What is a licensed practical nurse? A
licensed practical nurse is a nurse who takes orders from registered nurses and
doctors. They are also known as licensed vocational nurses. Nurses are a great
help to people. They have been a part of most people’s lives because nurses are
always there to care for them.
LPN or licensed practical nursing is a
profession wherein a nurse treats sick people. It is no different from other
types of nursing since its goal is to help improve sick or impaired people. In
order for a person to be engaged in the world of LPN nursing, he must first be
a licensed practical nurse. To gain this status, a person should be enrolled in
a LPN nursing program. This does not usually take long in that its goal is to
give the person the necessary training. Basic thing are taught so that the
person can be briefed and prepared. Usually they train in hospitals so that
they could already be exposed to different situations. After this, a person can
now be called a licensed practical nurse.
Qualifications
With enough
motivation and determination, a person can get the LPN schooling that he needs
in order for him to become a licensed practical nurse. A person should undergo
the recognized steps for LPN schooling. One can be a nurse if she has first
completed a degree or even a diploma which is offered in various colleges and
universities. Since the boost of demand in the world of nursing, college
students have preferred to study the course. They are willing to painstakingly
study nursing and endure those years in colleges just so they could pursue the
career of their dreams.
Duties
and Responsibilities
Licensed practical nurses have the
responsibilities that an average nurse usually has. Usually they take orders
from a registered nurse since they themselves are not registered. Registered
nurses have an advantage over them in terms of education since registered
nurses have trained to be one. Nurses are known to take care of the weak and
make them strong. They are there to assist doctors when it comes to patient
care. They are also involved in stuff like, fixing the patient’s hospital bed,
checking the machines, recording vital statistics, and other basic nursing
things. These things are easy to do once they have been studied carefully.
Taking care of a patient is now part of a good nurse’s life. It has become his
creed and his responsibility. They can also assist a doctor by giving the
patient the medicine that the doctor has prescribed. It is important to note
that they are not authorized to prescribe since doctors are the only ones
allowed to do so.
In LPN nursing, a nurse is also expected to
collect blood, stool, or urine samples from patients under the order of his
superiors. These nurses do their job in the laboratory and work with these
samples from patients. The job of a Licensed Practical Nurse can also be found
in other places besides the hospital. These specific types of nurses can also
be found in places such as nursing homes and retirement homes. Some of them are
found assisting private practitioners and choose to work in the solitude of
private offices and clinics.
Trainings
Before a person
can start getting the practical nursing salary, he must first undergo training
in order to be a practical nurse. This only takes up just a few months and one
can be a nurse by just undergoing this basic training. What nursing aspirants
in this training have to experience is the very basic knowledge in the nursing
world. It is sort of a boot camp as in the military. A nurse must learn the
basics to have a firm foundation of knowledge in the years that will come. They
must learn from what is being taught to them.
Salaries
The practical
nursing salary ranges from $30,000 to $50,000. In order to earn that much, a
nurse must be dedicated in his job. He must also choose the field of nursing
where he thinks he has the expertise to give. Some fields offer higher amounts
unlike the other fields. Usually, the fields that offer a higher amount are
those who belong to the branch of psychiatry. These nurses are the ones who
help the psychiatrists do their jobs.
The surgical
nurses are also one of the top earning nurses. The location of the work can
also change the amount of the practical nursing salary. It is known that a
private hospital gets more profit than a public one. Therefore, nurses who work
in a private hospital get more than those who work in a public one. Still, even
if the wages are different, some choose to work in public ones. Sometimes some
people can find practical nurses in private clinics.
The salary may
vary still depending on the skill of the person involved. In places where there
is a limited resource of nurses, the pay is expected to be higher. This is to
motivate other nurses from different places to transfer and practice their
profession there. The practical nursing salary may also increase or decrease
depending on the availability of nurses. The law of supply and demand is still
applicable in this. If nurses are desperately needed, then the salary might be
high. It is as of now. It is still unknown if it will change.
Although the
world of nursing is not a gold mine, a nurse can really enjoy fulfilling his
profession. Nurses are in demand and will always be.
Summary
In the field of IPN nursing a licensed
practical nurse can upgrade his profession to be a registered nurse. Also if
she takes another step higher, she will be considered as an official nurse
practitioner. Nurse practitioners have received the greatest training any nurse
can get. In some countries, nurse practitioners know as much as physicians do. Not
only do these nurses help people, they also earn money by doing a good deed.
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