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Scope of Practice role of RN and LPN

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The variance amongst a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is

due to their education level and the license that the nurse possesses. Mostly the RNS tend to have

accomplished an Associate Degree in Nursing (AND) package or the Bachelor of Science in

Nursing (BSN) program where they have to pass their (National Council Licensure Examination)

NCLEX-RN licensure exam to ensure they become a registered nurse (Delany.,2019). While in

the LPN which is also referred to as the Licenses Vocational Nurses tend to have completed a

certain program rather than a registered nurse program which takes two years to complete which

mostly found in vocational colleges. LPN ensure they pass their NCLEX-PN to ensure they

become licensed

However, the RN and the LPN tend to have various duties based on the patient care

practices where their scope of practice is important to be understood where the practices and

their professional practices that are based on the RN and the LPN are allowed to be practiced

based on the state law. Mostly the RN and LPN tend to have a different licenses based on their

learning, skill, and training. The licenses tend to determine the scope of the practice as compared

to other health providers. Mostly each state tends to have a specific Nursing Repetition Act

hence the opportunity of the exercise for the RN and LPN tends to be different across other

countries. Mostly RN tends to have more roles where they can provide a higher level of patient

care practices as compared to LPN.RN has a wider scope of practice hence they require a higher

level of education to earn the licensure. The RN can work self-sufficiently in most capacities

where the LPN tends to work under the supervision of the physician or RN supervisions. Mainly

the RN tends to provide a higher level of patient services where they often give one nurse to one

patient or during dangerous environments they often provide care services to one patient for two

nurses. While based in medical surgery areas they tend to offer five patients for three nurses.
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On the hand, the LPN has numerous duties such as gathering and registering animated

signs in the hospital setting. Also, they tend to distribute oral medication, check blood sugar

levels, helping in with bathing and toileting activities, and help in activities of daily living such

as eating and dressing(Watson.,2018). While on the other hand, the RN tends to perform some of

the activities that are performed by the LPN while the scope of practice of the RN tends to be

broader which includes collecting blood samples, assessing the patients, conducting physical

exams, starting the IVs and distributing oral and IV medications. Also, the RN tends to counsel

the patients and they work with the physicians to determine the patients' treatment plans.

However, the standard program for the LPN includes an overview to nursing, lawful and

moral aspects of nursing, nurturing theory, structure, and composition, certification and medical

terminology, lifecycle and growth development, patient safety, and medical administration while

the curriculum is based on the RN include some areas which includes nursing fundamentals,

nursing theory, microbiology, chemistry, ethics in nursing, nutrition, pharmacology, psychology,

and the mental health. Moreover, both the RN and the LPN tend to have an excellent opportunity

to advance their career by more work experience and obtaining higher education

levels(Stubb.,2020). The LPN career advancement opportunities include moving into a

healthcare environment for example doctor offices, mental health organizations, and home health

care. Also, the LPN tend to consider the advancement of their career by completing the programs

that are based on LPN to the RN bridging program to ensure they are working as the registered

nurse.

RN tend to have an opportunity to advance their career by moving to several areas for

example in the hospital setting where they consider moving to leadership or the trainer roles

where they gain higher experience based on administrative skills. The work setting of LPN tends
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to work for the long term as compared to other settings where they have the opportunity to move

up based on the ranks where the supervising nursing assistant conducts various activities such as

bathing and changing bedpans. Based on the geographic differences there are different scopes of

practice that vary from state to state. Mostly the states vary based on the IV therapy for example

some states tend to allow the LPN to be assigned a range of IV duties where they require

additional certification (Phoenix.,2019). The path to nursing licensing tends to vary with the span

of the program, topic matter, and the program cost. Mostly the LPN tend to pass through a

licensing procedure that tends to be the same as the RN where the screening process is based on

the fingerprint-based where the LPN tend to be responsible for their licensing agencies to ensure

they practice ethical activities and the scope of practice. However, both the RN and the LPN tend

to work directly with the patients where they are responsibilities to ensure they provide for the

well-being of the patients. Both the LPN and the RN tend to be employable in specific work

setting such as hospitals, medical offices, and nursing offices.

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References

Delaney, K. R., & Vanderhoef, D. (2019). The psychiatric mental health advanced practice

registered nurse workforce: Charting the future. Journal of the American Psychiatric

Nurses Association, 25(1), 11-18.

Phoenix, B. J. (2019). The current psychiatric mental health registered nurse workforce. Journal

of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 25(1), 38-48.

Stubbs, B. A., & Skillman, S. M. (2020). Washington State’s 2019 Licensed Practical Nurse

Workforce. Center for Health Workforce Studies, University of Washington.

Wadson, K., & Phillips, L. A. (2018). Information literacy skills and training of licensed

practical nurses in Alberta, Canada: results of a survey. Health Information & Libraries

Journal, 35(2), 141-159.