LPN

LPN Overview

There are only few professions, which are selfless and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is certainly one among them. A LPN is also known as Licensed vocational nurse (LNV) in some states. An LPN has a huge list of responsibilities starting from the normal routine activities of the patient as well as many other additional responsibilities. The very nature of the job demands the basic requirements like the LPN being healthy, with good stamina, very caring, intelligent, alert, tactful, and the quality of developing a relationship with the patients.

LPN Job Description

Most of the LPNs work for 40-hour a week. In case of the patient needing attention all 24 hours, LPNs work shifts, weekends, holidays all 365 days.  Licensed Practical Nurses work with hospitals, nursing home, mental health institutions, community health clinics, public health departments, and private homes. Their main job is to keep the patient at ease and happy. They take care of all needs of patients, often bedside care like bathing, dressing, eating, moving, giving injections, massages, taking vital signs, help patient for feeding infants, educate the patient and family on healthy habits, supervising nursing assistants and aides etc.

In addition, the LPN is expected to maintain patient’s records up to date, chart maintenance, clean medical equipment, watch out patient’s reaction to the medicine and treatment and keep the physicians reported in case of abnormalities.
The job of an LPN also includes risks of being exposed to heavy chemicals, infectious disease, radiation etc. The risks of damaging their backs are more since the LPNs have to move the patients. They also have to be totally relaxed while dealing with psycho patients and other totally non-cooperative patients.

LPN Training and Certification

To become an eligible LPN, it is required to undergo a complete training program, which is normally a one-year course (it could slightly vary from state to state) offered by various community colleges, vocational schools, hospitals, universities, or online courses. The basic qualification to even do this course requires a high school diploma or something equal to that. Since the requirements vary from state to state, it is advised to study the state rules before taking the training to ensure that it meets one’s needs.

This one year program provides a practical experience on clinical practice under supervision, thorough theoretical knowledge on anatomy, nutrition, pharmacology, first aid, pediatrics, obstetrics nursing etc.

It is also very essential to acquire the license to practice as an LPN. This is obtained by clearing an online (computer based) exam called The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN). The safety and effective care environment, physiological ethics, psychological ethics; health promotion and maintenance are the four major categories, which are tested through this exam.

LPN Career, Job Prospects and Salary

With the increase in the population of old and sick people, and the increase in accidents and injuries, the demand for the LPN obviously, is increasing. One need not stop just as a LPN, but keep advancing in that career by taking further courses and adding  certification in specialized and aspired fields.

LPN Salary

A LPN’s salary ranges approximately from $31,000 to $ 47000, the hourly rate ranging from $14 to $24 depending on the reputation of the employers or industries.

This is one of the best careers to reach heights if one is very ambitious as the employment growth is rapid in the health care industries. Rural areas are demanding more LPNs as they are lacking them and an LPN may also relocate to a rural area if it suits her or him.

I am thinking of becoming a LPN and was wondering how long is the education required to become one. I am looking at a community college nearby. How long does it approximately take to become an LPN in a community college?

It’s great to hear you are seriously considering becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Most LPN courses and LPN training offered usually run anywhere between 12 – 18 months. Sometimes you have colleges that have an associate degree that might take close to 2 years but that will also include any hands on training that is required to become a LPN.

One other career option you might want to consider is to do an additional 12 – 18 months and become a registered nurse. Nursing is in great demand and there is a lot of pent up demand for LPN’s, CNA‘s and RN‘s. In the scheme of things becoming a RN will open more doors for you as well as increase your long term earning. Good luck

Becoming a licensed Practical Nurse or LPN is increasingly becoming a popular career choice among students aspiring to become a health care professional. Let us look at the different classes or college courses you take to take in order to become a LPN

1. First step would be to get into a college that offers a recognized and accepted LPN program. To do this you will have to take the Test of Essential Academic Skils or TEAS as it is called. In this test you will be tested on your English, Math, Comprehension, Science and Metric conversion skills.
2. Most approved LPN programs will take a minimum of 12 months to complete. At the end of your LPN program you will be given a certificate and the opportunity to test for your LPN license.
3. During your college program, the typical classes you will be attending for your LPN certificate will be Anatomy, Physiology, Phychology and Sociology. That said, most of your coursework will involve hands on nursing training.
4. Many students work as certified nursing assistants to make sure that nursing is indeed the career choice for them. Quite a few of them also look at an LPN program as a stepping stone to becoming a registered nurse

An ideal candidate for the LPN program would be someone that has a passion and compassion for working with the sick and disabled. You should be able to handle the pressure that comes with the job and be able to adjust to different personalities of patients, cultures and background. Nursing can be a very rewarding career especially with the shortfall we have currently and a career as an LPN can be very rewarding one indeed.

Well, first off, there is no ‘pre-med’ major. You need to fulfill certain requirements, but you cant get a degree in ‘pre-med’. Actually you would be wise to get a degree in something other than science, as science degree holders are a dime a dozen as far as applicants to med school.

Doing nursing and pre-med at the same time is not the typical route many students take. Do you want to be a doctor or a nurse? Pre-med courses are designed to be very difficult and weed out students who are not really strong in science. It sounds like you are planning on taking a LOT of classes at once. This along with working as a nurse can be really tough. Your gpa will most likely suffer and this will basically take you out of the running for med school, if that’s where you want to go.

It may sound like a good idea to get a nursing degree in order to get into med school, but it really does not benefit you. Also, a lot of the classes you need to get into med school are the same as lpn, so it would kind of be a waste of time.

To get into med school, you will need to take a year of bio, chem, orgo, physics and calculus, all while keeping your gpa as close to a 4.0 as possible. Getting medical research under your belt and volunteering in the community (especially medical-related organizations) plus your MCAT score need to be at least around 30. Finally remember that most of the applicants you are up against are top students.

Approximately 58% of all applicants to medical school every year (not a specific one, im talking about every applicant to ANY med school) are rejected from every school they apply to. If you have too much on your plate, your grades will not be the highest they can be, and that is going to hurt you greatly if you want to be a doctor.

In short, i dont think you would be wise to go to two schools at once (and i dont even know if you can). Ive seen so many students put too much on their schedule early on and they ended up getting very low grades in essential science classes and are now completely out of the running for medical school. Also, remember doing two things requires a huge financial investment on your part. You will most likely end up paying a HUGE amount of money and you are stacking the odds against you. You may very well be able to do it but i doubt most people will succeed going that route. It is a route that seems impossible to maneuver.