The Texas Board of Nursing outlines the roles of both licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and registered nurses (RNs). An LVN provides patient-centered care to patients with basic healthcare needs. This is achieved through the collection of data and the performance of focused evaluations, assisting in the planning and modification of nursing plans, performing several aspects of nursing care, which include timely administering treatment, and providing emotional support (Dzaher, 2017). They also monitor the patients’ health and record signs to assess the efficacy of treatment. On the other hand, the roles of a registered nurse (RN) are centered on providing care to patients with complex healthcare needs (Texas Board of Nursing, 2020). This is facilitated through the performance of comprehensive nursing evaluations of patients, making nursing diagnoses, creating nursing care plans, executing various nursing interventions, and monitoring the patients’ responses to care.
The Texas Nurse Practice Act clearly defines both LVNs and RNs. An LVN is described as a nursing professional who provides direct care to patients with simple health care needs under clinical supervision (Texas Board of Nursing, 2020). Moreover, they are limited to the level at which they can administer care. On the contrary, an RN has been defined as a nursing professional who independently provides nursing services to patients with complicated needs (Texas Board of Nursing, 2020). The role of an LVN differs from that of an RN in several ways; for instance, LVNs work under clinical supervision. However, RNs administer care independently. Besides, LVNs only attend to patients with basic complications, whereas RNs serve patients with complex needs. Third, RNs are at the forefront of utilizing systematic approaches to provide patient-centered care. However, the work of LVNs in such an environment is often to assist. Lastly, RNs have a higher educational level and are more skilled than LVNs.
References
Dzaher, A. (2017). 5 key aspects to providing quality care. Web.
Texas Board of Nursing. (2020). Differentiating RN from LVN scope of practice under rule 217.11 Standards of Nursing Practice. Web.