. When I was an LPN, I did this, and the administration backed down. If this doesn’t stop it, look for another job. Your license is too precious to lose, and you worked to hard to earn it!
January 27th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
It’s your license! Protect it with your life.
Every board of nursing has a defined scope of practice. If you are not licensed to do it and you do it, you can lose your license.
We just had this issue come up where I work in regards to RN’s practicing outside of our scope of practice. Once I had read through the scope of practice for RN’s I started thinking about what steps I needed to take to start protecting myself and my license.