License Practical Nurses

Thinking about a career shift or earning from other job? Have you thought about nursing? You may think becoming a nurse takes years but with the shortage of nurses, there is a nursing course that only requires at most one year of study. After one year of studying you will become a License Practical Nurse (LPN) or called License Vocational Nurse (LPN) in same states. Online LPN courses are also available so you can study at your free time while you work though most potential employers would want LPNs to have more first hand training in hospitals and other health related facilities during their study period.

Why is a LPN course so short as compared to a Bachelors Degree in Nursing? Will you have the same opportunities as those of a registered nurse? Compared to registered nurses, licensed practical nurses role are limited. Usually in a hospital setting, you work under the supervision of registered nurses. LPNs other duties include observing patients and reporting any findings to doctors and registered nurses. They are also usually found in small clinics, work as a school nurse, or work freelance through home health agencies in caring for sick patients at home. Compared to registered nurses, pay is lower though with a minimum average of 31k a year.

The nice thing about being a licensed practical nurse is you can work part time. As the number of the older population grows, more and more LPNs will be greatly in demand at nursing homes as they can supervise nursing assistants and nursing aides. If an LPN decides to proceed in becoming a registered nurse, what they learned during the LPN course can be credited to their continuing education so it saves them time and money.

How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse

Like every goal, there are certain steps you need to undergo to attain the level you want. Wanting a license as a practical nurse involves a proper and formal nursing education that will guarantee your success in the future.

Make sure that the school you want to enroll in is reliable when it comes to giving quality nursing education to its students. A training program for practical nursing would normally take about a year to finish. It’s a short-term education experience so make sure that the school you chose will not waste your time; look for a school with good records of their nursing graduates.

The LPN or licensed practical nurse training program covers classroom setting for learning and clinical practice so that students will be equipped with academic and hand-on knowledge with regard to nursing. Some schools offer training programs at night or on weekends so if you have a job, you can continue with work without sacrificing your studies for practical nursing. LPN schools normally require just a high school degree to enroll in a practical nursing program.

To be a LPN, one must know how to manage time since once you’ve become an a licensed practical nurse, your schedule might shift from time to time; learn multi-tasking and make sure you know how to communicate well with other people. Learning the international language, English, is must since communication is needed to perform a good job as a practical nurse. Remember to always be calm; think before you act. Never panic when you’re already working in hospitals or other healthcare institutions, it will lead to bad decision-making.

A Passion for Care-Giving

A licensed Practical Nurse or LPN can also be referred as a Licensed vocational nurse or LVN. Licensed practical nurses are often described as nurses who take care of injured, disabled, and sick people. They are under the supervision of higher ranking nurses, or registered nurses in their work place while doctors are the ones supervising the registered nurses.

LPNs normally record the vital signs of patients. They measure the blood pressure, temperature, plus, and respiration for analysis. In addition, they are also tasked to observe the patient and make a report regarding what medications should be recommended. It is not considered a simple task because accuracy is needed in this kind of job since by taking care of a patient makes the LPNs accountable for the improvement or weakening of the patient’s condition. If you don’t want to be reprimanded or receive complaints from patients and patients’ families, better make sure that you are doing your job properly and accurately.

The job schedules of licensed practical nurses vary from time to time since patience needs 24-hours care, healthcare institutions need nurses to be on-guard all the time since you’ll never what casualties might happen at any time. There is also part-time work for practical nurses; this is beneficial if they have other activities to consider.

If you have the passion in providing service to other people especially care-giving, why not start by being a practical nurse? This work will definitely give you self-fulfillment with the benefit of receiving high salary from international healthcare institutions.

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