This Domain For Sale. Contact us for more information.

Become an LPN, the Fast Path to a Nursing Career

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Careers

Licensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you're interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an LPN is a rewarding opportunity.

LPN Job Description

LPNs provide a large portion of direct patient care. LPNs may be assisted by nurses' aides ( CNAs ) and other assistants in some of their duties. LPNs are directed by doctors and nurses (RNs & nurse managers). Typically, a LPN's work duties include:

Taking vital signs

Preparing and administering injections and enemas

Applying dressings and bandages

Watching catheters

Treating bedsores

Providing alcohol massages or rubs

Monitoring patients and reporting changes

Collecting samples for testing

Provide patient hygiene

Feeding patients

Monitoring food and liquid input/output

LPNs work in a variety of settings like hospitals, outpatient facilities, long term care facilities, clinics and home care. Tenured LPNs may supervise nursing aides and assistants.

Salary Ranges

While nursing jobs in general are in high demand nationwide, LPN positions in hospitals are declining. However, since this has been caused by an increase in outpatient services, LPN positions in long term care facilities and home health is in as much demand as other nursing categories.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published the median income for LPNs as $31,440 in 2002. The range was $22,860 to $44,040 based on geographic location and work experience. Contract LPNs made the most money, while doctor's office nurses made the least on average at $28,710.

A nursing career offers other benefits including a flexible schedule, a short work week (three 12 hour shifts with four days off), tuition reimbursement and signing bonuses.

Education / Getting Started

Because of the high level of patient responsibility, nursing is highly regulated, requiring both education and a license. Graduates must complete a state approved practical nursing program and pass a licensing examination. An LPN certificate can be completed in less than a year. Some RN students become LPNs after completing their first year of study. Course work in the LPN program includes anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biology, chemistry, obstetrics, pediatrics, first aid as well as nursing classes.

Becoming an LPN is the fastest path to a nursing career. Advancement can take many forms, but additional education is usually required.

If you possess the traits necessary to become a successful nurse and want to secure a well paying, important profession caring for others, getting an LPN degree in nursing is a great way to secure your professional future.

About The Author

Max Stein is a freelance writer who writes about business, education and marketing.

www.degreesource.com/article

maxstein_9@hotmail.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Careers & Employment Information:

Seminars: Why Are They Popular, and What Advantages/Disadvantages Are There to Attending One?
Seminars dealing with "special topics" have actually been around for decades, and are an older form of marketing and information exchanges, that have seen quite a resurgence of interest in the past ten years.Seminars are simply a group of people coming together for the discussion and learning of specific techniques and topics.

Job Search Blurts
I coined this word to draw attention tothe nervous and apprehensive way ofsaying something in the job search thatmakes you feel like a buffoon. A "blurt"is a catchy way of saying: Gaffe.

Yesterdays Project Manager is Todays Project Engineer
The rapid growth of technology, greater exposure to knowledge, higher levels of awareness are making the young project engineer act more and more like a project manager.What I mean is, todays project engineers are actively supervising new graduates, setting and monitoring schedules & budgets, interacting with clients and so on.

Mid-Life Crisis: Its Not Just for Men Anymore!
A recent story in Career Journal begins:"The "midlife crisis" has long been thought of as something that afflicts men and often involves expensive toys and second wives. But the Wall Street Journal's Work & Family columnist, Sue Shellenbarger, says that as gender roles change, women are increasingly experiencing their own version of these upheavals.

War Time Hiring: 5 Steps to Attract Top Talent
A recent report, titled "The War for Talent" stated that over the next 20 years, employee talent will be what differentiates successful companies from those going bust. The late 90's gave us a glimpse of the talent war, but was nothing compared to what's ahead.

Crafting A Stellar Career Summary For Your Resume
Are you a career changer? Or, are you satisfied with your stable career but interested in updating your resume? Are you a professional who has tried different things but are still searching for the kind of work that best suits you? Whatevery our career situation, what your resume most needs is a stellar career summary.

Is A Career a Calling or Choice?
How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform.

Bartending School Online- Earn Your Bartender Training From Home
Many young adults flock to bars, lounges and clubs on a weekly basis. They spend hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars on entertaining themselves and their friends.

Switching Careers - 7 Key Steps
Are you thinking about switching careers? If you are, you're not alone. Most Americans switch careers three times in their lifetime.

Becoming A Home Inspector: What the Home Inspection Schools Dont Want You To Know
Chances are if you're reading this you've thought about becoming a home inspector. You may have even seen the ads that say you can make hundreds of dollars a day as a home inspector.

Do More than Expected to Get Ahead
One of the best things you can do to increase your career advancement opportunities where you work is to do more than expected.It's often not enough to just do a fine job and expect promotions now and then based on longevity.

5 Characteristics of a Dynamic Loan Processor
Not everyone is cut out to be a mortgage processor. Find out if you or a team member has what it takes to be a dynamic processor.

Stripper--Turned--Waitress Cant Leave Former Job Behind
She stretches in the break room for 30 minutes before each shift. She glides around the dining room like silk wafting on the breeze.

Change Your Life, Change Your Career And Get A New Job!
Careers dictate resume formatDifferent careers use different forms of resumes. When you're working on your resume, beware of services that try to sell you on just one template, regardless of your target career.

Air Liquide: Driving Liquid Air
Have you ever heard of liquid air? The process of liquifying air was a major scientific achievement that took place over 100 years ago. Even after 100 years there are only a few companies that liquify air, which is probably why you've never heard of it before.

Global Economy Creates Need For International Business Pros
The increasing globalization of business has created a demand for MBA graduates with a specialization in the international management of business. Many institutions, including several accredited universities, offer the opportunity to earn an international MBA online.

Students Searching for a Job
Searching for a job has become easier than ever for those who are graduating from school and looking to enter the workforce. Many schools offer guidance services as well as networking opportunities for graduates looking for work after finishing school.

An RX For Your Résumé
Whether you are an accountant, virtual assistant, or a corporate executive, your job skills are constantly refined. A new sales presentation you've organized or the new spreadsheet package you've mastered should be included on your résumé.

Unemployment Blues: Mind Over Mood
Our lives are tranquil and smooth so seldom, it seems. We have our ups-and-downs, our good days and bad days, our sunny moods and black moods.

Hello Work World, Im Un-Retiring
For many years, you looked forward to that day when you would bid the world of work a fond farewell and ride off into the sunset of your golden years.Initially, it felt wonderful not to have to go somewhere each morning.