SIKESTON, Mo. -- When it comes to the differences between LPNs and RNs, Kathy Ham of Sikeston wrote the book.

Now the director of Southeast Missouri State University's four-year nursing program, Ham got the idea for "From LPN to RN: Role Transitions" almost six years ago while teaching in Sikeston at Park College's registered nurse bridge program for licensed practical nurses.

While there were plenty of nursing education textbooks available for both licensed practical nurse and registered nurse programs, there were no textbooks that specifically covered the gap between the two.

"We were trying to take the LPNs and in one year's time educate them to the level of RNs," said Ham. "I found a need for a book to address the differences between the LPN and RN roles."

In addition to the advanced training and skills required of RNs, there are other aspects such as leadership responsibilities, Ham explained.

Soon after realizing the need for the textbook, she contacted Mosby Publishing Company of St. Louis, a major publisher of scientific and health care textbooks.

Mosby told her to submit a proposal for the book along with a couple of chapters and a table of contents. "The proposal was to explain why it would be worth their time to invest in this," Ham said.

During the time Ham wrote the first two chapters and her proposal, Mosby merged with Saunders, another major health care textbook publisher, so her proposal and initial work were sent of Saunders' headquarters in Philadelphia once she completed them.

The book was published in August 2001.

Ham said it appears there is an interest nationwide as 1,500 copies were already shipped out as of January.