Blogs

Refer to your state nurse practice act to determine the practice limitations of an LPN and whether an LPN would be practicing outside that scope to do acute dialysis treatments without RN supervision. I don't know if nurse practice acts are universal but in the state of MN an LPN is not permitted to do patient assessments and ongoing assessments are an integral part of doing acute dialysis treatments. I practice as an acute RN in MN. The two hospital systems that I go to will not allow LPNs to do patient treatments without direct supervision from an RN. This past year the one hospital system made the decision to no longer credential the one LPN in the program that I work with so she is limited to going to one hospital. She does non ICU treatments in adjacent treatment rooms where eight patients can run at a time. She is under the direct supervision at all times of an RN charge nurse.

California only RN's can access central lines and give heparin. You probably don't live here, but no LVN's can do acute hemo in Calif due to those two laws.