If you are a kind, caring individual who wants to make a difference and inspire great moments of fun, happiness and optimism, Practical nursing could be a great choice. This not only gives you a rewarding experience by being a positive presence in the life of injured and sick people, it’s the most highly respected careers in health care. This job opening is for those who like a fast-paced job with a variety of responsibility.
Job Description
An LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) provides basic nursing care in a doctor’s office, hospital, nursing home or clinics under the supervision of registered doctors and nurses. Families sometimes hire them as a private nurse for a family member. Recently LPNs are getting hired by many health insurance companies to answer patient’s query. In spite of working under the direction of health professional, LPNs can make their own nursing judgement and are responsible for their own nursing action.
Job Responsibilities
Regular responsibilities of an LPN include taking temperatures, checking blood pressures, recording vital signs. They also need to take care of certain other things like:
- Giving medication prescribed by a physician and assessing patient’s reaction towards medication
- Immunization
- Keeping medical history
- Collecting urine and blood samples for laboratory tests
- Helping patients bathe, eat and dress
- Maintaining patient’s chart and reporting concerned doctor if there is any change in patient’s condition.
- Assessing patient’s mental health and providing mental support
If the LPNs are working in a clinic then they need to do some paper works such as scheduling appointments, billing patients, working with insurance companies and loads more.
An LPN should have the ability to handle a diverse range of situations and responsibilities.
The working schedule varies greatly depending on the type of facility they work for; sometimes they work for 24 hours. Working nights, weekends and holidays is common in this field.
Pay:
The median annual wage of an LPN is around $42,016. A trained LPN working full time generally earn between $30,000 to $50,000 a year. They also can earn extra money by working overtime or being “on call” i.e. they may be called to work at the last minute.
Skills Required:
Persons who are planning to opt Practical nursing as a career option should have the following skills:
- Strong knowledge of health and illness, pathophysiology of disease, human physiology and health care system
- Strong interpersonal skills, patience and problem solving capability
- Ability to handle stress associated with emergencies
- Advanced English language skill and ability to communicate effectively with staffs and patients.
Courses Offered:
If you want to pick practical nursing as your career, you need to complete a state approved educational program of one year. You also need to pass an exam and get a valid license before you can work.
With the advent of internet, online LPN programs are widely offered in community colleges, vocational schools, reputable universities and private medical institution. Now different sites such as PracticalNursingOnline.com and many others are providing us all the necessary information related to LPN. So we can choose our own time to complete the course. It’s a great opportunity for those who wise to pursue a nursing career but at the same time wish to retain their fulltime employment.
According to the researchers, LPN is now on high demand. The employment of LPN is expected to grow faster than the average of all occupation.
So what we are waiting for?