My brother’s girlfriend is a “lowly” LPN. She had trouble finding work for years and settled for on and off work in clinics and home care.
With Obamacare, she’s got hospitals offering her jobs where she’s being asked to do things above and beyond any training or education she’s ever received such as phlebotomy, catheterization, and even basic Dx. She’s terrified and has actually filed complaints with the local nursing boards with little coming of it.
Coming soon: the nurse will see you now.
LPNs just like aides are most definitely NOT ‘lowly’. They serve a wonderful purpose in making sure patients are well cared for. She too has a license that must be protected and as an ethical worker she should be screaming to high heaven (and every one up the line) about the over stepping of scope of practice.
I know RNs who would be more than a little aggravated to ask an LPN to do their job for them. Just as doctors are jealously guarding their scope of practice so do nurses.... so should LPNs