What is the difference between a LPN and a RN?

What is the difference between LPN and RN?

• What is the difference between LPN and RN? Do they both make the same amount of money? Do RN's do more advanced work than LPN's? Im in Job Corps right now and im studying CMA ...show more

• Answer:

  LPNs perform many of the same tasks as RNs - taking vital signs, performing wound care / dressing changes, administering medications, etc. RNs have more responsibility in performing actual exam / assessments; listening to lung sounds and heart sounds for abnormalities, knowing the what the vital signs and labs and other tests mean in context with the person's health condition, etc. RNs are doing more care planning and care coordination between doctors, physical therapists, pharmacists, social workers, etc. RNs provide more detailed education to their patients about how to care for themselves and improve their level of functioning and limiting health risks. RNs can delegate tasks to lesser-skilled staff like the LPNs and CNAs. RNs just have a greater knowledge background and are skilled to perform more complex nursing tasks, they hold more responsibility in terms of accountability for patient safety, etc. And of course RNs do make quite a bit more money for the work they do. Both jobs are hard and can be stressful at times. Both jobs have their fair share of "messy work" like cleaning up bodily fluids and helping with toileting, etc. Both jobs have their pros and cons. For me, I chose RN because I felt comfortable holding more responsibility and didn't want to just be a "task" nurse, I wanted to be more involved in the all-around care and planning for the patient. And I felt if I was going to go to school for a few years I wanted to make a decent salary. I also knew that my long-term goals would require me to become an RN - I wanted to be a Nurse Practitioner, which I am currently close to graduating with my Masters degree to become one.