Licensed Practical Nurse

Contact: Marlene Doan
Office Manager/PROJECT coordinator

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide hands-on care for patients under the supervision of physicians and registered nurses (RNs). LPNs take patients' temperatures, blood pressure, pulse, and other vital signs; dress wounds; administer prescribed medication, and may perform some tests. Assisting patients with exercising, eating, and grooming may also be part of an LPN's job.

Work Environment:

Licensed practical nurses work in hospitals, nursing homes, doctors' offices, private homes, health departments, and other settings.

Training:

LPNs must complete accredited practical nursing programs at a community college, technical institute, or another approved institution. Training involves four quarters (one year) of course work, including fundamental skills.

Certification/Licensing:

To be licensed in Pennsylvania, practical nurses must graduate from an educational program approved by the State Board of Nursing, and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Licensed Practical Nurses.

Average Salary Range:

$20,000 to $30,000

Suggested High School Course of Study:

General high school curriculum, including courses in science and math.

Educational Programs:

Professional Associations:

National Foundation of Licensed Practical Nurses, Inc.
893 US Highway 700 West, Suite 202
Garner, SC 27529
(800) 948-2511
(919) 779-5642 fax
www.nfpln.org

State Board of Nursing
PO Box 2649
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649
(717) 783-7142
(717) 783-0822 fax
www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/nursbd/mainpage.htm


Employment of LPNs is expected to grow about as fast as the average (10% to 20%) for all occupations through 2010 in response to the long-term needs of a rapidly growing elderly population and the general growth of healthcare. Replacement needs will be a major source of job openings, as many workers leave the occupation permanently.

Employment of LPNs in nursing homes is expected to grow faster than the average (36% or more). Nursing homes will offer the most new jobs for LPNs as the number of aged and disabled persons in need of long-term care rises. In addition to caring for the aged and disabled, nursing homes will be called on to care for the increasing number of patients who have been discharged from the hospital but who have not recovered enough to return home.

LPNs seeking positions in hospitals may face competition, as the number of hospital jobs for LPNs declines. An increasing proportion of sophisticated procedures, which once were performed only in hospitals, are being performed in physicians' offices and clinics, including ambulatory surgicenters and emergency medical centers, due largely to advances in technology. As a result, employment of LPNs is projected to grow much faster than average in these places as healthcare expands outside the traditional hospital.

Employment of LPNs is expected to grow much faster than average in home healthcare services. This is in response to a growing number of older persons with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances, which make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home.