Job security and outstanding prospects as a Licensed Practical Nurse

Training as a Licensed Practical Nurse is a great first step for a career in healthcare. If you’re attracted by a profession that puts caring for others to the fore, then this could be the path for you.

You’ll be joining a profession in increasing demand, and the skills you acquire will almost guarantee your employment prospects.

On LPNAdvance.com, you’ll find information on over 1000 schools – public, not-for-profit and private – across the US, and a wealth of information on getting the most out of your training and getting your career off to a flying start.

You’ll find information on licensure, program requirements, core responsibilities, salaries and job prospects by state.

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You’ll also discover the full cost of training so there are no nasty surprises: tuition and fees, sundry expenses and federal grants.

Ready to get started? Choose your state:

Getting the terminology right.

Licensed Practical Nurse or Licenced Vocational Nurse? LVN is the term used in Texas and California, while LPN is used everywhere else.

There’s no difference in the role. Both LVNs and LPNs work under the supervision of a registered nurse or a doctor, and provide basic medical care to patients.

So what’s the job like?

Your strong interpersonal skills are going to be required. You will be in constant contact with patients and other healthcare workers.

You’ll need to pay attention to detail. You’ll have responsibilities for updating patient records. That includes noting the times and amounts of prescribed medicines that you have administered, noting your observations on patient charts, taking measurements and recording the vital signs of the people in your care.

You need day-to-day discipline and order, knowing when you need to change dressings, to feed, give enemas or douches, and perform other routine but vital tasks.

You’ll need key skills such as administering intravenous fluids, performing catheterizations, and taking blood pressure.

You’ll need to be very familiar with the latest equipment and how to assemble and use it. Also, just because you’re a people person doesn’t mean you can ignore the computer. All aspects of health care have been infused with technology. This means that not only will you have to be on top of computerized record taking but also become familiar with specialized medical software.

You’ll likely have some supervisory role in the case of nurses’ assistants or aides.

Finally you’ll need to have your wits about you. Being an LPN is a job with great responsibility and you need to be able to react to changing circumstances, emergency situations and your own observations.

Sound like the job for you? What are you waiting for?

There are great challenges ahead, but as rewarding professions go, this one is hard to beat.

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