The 51 licensed practical nurses at Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street will be phased out over the next several months, hospital spokesman M. Michael Peckman said Tuesday night. The Schuylkill Health Board of Directors is planning to add more registered nurses and nursing aides in order to establish a new health care delivery model. The positions held by the 41 full-time and 10 part-time LPNs will be phased out within six months, Peckman said. "We're changing to a new healthcare delivery model. And in this model we're going to replace LPNs with more RNs and also more nurse aides. It's a model which, essentially, does not use LPNs." The LPNs at the South Jackson Street facility will have the opportunity of either becoming nursing aides, which will lead to a salary cut, or studying to become RNs and apply for those positions, Peckman said.
