Nobody can deny the fact that nurses are very important people in our society. They are the ones who assist doctors and take care of those people who are injured, sick, disabled and anyone who needs medical assistance. Basically, there are different types of nursing as a profession, one of which is as a licensed practical nurse orLPNs. These are the nurses who are mainly responsible for giving bedside care to patients. A natural part of their tasks are to obtain and document the patient’s vital signs such as weight, height, blood pressure, temperature, respiration as well as pulse. A Licensed Practical Nurse is also responsible for providing injections, checking catheters, dressing wounds and even giving massages to patients.
Job Description of a Licensed nurse
The average working hours of a licensed practical nurse is forty hrs per week. If the place of work is in a facility whose patients need consistent monitoring, an LPN might be needed to work nights, holiday seasons as well as weekends. Being a licensed practical nurse is never an easy job. LPNs need to be on their feet most of the time and should be alert in helping patients whenever they stand, walk and even move in bed. These nurses are also at risk of getting infected by various diseases. They’re also vulnerable to having back problems and stress from their workloads.
Education and Career Advancements
One of the basic requirements to get a license is to go to authorized LPN nursing schools. More often than not, an LPN student is required to go on a training course for one year in technical schools, junior colleges and even hospitals. If one hopes to enrol in these schools, a student must have a high school diploma or degree, but fortunately, you may find some training courses that do not require any high school diploma. Basically, a practical nursing program could involve both monitored patient care along with lecture. On the other hand, licensed practical nurses have great employment opportunities. Such a occupation is sought after in numerous countries also, thus there will always be numerous job vacancies for LPNs in nursing homes as well as other medical facilities.
Licensure and Various other Qualifications
To be a licensed LPN, Those students who have graduated from LPN schools would need to take the National Council Licensure Exam, a computer based exam and is supervised by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. This examination will include 4 primary categories of nursing, such as psychological integrity, physiological integrity, effective and safe care environment, and health maintenance and promotion. Take note, though, that the prerequisites for this exam vary from state to state.