Standards of Practice
Even though both LPNs and RNs are important in the multidisciplinary team, they have different roles in patient care. LPNs have either a diploma or certificate in nursing, while RNs have an associate or bachelor’s degree (Nurse.org, n.d.). Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) offer basic medical care such as blood pressure monitoring, inserting catheters, ensuring patient comfort by help in daily life activities such as bathing, dressing, helping with patient discharge, and reporting patient status to the registered nurses and physicians (Nurse.org, n.d.). LPNs normally provide basic nursing care and ensure patient comfort. Registered nurses (RN) are tasked with administering medications to patients, coordinating care plans, performing diagnostic tests, analyzing diagnostic results, advising patients, and supervising LPNs (Nurse.org, n.d.). They do a lot of work in healthcare organizations.
LPNs can support a civil environment by being aware of their scope of practice and their limitations in any healthcare organization. By being aware of their scope of practice, they can prevent overlap in their duties and avoid potential misunderstandings. LPNs must know their job description, which will help them focus on their role in patient care. This enables them to increase their professional expertise and engage in professional development, contributing more to the interprofessional team. On the other hand, registered nurses must also know their roles in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Registered nurses have more responsibilities hence must delegate duties to other nurses such as LPNs. They can delegate duties to LPNs and ensure there is supervision. The nurse must be aware of the interdisciplinary team members’ roles and promote effective communication since this improves the quality of care (Webster, 2016). Effective communication is essential in promoting a civil working environment.
References
Nurse.org. (n.d.). Licensed practical nurse career guide. https://nurse.org/resources/licensed-practical-nurse-lpn-lvn/
Webster, A. (2016). The health of collaborations. Collaboration across Health Research and Medical Care, 217-226. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315572611-11
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Question
Standards of Practice
compare and contrast the standards of practice for the LPN and RN. How does understanding the roles of the healthcare team and standards of practice support a civil environment?