Editor's note: this version clarifies the future of the LPNs' current position at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

New London — Licensed practical nurses at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital learned Wednesday that, as of Oct. 11, their main responsibilities will shift to "medication reconciliation" for the next two years, after which their positions will be eliminated.

Hospital spokesman Mike O'Farrell said none of the 21 LPNs is being laid off, and their pay and status as union members will not change.

Rather, they are being reassigned to work with incoming patients to review and catalogue their medications and how they take them, to input the information into electronic medical records and to give medication instructions to patients as they are discharged.

This work is currently being done by hospital pharmacists, he said.

"It's a shift in their role, so (registered nurses) can focus more on what's happening at the bedside," he said. He added that the shift is in keeping with a national trend.

The LPNs will be eligible for a higher level of tuition reimbursement than what was offered previously to encourage them to train for other positions, he said.

LPNs who do not want to accept their new responsibilities must inform the hospital by Sept. 30, and will be offered either a salary or medical benefits package in preparation for leaving on Dec. 19, O'Farrell said.

Stephanie Johnson, a sleep lab technician and president of the union representing LPNs and technicians, said the job shift agreement is the result of negotiations between the union and management.

"We were able to reach an agreement with L+M management on their plan to redefine the jobs of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) at the hospital," she said in a statement. "Because we are united and have a strong voice, we negotiated a far better outcome than cuts to vital services or layoffs of caregivers."

Johnson said the agreement gives the LPNs options, including education incentives and early retirement. 

"The bottom line is that we achieved what all health care professionals and the patients who depend on them deserve: respect on the job and continuity of care," she said.

j.benson@theday.com

Twitter: @BensonJudy