What is the difference between a LPN and a RN?

What is the difference between an RN and an LPN?

• I am looking more into becoming an RN. How many year of college would i need for both? And I am plus size. Do they look at weight as a matter? Thanks everyone :)

• Answer:

  RNs are trained in complete physical, mental, and social assessments, LPNs are not. RNs are trained to create nursing diagnoses for their patient's conditions, LPNs are not. RNs perform more complex skills such as PICC lines for example, LPNs do not. RNs create care plans with specific nursing interventions created to meet certain patient goals or outcomes, LPNs do not. RNs are expected to delegate tasks such as activities of daily living (feeding, bathing, toileting) to the "assistive personel", the LPN or CNA, all the while the RN maintains complete accountability, responsibility, and legal liability for that patient even if it's the assistive personel that makes an error. RNs are trained to interpret complex lab results, evaluate a patient's changing condition, and is expected to have a thorough understanding of all physiologic processes within the body, LPNs do not have as thorough or comprehensive training to do these tasks. LPNs take vital signs, pass some medications (cannot give IV medications), and care for their patients immediate needs. Which is a very valuable service, IMO. They are very hands-on with their patients. RNs are not "more important" based upon the fact that we can perform at a different level than LPNs. We have a different scope of practice. We have different licensure standards. We have a different level of education. But we are both important in meeting the needs of our patients while they are in our care. I hear a lot of people complain that LPNs don't get respect, that they do all the dirty work, that they are the RNs slaves, etc. Those sound to me like disgruntled LPNs who work in a hostile work environment, or who cannot accept that the duties they are performing are within their job expectations. RNs do not set out to give all the menial tasks to them as a way of pulling a power trip. We delegate tasks because we are required to do so; if we did not delegate tasks to the LPN which they are trained to perform, then the LPN wouldn't be needed at the facility and they would subsequently be left without a job. RN's require 2 years of schooling and LPNS's require just a year. Weight does not matter! Hope this helps.