Programs for the Licensed Practical Nurse, or LPN qualification are generally undertaken at Technical Schools or Community Colleges. They cover the basics of patient care and generally speaking they take one year to complete. As part of the course curriculum students are provided with the following skills:
gather information from the patient about the patient; take vital signs from the patient; deliver injections to the patient; collect samples for the lab; and assist patients with basic personal hygiene.
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With demand for healthcare services increasing all the time the employment prospects for qualified LPN students is good. In 2006 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that at least 100,000 new nursing jobs would be created over the course of the next 8 years, many of which would be for LPN's. Once graduated from an LPN program a student must become licensed. This is achieved by sitting a state approved examination. Once qualified, many students go on to train to become Registered Nurses, or RN's.
Once qualified LPN's move to fulfilling careers in the following work environments:
Hospitals: Up to 25% of all qualified LPN graduates work in hospitals. Their typical responsibilities would include ensuring that the patient is properly administered their medication, assisting them with their feeding and if necessary helping them with their personal hygiene matters and taking samples for analysis. If they demonstrate the necessary ability and experience they can go on to supervisory roles which would include managing nursing assistants and possibly even other LPN's. The clerical element to this sort of role is usually addressed in the LPN training program and is therefore not usually unexpected or difficult.
Private Practices: Private practices would include private physicians practices and clinics and approximately 12% of all graduates will go on to work for such employers. Work would be supervised by the physician or a Registered Nurse but would include making patient appointments and the maintenance of patient records, performing simple check-ups and administering injections.
Nursing and Elderly Care Facilities: A significant portion of the remainder of LPN graduates go on to work in Nursing and Elderly Care Facilities. Typically the role would be an element of patient care, evaluating patient needs and devising care plans and also include some supervisory aspects including the supervision of nursing assistants.
The Role of the Licensed Practical Nurse - LPN NURSE
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