Editor’s Letter

By Sarah Rowell Nurse-Recruiter.com

Hello to nurses everywhere! And not just registered nurses but licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed vocational nurses and the many other titles that encompass the nursing field. In my article last week celebrating nurses, I neglected to mention LPNs. This oversight was brought to my attention by a reader of our newsletter and I am grateful that she let me know about my mistake. LPNs are a vital part of the medical field and in honor of them; I have written an article that may help us see the importance of LPNs. Another article takes a look at the situation in Haiti and how nurses are continuing to play an integral part in the rebuilding and healing that is still going on four months later.

Here at Nurse-Recruiter, we welcome articles from our readers and comments or insights about articles written. If you have an area of interest you would like to write about, please submit it and we may publish it in our next newsletter.

Update On Haiti and The Aftermath

Did you know....?

It has been a little over four months since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti that left hundreds of thousands in need of care. Nurses have played a pivotal role in the care and rebuilding of some many lives. Scott Plantz, MD, the publisher of Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek magazines and the host of Nurse.com was in Haiti recently to volunteer at a hospital for survivors of the earthquake. He worked in Port-au-Prince at Project Medishare and the University of Miami Global Institute hospital which is located 200 yards away from the Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport. Scott was working in a 10-bed Emergency Department with dirt floors, no privacy curtains and one trauma bay. Patients were taken care of in outdoor tents. Staff slept in tents and had water and food, most of the time. Protein bars and MRE’s (meals ready to eat) were the staple but occasionally a hot meal of rice and beans was provided.

Dr. Plantz also shared about the patients in the ER. Their injuries ranged from crushed bones to a sprinkling of tropical diseases. Many nurses and ED residents had never seen diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and parasitic diseases, which were common. Patients who looked to be in their seventies were actually in their forties.

At the general hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince, medical staff says the number of nurses each day fluctuates. Sometimes there is a shortage, we are getting a different number each day, states Raul Khare, MD from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, who flew to Haiti with the International Medical Corp. But Khare also says that the relief organizations are getting better at organizing how much nursing staff they need as quake-related injuries dwindle and primary care and infectious diseases become the main concern. The three most common concerns that nurses in Haiti are dealing with at this time are chronic conditions, infectious diseases and psychological stress. One encouraging note is that Haitian nurses are beginning to return to their posts.

One group that is still active in Haiti is the National Nurses United Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN). Their nurses come from a variety of medical specialties including intensive care, medical-surgical and pediatrics. These volunteers will work alongside Haitian doctors and nurses. "We have learned from our experience in Hurricane Katrina, that the kind of skills needed in the weeks and months following a disaster are nursing skills," said Bonnie Castillo, RN, Director of RNRN. "The kind of care that’s needed is everyday care, and things are exacerbated by the lack of medication and basic first aid. Wounds fester and spread. Something that was preventable ends up a life-threatening situation. Nurses are the heart of a long-term recovery effort."

 

Licensed Practical Nurses

By Sarah Rowell Nurse-Recruiter.com

Licensed practical nurses, also known as licensed vocational nurses, work under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. The role of an LPN is a supportive one that provides basic bedside care. LPNs are responsible for monitoring patient's temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration. They can provide a variety of treatments for various ailments, record patient info and help patients with their personal hygiene and emotional needs. In some states, LPNs can start IVs and are allowed to administer prescribed medication. Experienced LPNs may supervise nursing assistants and nurses aides.

An aging registered nurse work force combined with a shortage of new nurses is giving rise to an increased need for LPNs in the patient care setting. According to an article by Patricia A. Kenney, MSN, RN; Maintaining Quality Care during a Nursing Shortage Using Licensed Practical Nurses in Acute Care (PDF), the LPN has historically "been used in staffing mixes to alleviate nursing shortages." The article goes on to cite a national trend "to provide additional training and education to licensed and unlicensed assistive personnel to perform various procedures that include medication administration."

LPNs work in many different health care settings. According to the Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are almost 750,000 licensed practical nurses in a variety of settings. Twenty-six percent of LPNs work in hospitals, 26% in nursing care facilities, 19% in home health care settings and the remainder work in residential, community care and governmental agencies. The US Labor Board projects that through the year 2016, there will be an increase in the need for LPNs and that is attributable to the increase in the need for elderly care services. Nursing homes and long term care facilities will offer the most new jobs for LPNs as the number of aged and disabled persons in need of long term care rises. Employment opportunities will also arise in health care settings that are removed from traditional models, such as public health clinics, physician's offices and outpatient surgery centers.

The National Federation of Licensed Professional Nurses (NFLPN) is the professional organization for licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses and practical/vocational nursing students in the United States. Their mission is to foster high standards of nursing care and promote continued competence through continued education and lifelong learning. The NFLPN was founded in the state of New York in 1949. It is the only organization in the US governed entirely by LPNs and LVNs; it is recognized as the official voice of LPNs and LVNs.

 

 

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