Licensed Practical Nurse Workforce in New Jersey as Described by LPNs and Employers

Nursing Home Patient Safety Culture Perceptions Among Licensed Practical Nurses

“…Response options follow a 6-point Likert format scale: strongly disagree or never (1) to strongly agree or always (6). The NHSPSC has 2 additional questions: (1) whether the respondent would tell friends this is a safe nursing home for their family, and (2) asking respondents to provide an overall rating on resident safety on a scale from poor (1) to excellent (5).…”

“…and (2) "How satisfied are you with being an LPN?" Response options for both items follow a 6-point Likert format scale ranging from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (6). A demographic data questionnaire was used to describe the characteristics of the sample including gender, age, ethnicity, race, and employment setting.…”

“…Furthermore, evidence indicates LPNs are functioning at higher levels because of the unavailability of RNs in the nursing home setting. 6,7 that hospital culture must change when errors occur from blaming to examining the incident and recommending areas for improvement. 9 The IOM identified the keys to patient safety culture (PSC) as (1) a shared belief that health care can be designed to prevent harm; (2) an organizational commitment to investigate patient injuries and near misses; and (3) an environment that balances the need for reporting of events and the need to take disciplinary action.…”

Renewing the care team model

“…2,14 Given today's healthcare climate, nurse leaders should consider implementing the RN/ LPN care team model in the acute care setting as a potential staffing and patient-care solution. 6,15 (See Figure 1.) LPN pilot: First stop-medicalsurgical Within the healthcare system, one site CNO volunteered to pilot the LPN role and a care team model on a medical-surgical unit.…”

“…Compensation for LPNs is less than that of an RN and using LPNs in conjunction with RNs can create a collaborative care team model that maximizes both roles, ultimately stabilizing staffing and optimizing patient care 2,14. Given today's healthcare climate, nurse leaders should consider implementing the RN/LPN care team model in the acute care setting as a potential staffing and patient-care solution 6,15. (See Figure 1.…”