Yesterday, I posted an update from Centralized Intake Office (CIO) that the cap for Registered Nurses has been reached already. And on that blog post, I discussed some options that Registered Nurses may do. Here's another option: Apply as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
But are Registered Nurses eligible to apply as Licensed Practical Nurse?
Of course, yes. Registered Nurses are highly qualified LPNs!
But wait. In order for a Registered Nurse to qualify as LPN, he/she must have at least one year experience as LPN.
Licensed practical nurses provide nursing care usually under the direction of medical practitioners, registered nurses or other health team members. They are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres, doctors' offices, clinics, companies, private homes and community health centres. Operating room technicians are included in this unit group.
Licensed practical nurses perform some or all of the following duties:
Provide nursing services, within defined scope of practice, to patients based on patient assessment and care planning procedures Perform nursing interventions such as taking vital signs, applying aseptic techniques including sterile dressing, ensuring infection control, monitoring nutritional intake and conducting specimen collection Administer medication and observe and document therapeutic effects Provide pre-operative and post-operative personal and comfort care Monitor established respiratory therapy and intravenous therapy Monitor patients' progress, evaluate effectiveness of nursing interventions and consult with appropriate members of healthcare team Provide safety and health education to individuals and their families.
Operating room technicians perform some or all of the following duties:
Prepare patients for surgery by washing, shaving and sterilizing the patients' operative areas Assist in surgery by laying out instruments, setting up equipment, assisting surgical teams with gowns and gloves and passing instruments to surgeons Clean and sterilize the operating room and instruments.
These duties are actually included in the functions of most nurses here in the Philippines. I really think that some Filipino nurses may qualify as LPN depending on how they would present their job description.
