Become an LPN, the Fast Path to a Nursing Career

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Careers

Licensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you're interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an LPN is a rewarding opportunity.

LPN Job Description

LPNs provide a large portion of direct patient care. LPNs may be assisted by nurses' aides ( CNAs ) and other assistants in some of their duties. LPNs are directed by doctors and nurses (RNs & nurse managers). Typically, a LPN's work duties include:

Taking vital signs

Preparing and administering injections and enemas

Applying dressings and bandages

Watching catheters

Treating bedsores

Providing alcohol massages or rubs

Monitoring patients and reporting changes

Collecting samples for testing

Provide patient hygiene

Feeding patients

Monitoring food and liquid input/output

LPNs work in a variety of settings like hospitals, outpatient facilities, long term care facilities, clinics and home care. Tenured LPNs may supervise nursing aides and assistants.

Salary Ranges

While nursing jobs in general are in high demand nationwide, LPN positions in hospitals are declining. However, since this has been caused by an increase in outpatient services, LPN positions in long term care facilities and home health is in as much demand as other nursing categories.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published the median income for LPNs as $31,440 in 2002. The range was $22,860 to $44,040 based on geographic location and work experience. Contract LPNs made the most money, while doctor's office nurses made the least on average at $28,710.

A nursing career offers other benefits including a flexible schedule, a short work week (three 12 hour shifts with four days off), tuition reimbursement and signing bonuses.

Education / Getting Started

Because of the high level of patient responsibility, nursing is highly regulated, requiring both education and a license. Graduates must complete a state approved practical nursing program and pass a licensing examination. An LPN certificate can be completed in less than a year. Some RN students become LPNs after completing their first year of study. Course work in the Lpn program includes anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biology, chemistry, obstetrics, pediatrics, first aid as well as nursing classes.

Becoming an LPN is the fastest path to a nursing career. Advancement can take many forms, but additional education is usually required.

If you possess the traits necessary to become a successful nurse and want to secure a well paying, important profession caring for others, getting an LPN degree in nursing is a great way to secure your professional future.

Duties Involved In Lpn Jobs

LPNs are licensed practical nurses, also known as licensed vocational nurses. Within any medical institution, the LPNs are the nurses who provide the greatest amount of direct healthcare to the patients. As such, their role is very important. They are the ones who cater to the daily needs of the patients as long as they are undergoing treatment and communicate the same with their superiors, who could be registered nurses or the doctors. Hence, the licensed practical nurses are the ones whom the patients are in communication with most of the time.

Lpn jobs demand a lot of duties, given that these jobs are the most direct in healthcare organizations. The following is a list of some of the duties that licensed practical nurses have to dispense:-

-LPNs have to take the vital signs of the patients, which enable doctors to make their diagnoses. If the patient has to undergo any preliminary diagnostic tests, then the LPNs have to prepare them for the test, take their samples, send the samples to the relevant labs and then get the reports for the doctors to scrutinize.

-In case of minor wounds and injuries, LPNs have to perform the first aid tasks such as cleaning the wounds, applying dressings and bandages, etc. They have to assist doctors in providing sutures.

-It is the Lpn's job to administer injections to the patients in most cases.

-LPNs have to keep a watchful eye on patients who are in serious conditions. They have to be vigilant about patients receiving blood, glucose or saline drips. They have to carefully monitor patients on catheters and oxygen supplies.

-In patients who are admitted to the healthcare facility, it is the Lpn's duty to check that everything is going alright. They are responsible for the food and water supplies of the patients. They must take care of patient hygiene, and can instruct the helping staff in the healthcare facility to accompany the patient to the toilet, get a change of clothes, etc.

-LPNs are qualified to provide therapeutic massages to patients. If the case arises, such as if the patient gets a pulled muscle due to lying on the hospital bed for a long time, then the Lpn can administer a massage to set things right.

-LPNs have to prepare patients who are to undergo surgeries. They have to get them changed into attire fit for the surgery and take care of their food and water restrictions during the period. After the surgery, they have to monitor the patient during the recuperation stage and constantly keep a watch till the patient is fit to be discharged.

Hence, the Lpn jobs include complete patient care and monitoring, and at the same time coordinating with the superiors. The job responsibilities are immense, but they are very good training grounds for licensed practical nurses, who are learning to be registered nurses in the future.

Become an Lpn, the Fast Path to a Nursing Career

Licensed Practical Nurse (Lpn) Careers

Licensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you're interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an Lpn is a rewarding opportunity.

Lpn Job Description

LPNs provide a large portion of direct patient care. LPNs may be assisted by nurses' aides ( CNAs ) and other assistants in some of their duties. LPNs are directed by doctors and nurses (RNs & nurse managers). Typically, a Lpn's work duties include:

Taking vital signs

Preparing and administering injections and enemas

Applying dressings and bandages

Watching catheters

Treating bedsores

Providing alcohol massages or rubs

Monitoring patients and reporting changes

Collecting samples for testing

Provide patient hygiene

Feeding patients

Monitoring food and liquid input/output

LPNs work in a variety of settings like hospitals, outpatient facilities, long term care facilities, clinics and home care. Tenured LPNs may supervise nursing aides and assistants.

Salary Ranges

While nursing jobs in general are in high demand nationwide, Lpn positions in hospitals are declining. However, since this has been caused by an increase in outpatient services, Lpn positions in long term care facilities and home health is in as much demand as other nursing categories.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published the median income for LPNs as $31,440 in 2002. The range was $22,860 to $44,040 based on geographic location and work experience. Contract LPNs made the most money, while doctor's office nurses made the least on average at $28,710.

A nursing career offers other benefits including a flexible schedule, a short work week (three 12 hour shifts with four days off), tuition reimbursement and signing bonuses.

Education / Getting Started

Because of the high level of patient responsibility, nursing is highly regulated, requiring both education and a license. Graduates must complete a state approved practical nursing program and pass a licensing examination. An Lpn certificate can be completed in less than a year. Some RN students become LPNs after completing their first year of study. Course work in the Lpn program includes anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biology, chemistry, obstetrics, pediatrics, first aid as well as nursing classes.

Becoming an Lpn is the fastest path to a nursing career. Advancement can take many forms, but additional education is usually required.

If you possess the traits necessary to become a successful nurse and want to secure a well paying, important profession caring for others, getting an Lpn degree in nursing is a great way to secure your professional future.