What You Need To Know About an LVN

An LVN or Licensed Vocational Nurse is defined as a person who provide care to patients with the direction of nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals. This job title is only specific to Texas and California. In other states, these care providers are known as Licensed Practical Nurses. The basic duties of an LVN is to attend to patient’s needs. When the LVN cannot meet these needs, a physician or other professional will then be contacted. For instance, an LVN takes a patient’s vital signs: temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure. If the results show that the patient is out of the normal, then the LVN will report to the doctor. Since LVNs act as a middle man between the patient and doctor, they should accurately deliver information.

How to Become an LVN?
Educational requirements differ from state to state. Generally, you will need to graduate from a vocational nursing program offered by community colleges or vocational schools. These programs both have classroom and clinical training and subjects that include physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, first aid, pediatrics, and patient care.

In some states, those who have completed nursing training programs need to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) in practical nursing to get a license.

Other Career Options for LVNs
A licensed vocational nursing provides a career in occupational therapy. As an occupational therapy assistant, they help disabled and ill patients with their everyday tasks and help accomplish them. In order to have a permanent occupation on this field, an associate degree is needed plus state licensing. Reports have projected that there will be a growing need for occupation therapy assistants in the next ten years.

Another career path to take is becoming a Registered nurse. It requires a nursing diploma, various nursing degrees, and passage of the NCLEX. The same research above shows that there will be an increase in job opportunities for Registered nurses until 2020.

Career Advancement for LVN

If you want to become a health professional much earlier, you should become an LVN or a licensed vocational nurse. LVN (Licensed Practical Nurse) is the fastest way to become a health professional because the training and the classes are not as comprehensive as RNs or advanced practice medical staff.

LVNIf you are looking to become an LVN, you must be very supportive and caring and be an excellent care provider. LVNs and LPNs work with a wide range of individual care responsibilities, such as showering, providing medication, collecting samples for lab assessment, tracking sufferers and medical equipment, and dressing of injuries. They also record data from sufferers, such as vital signs and any symptoms described by the individual. Once you completed secondary university, you may now search for a career school or a college that offers the LVN or LVP programs. Most programs are completed within a year. The program contains educational setting lessons and classes and a hands-on training with actual sufferers.

After you complete your course, you cannot practice LVN unless you obtain a certificate or license. The NCLEX-PN is the licensure evaluation given by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. As said by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the test contains four areas: safe and effective care atmosphere, health marketing and maintenance, psychosocial reliability, and physical reliability. The LVN works under the direction of physicians and RNs. However, there are also profession improvements for LVNs. If you choose to become a registered nurse, then you must take the LVN to RN program. After taking the program, you must then successfully pass the NCLEX-RN to finally become a Registered Nurse. If you are an LVN working in an elderly care facility, you can also enhance your profession in becoming the head health nurse and manage other LVNs in their work.