Median annual earnings of licensed practical nurses were $31,440 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $26,430 and $37,050. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,860, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $44,040. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of licensed practical nurses in 2002 were as follows:
| Employment services | $40,550 |
| Home health care services | 32,850 |
| Nursing care facilities | 32,220 |
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 30,310 |
| Offices of physicians | 28,710 |
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs), or licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), care for the sick, injured, convalescent, and disabled under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. (The work of physicians and surgeons and registered nurses is described elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Most LPNs provide basic bedside care, taking vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. They also prepare and give injections and enemas, monitor catheters, apply dressings, treat bedsores, and give alcohol rubs and massages. LPNs monitor their patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. They collect samples for testing, perform routine laboratory tests, feed patients, and record food and fluid intake and output. To help keep patients comfortable, LPNs assist with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene. In States where the law allows, they may administer prescribed medicines or start intravenous fluids. Some LPNs help deliver, care for, and feed infants. Experienced LPNs may supervise nursing assistants and aides.
In addition to providing routine beside care, LPNs in nursing care facilities help evaluate residents’ needs, develop care plans, and supervise the care provided by nursing aides. In doctors’ offices and clinics, they also may make appointments, keep records, and perform other clerical duties. LPNs who work in private homes may prepare meals and teach family members simple nursing tasks.
.Employment of LPNs is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012 in response to the long-term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general growth of healthcare. Replacement needs will be a major source of job openings, as many workers leave the occupation permanently.
Applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition as the number of hospital jobs for LPNs declines. An increasing proportion of sophisticated procedures, which once were performed only in hospitals, is being performed in physicians’ offices and in outpatient care centers such as ambulatory surgical and emergency medical centers, due largely to advances in technology. Consequently, employment of LPNs is projected to grow faster than average in these sectors as healthcare expands outside the traditional hospital setting.
Employment of LPNs in nursing care facilities is expected to grow faster than the average. Such facilities will offer the most new jobs for LPNs as the number of aged and disabled persons in need of long-term care rises. In addition to caring for the aged and the disabled, LPNs in nursing care facilities will care for the increasing number of patients who will have been discharged from the hospital, but have not recovered enough to return home.
Employment of LPNs is expected to grow much faster than average in home healthcare services. This growth is in response to an increasing number of older persons with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home.
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All States and the District of Columbia require LPNs to pass a licensing examination after completing a State-approved practical nursing program. A high school diploma or its equivalent usually is required for entry, although some programs accept candidates without a diploma or are designed as part of a high school curriculum.
In 2002, approximately 1,100 State-approved programs provided training in practical nursing. Almost 6 out of 10 students were enrolled in technical or vocational schools, while 3 out of 10 were in community and junior colleges. Others were in high schools, hospitals, and colleges and universities.
Most practical nursing programs last about 1 year and include both classroom study and supervised clinical practice (patient care). Classroom study covers basic nursing concepts and patient care-related subjects, including anatomy, physiology, medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, obstetrics, psychiatric nursing, the administration of drugs, nutrition, and first aid. Clinical practice usually is in a hospital, but sometimes includes other settings.
LPNs should have a caring, sympathetic nature. They should be emotionally stable, because work with the sick and injured can be stressful. They also should have keen observational, decisionmaking, and communication skills. As part of a healthcare team, they must be able to follow orders and work under close supervision.
.LPNs work closely with people while helping them. So do emergency medical technicians and paramedics, social and human service assistants, surgical technologists, and teacher assistants.
For information about practical nursing, contact any of the following organizations:
Use the links under Course Title and Materials to access the course article(s) and/or proceed to the test(s). You can also view information regarding the number of credits available and the cost for this course in the Credit Options. If you are not a current subscriber, or are a current subscriber but do not login, you will need to complete this course within this session. This complexity requires that the professional nurse understand how the interpersonal dynamics are interwoven within the plan of nursing care to achieve optimal well-being for the patient at home. Provide a brief history of nursing care of client/family in the home.
Summary of: https://lpn.advanceweb.com/Common/CE/Course.aspx?CourseID=370&CreditID=2
Nursing homes will offer the most new jobs. Job seekers in hospitals may face competition as the number of hospital jobs for LPNs declines. LPNs observe patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. They help patients with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene, keep them comfortable, and care for their emotional needs. Twenty-nine percent of LPNs worked in nursing homes, 28 percent worked in hospitals, and 14 percent in physicians’ offices and clinics.
Summary of: http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/ooh20022003/ocos102.htm
Nursing care facilities will offer the most new jobs. Applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition as the number of hospital jobs for LPNs declines. LPNs monitor their patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. About 28 percent of LPNs worked in hospitals, 26 percent in nursing care facilities, and another 12 percent in offices of physicians. Consequently, employment of LPNs is projected to grow faster than average in these sectors as healthcare expands outside the traditional hospital setting.
Summary of: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos102.htm
RNs establish appropriate care plans that follow physicians' orders, while providing the best possible home life for our clients. Bayada Nurses’ LPNs execute the RNs' care plan, providing certain skilled treatments (in accordance with state laws and regulations). LPNs also track a patient's condition, and report changes in client status to the RNs.
Summary of: http://www.bayada.com/skilled.shtml
Nursing homes will offer the most new jobs. They collect samples from patients for testing, perform routine laboratory tests, feed them, and record food and liquid intake and output. They help patients with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene, keep them comfortable, and care for their emotional needs. Others worked for temporary help agencies, home health care services, residential care facilities, schools, or government agencies. Employment in nursing homes is expected to grow faster than the average.
Summary of: http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/ooh20002001/272.htm
A Registered Professional Nurse (RN) may delegate select activities associated with the administration of intravenous therapy to an appropriately competent LPN. Education Law does not permit LPNs to make any patient assessments (interpret or evaluate clinical data). These devices may be tunneled, non-tunneled, or implanted. Insertion sites may be peripheral, for example, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines or central. - Administer the first dose of any medicated IV solution through any venous access device.
Summary of: http://www.op.nysed.gov/nurse-lpn-iv-acutecare.htm
Nursing care facilities will offer the most new jobs. Applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition as the number of hospital jobs for LPNs declines. LPNs monitor their patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. Employment Licensed practical nurses held about 702,000 jobs in 2002. About 28 percent of LPNs worked in hospitals, 26 percent in nursing care facilities and another 12 percent in offices of physicians.
Summary of: http://healthcare.monster.com/nursing/articles/lpn/
Only 13 million Americans needed long-term care in 2000. Also released recently were the results of a new workforce study by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), which points to a scarcity of workers to fill current vacancies in nursing homes. The study found a total of 96,000 vacancies in these job categories including 52,000 vacancies for CNAs, an additional 13,900 for staff RNs and 25,100 for LPNs. According to AHCA, approximately two-thirds of facilities responding to the survey indicated it was harder to recruit staff RNs and LPNs in 2002 than during the previous year. Saunders, a former critical care nurse who came to long-term care 20 years ago, likes to debunk what she views as outdated images and myths about the long-term care environment.
Summary of: http://www.syracuse.com/careerwise/index.ssf?/careerwise/html/articles/100220031831_longtermnurses.html
A Registered Professional Nurse (RN) may delegate select activities associated with the administration of intravenous therapy to an appropriately competent LPN. A glossary is also provided defining terms used in the chart. These devices may be tunneled, non-tunneled, or implanted. Insertion sites may be peripheral, for example, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines or central. - Administer the first dose of any medicated IV solution through any venous access device.
Summary of: http://www.op.nysed.gov/nurse-lpn-iv-longterm.htm
Nursing homes will offer the most new lpn jobs. Job seekers in hospitals may face competition as the number of hospital jobs for LPNs declines. Most LPN jobs provide basic bedside care. LPNs observe patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. Twenty-nine percent of LPNs worked in nursing homes, 28 percent worked in hospitals, and 14 percent in physicians' offices and clinics.
Summary of: http://www.nursetown.com/lpn_nursing_jobs.html