Nursing has always been a noble career choice, but it hasn’t always been easy to join the medical field. However, today the healthcare system is expanding, and there’s an unprecedented opportunity and growth potential for licensed practical nurses. If you’re passionate about helping others, seize the day.

What Does an LPN Do?

An LPN is a fully credentialed, entry-level nurse. Under the supervision of a doctor or registered nurse, they provide direct patient care in a wide range of health settings from hospitals and long-term care facilities to homes and private practices. Their responsibilities vary by setting but may include:

• Assisting patient with activities of daily living; dressing, bathing, toileting and eating
• Reporting changes in physical condition
• Taking vital signs
• Administering medications
• Monitoring intake and output
• Wound care
• Performing tube feedings
• Ventilator management
• Inserting urinary catheters
• Measuring blood glucose
• Giving insulin injections
• Assisting with therapeutic exercises
• Collecting laboratory specimens
• Nursing documentation
• Supervising paraprofessional staff, such as nurse’s aides
• Patient and family education

As full members of the healthcare team, LPNs collaborate with physicians, therapists and other medical professionals to bring the best in care to their patients.

Is Becoming an LPN a Good Career Choice?

Jobs in healthcare offer far-reaching advantages, but what makes practical nursing a better choice than other medical careers?

Job Security

Pouring your heart into a job that may be obsolete in ten years isn’t a good investment. Yet that’s what many people are facing as technology displaces humans in the workplace. However, according to the , the nursing field will continue to grow through the next decade and beyond. It’s a field that relies on the human touch.

Never a Dull Moment

Counting down to quitting time, from the moment you walk into work, is emotionally exhausting. As an LPN, you won’t have time to be bored. You’ll be on the front lines of medicine where fearless people get difficult jobs done.

Camaraderie

Collaboration is rare in some industries, but healthcare is a team sport. As an LPN, you’ll work in a supportive environment in which colleagues work together toward a common goal.

Professional Autonomy

Few entry-level workers have as much professional freedom as LPNs. Nurses are licensed and autonomous, managing their own practice within the limits of their job description.

Personal Challenges

A dead-end career is like emotional quicksand. It’s impossible to grow as a person. However, nurses face daily challenges that enhance their personal potential, paving the road to maturity and success.

Favorable Work-Life Balance

More workers than ever are looking for careers that won’t overwhelm their lives. Nursing is intense when you’re on the clock, but jobs are flexible.

You’ll work some weekends and holidays if you’re employed in a nursing home or an acute care facility, but demand for nurses has resulted in employers adapting schedules to make them more lifestyle friendly. For Monday through Friday hours, consider working in a doctor’s office or clinic.

Upward Mobility

Practical nursing can be a forever career or just the first step toward becoming an RN or more. LPNs are encouraged by healthcare administrators to build on their training and experience through higher education. It’s an easy climb up the career ladder.

Professional Respect

Practical nursing is vital to the healthcare field. As an LPN, you hold a position of trust. Patients, peers, and clinical professionals appreciate what you do, recognizing your training, skills, and dedication.

Fulfillment

“Making a difference”is more than a cliché for nurses, it’s their mission. The goal is to improve the odds that patients get well or live their best lives by optimizing their care. The lifelong connections you make with patients and peers are personally fulfilling and irreplaceable. Every day brings a sense of accomplishment. Few careers that require less than a year of training are as empowering as nursing.

How Do You Become an LPN?

An easy way to become an LPN is to enroll in a vocational school program. Training is intense, but you’ll graduate with a diploma in under a year, ready to work in your choice of settings.

It’s an ideal way for adults who want a career change to make a move without spending years in school. You can do it without putting your life on hold. The only prerequisites to starting an LPN program are a high school diploma or general equivalency certificate and the willingness to work hard.

Training is a blend of classroom instruction and off-site clinical rotations in healthcare facilities. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll learn as a student and how it will help shape your career.

What Do You Learn During an LPN Program?

Practical nursing programs are geared toward beginners. They’re popular among nurse’s aides, but little experience in healthcare is necessary. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ College will take it from the top. Topics you’ll explore include:

Body Structure and Function

Anatomy and physiology are the foundation of nursing education. This course investigates how the body is made and how its complex systems work together synergistically. You’ll review the cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic, endocrine, digestive, and genitourinary systems including associated disorders and treatments.

Human Growth and Development

This course delves into human growth and development theory. Nurses work with people of all ages, so you learn how to recognize the distinct physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of all demographic groups from newborns to senior citizens. You’ll learn about major developmental milestones and how we change through the years, preparing you to work in pediatric clinics, nursing homes, and hospitals.

Nursing Fundamentals

The Nursing Fundamentals class dives into the art of nursing, examining its storied history and rapid evolution. An introductory course upon which others expand, you learn about the nursing process. From preventive healthcare and community wellness to end-of-life nursing, you learn how to approach health holistically and compassionately.

Subjects include health assessment, disease states, nutrition, communication techniques, ergonomics, body mechanics, human sexuality and social development, and patient privacy.

Infection Control

Infection control is the science of preventing the spread of disease. In healthcare settings, dangerous pathogens can proliferate, so it’s up to nurses to keep their peers and patients safe. You’ll learn how bacteria, viruses and parasites grow and spread and how to stop them by breaking the chain of infection through sanitation and immunization.

Personal and Family Care

LPNs provide personal care, assisting with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and eating. You will learn helpful hygiene techniques and how to manage mobility restrictions.

You will be well-equipped with the practical skills necessary to care for any age group in any setting with an emphasis on supporting the family unit. Topics also include community health and public health policy.

Mental Health Concepts

Mental health training offers insight into emotional challenges from anxiety and depression to addiction and psychosis. You will explore psychology, group dynamics, chemical dependency and treatment models, learning how they affect individuals and communities.

You’ll learn how to recognize cognitive impairments, substance abuse disorders, behavioral issues, and emotional crises, so you can help patients stay safe and stick to their treatment plans.

Certification Preparation

LPNs are state-licensed to practice after passing the NCLEX, the National Council Licensure Examination. The letters “PN”mean it’s the practical nursing exam. The NCLEX-RN is the comparable test for registered nurses.

Exams are developed by the Updated annually to reflect the best nursing practices, questions evaluate the candidate’s competency. Vocational school programs “teach to the test,”so you have great odds of passing on the first try.

What’s the Difference Between an RN and an LPN?

All nurses are licensed, professional caregivers who’ve met minimum education requirements and passed a test demonstrating proven skills. The level of education they receive, however, determines their job responsibilities and advancement potential. RNs have at least two years of training, and more than half hold a bachelor’s degree. As frontline caregivers, the push is on nationwide for better-educated nurses.

The curriculum for RNs and LPNs is similar, but RNs learn more about nursing theory, the scientific principles behind nursing interventions. While LPNs focus on practical nursing skills, RNs direct patient care and troubleshoot complex issues.

They Work Side by Side

In most healthcare settings, RNs and LPNs work side by side but in slightly different roles. LPNs are more likely to provide direct care, RNs have more assessment and administrative responsibility.

Managerial Advancement

Advancement into managerial positions is easier for RNs, but pushing paper isn’t for everyone. Nurses who thrive on direct patient care make the best practical nurses. LPNs have supervisory positions and even leadership roles in nursing homes and assisted living centers.

Students who are on the fence about which type of nursing credentials to pursue should consider their long-term career goals. If you have your heart set on being an RN, it’s worth pushing through challenges. But becoming an LPN first has advantages.

Educational Timeline

Becoming an LPN is quick. For adults who can’t afford to be out of the workforce for two or more years, there’s no better option. And for students who want a career in healthcare but aren’t yet sure what type of nursing they like, becoming an LPN is one way to get your feet wet. The nursing field is so diverse that new graduates struggle to find a job that’s the right fit.

Trying out different roles to get a feel for what they’re like enables better long-term career decisions. And while you’re at, you’re gaining valuable experience and making connections that open the door to greater opportunity. Admission to registered nursing programs is highly competitive, but LPNs have an advantage in the admission process.

Final Thoughts

Is becoming an LPN a good career choice? It is. Whether it’s your first step on the career ladder or your last, it’s a move in the right direction. If you don’t feel like you make a difference in your current job, the healthcare community is ready for you. Jobs come and go, but nursing is a career.

Ready to start a good career and work toward becoming an LPN? The at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Institute provides training to prepare college graduates to enter the nursing profession as an LPN.Ìý Classroom theory, challenging assignments, skill labs, simulations, and clinical experiences help to prepare college graduates for an entry-level nursing position.Ìý

After graduating from the Nursing diploma program and successfully passing the NCLEX-PN licensure exam, nursing students will further their career to become a licensed practical nurse. There is an overall need for LPNs in response to the aging baby boomer population.

*While Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.Ìý College students must be mindful throughout their entire training program that licensure is aÌýprerequisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

today to learn more about becoming an LPN at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Institute.

Career #1: Forensic Nursing

Students who have LPN diplomas but also an interest in a criminal justice career and the law may want to look into a career in forensic nursing. Forensic nurses help people who have been harmed by violent crime, and they also do the critical job of collecting biological or physiological evidence from victims. In addition to working with people who survived crimes, forensic nurses may also work alongside coroners to determine a crime victim’s cause of death. Forensic nursing may be a great career path for anyone who wants to help pursue justice, while also providing healthcare and support.

Career #2: Insurance Industry Nurse

Insurance companies may employ nurses to offer their specialized knowledge of the human body and the healthcare industry. Insurance nurses can work as analysts that offer recommendations for benefits packages for insurance policy holders. LPNs in an insurance agency may also work alongside case managers to determine what healthcare services an insured person should receive. Alternatively, LPNs can provide physicals for policyholders or potential policy holders, so an insurer can determine their health or physical condition.

Career #3: Nursing Writer

People who have expert writing skills and an LPN diploma may be able to make their living as writers, rather than LPNs. Nursing writers can offer their services, freelance, to magazines, publishers, newspapers, and a wide range of publications that need someone with nursing experience to craft content.

An LPN can also work specifically for a doctor’s office or medical company in order to craft well-written and accurate text for marketing or promotional materials.

Nursing writers who are more interested in an entertainment industry career may be able to provide their services to screenwriters who are writing medical television shows or films. Script writers can rely on LPNs to provide information to make scenes more accurate or believable.

Career #4: Theme Park Nurse

Theme park nurses provide traditional nursing services, but they do it in a non-traditional setting: a theme park. Theme park nurses spend their days working at a large theme park (like Universal Studios or Walt Disney World). Then, they provide healthcare assistance to visitors who feel ill or get injured. Nurses can stay in a theme park medical office, or they can venture out to park attractions to help visitors who need medical care onsite.

Career #5: Travel Nurses

Travel nurses work both in the United States and across the world as international nursing staff. Travel nurses can work anywhere from one month to 13 weeks in a hospital or medical clinic and be overseas on a yearly basis. Travel nurses work through nursing agencies to supplement nursing in areas where there are shortages, administering medication, assessing patient conditions, planning treatment, and acting as a liaison between patients and other medical staff.

Hospitals and clinics may have difficulty keeping skilled nurses, need for temporary staff for expected leave of absence for their regular staff, holiday population increases, and simply because there are not enough qualified nurses available.

There are many benefits to travel nursing. You have the flexibility to pick and choose your assignment, pay is good, and you may be eligible for tax free employment.

A travel nurse has flexibility. A travel nurse may be able to choose between multiple offers, the location of the assignment, the specialty they want to work with and the length of time of their travel contract. Most travel nurse assignments last 13 weeks, so your commitment is minimal. If you do like your job and location, many nurses are offered extensions at the end of their assignment. Travel nurses are generally paid well, can get stipends for housing and travel, and can receive full health benefits.

The government will allow nurses to earn tax free money as long as their place of employment is far enough away that they have to stay overnight prior to returning home. In order to obtain tax free stipends, they must maintain a “tax home.”There is a specific form that they will have to fill out prior to signing on with their travel nursing agency stating that they do in fact have a tax home.

Students who study nursing can provide healthcare in a variety of settings. They may choose to hold a traditional position working with patients and assisting doctors. However, they can also end up pursuing a career path that requires knowledge of nursing skills, but that’s more unexpected, which can be fulfilling and fun.

Did learning about the surprising career options for people with an LPN diploma? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Institute in Orlando offers a that trains LPN students for positions deliveringÌýbasic bedside care toÌýpatients.Ìý The Practical Nursing diploma program provides theÌýdidactic and skills training neededÌýto take the NCLEX-PN examination.* Ìý

*While Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any collegeÌýstudent will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.Ìý College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ College.

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