The term Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) is mostly used in the US and most Canadian provinces. LVNs are nurses and they care for people who are sick, disabled, convalescent, or injured. In Ontario, Canada, LVNs are known as registered practical nurse (RPNs).
The licensed vocational nurses need to handle numerous responsibilities. Basic bedside care is the primary responsibility of LVNs. They are also responsible for measuring and recording patients’ vital signs such as height, weight, respiratory rate, pulse and blood pressure. They need to help patients to moving in bed, walking, standing, etc. If the patients feel difficulty in eating, LVNs must feed them. Often, LVN students start their healthcare careers as CNA’s, so they already have experience working with patients.
LVN programs in Los Angeles prepare students to provide enemas and injections, alcohol rubs and massages, dress wounds, monitor catheters, etc. They also learn to collect samples for testing, recording the intake of food and fluid and its output, performing routine laboratory tests, clean and monitor medical equipment, infant care and feeding, etc. LVN programs in Los Angeles also empower students to undertake responsibilities such as monitoring patients and reporting adverse reactions to treatment or medications, teach good health habits to patients and their relatives, help registered nurses and physicians in performing tests and procedures, etc. As per the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau, licensed vocational nurses can work in any healthcare area including some specialized settings such as occupational healthcare, home care, doctors’ offices, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, etc. They are also permitted to provide care to ventilator-dependent patients, administer prescribed medicines and start intravenous fluids. LVNs need to work during nights, holidays and weekends and should also face some occupational hazardous such as radiation, exposure to caustic chemicals, back injuries, infectious diseases, work places, etc. Vocational nurses must also maintain their CPR certification in Los Angeles American Heart classes. They must be ready to handle uncooperative, agitated or confused patients. A few percentage of LVNs prefer to work as part time.
LVN Nursing Schools
Before enrolling in one of the LVN programs in Los Angeles , you need to consider certain factors like the type of certificate you can earn after the LVN nursing program. In order to get a valid certificate in LVN, you need to choose state approved and accredited LVN programs in Los Angeles. The fee structure of each institution is different. You can also enroll in accredited online LVN nursing schools to get training in LVN nursing courses. Some of the LVN schools in Los Angeles are:
- Marian Health Career Center
- Career Development Institute
- Preferred College of Nursing
- Pasadena City College
- California Career College
- LA Vocational Institute
- American Career College
- CES College
- Casa Loma College
- College of Nursing and Technology
- Integrity College of Health
- AMSC Medical College
- Lynwood Community Adult School
Typical LVN programs in Los Angeles involve one year theoretical and practical classes. Hospitals, technical vocational schools, community colleges, etc are providing training in LVN to the students. In order to be eligible for a nursing licensure, the LVN nursing programs you cheese must be approved by state’s Board of Nursing. After getting a nursing degree from an accredited LVN nursing school, you need to pass National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN). The cost for licensed practical nursing degree programs is depending on the school and the course you select. Some schools offer grants, financial aid and other favors to students. If you want to become a registered nurse in future, it is possible through LVN to BSN or LVN to RN programs. Licensed vocational nursing programs also cover topics such as basic nursing skills, emergency care, nutrition, anatomy and physiology, medical surgical nursing, obstetric nursing, pediatric nursing, etc. A good LVN nursing program provides hands on clinical works as well to the students. The LVN programs in Los Angeles you select should be accredited by National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
LVN Job Responsibilities
An LVN is the first step towards a fully exposed professional nursing career. As the health care industry in USA is growing in a very fast pace with the ongoing scientific development in the field, the nursing profession in the present scenario of health care has become very demanding in respect of both job specialization and responsibility sharing. Though as a beginning step in the professional job responsibilities of nursing a LVN job is not entitled to do many important clinical practices, in accordance with the particular work place situation an LVN may have to share many responsibilities with a registered nurse in practice. So, certain areas of nursing practices which are grossly defined as the LVN job responsibilities may vary in different job situations.
The Basic Responsibility of Care
The basic LVN job responsibilities revolves around the primary and very basic proposition of the nursing profession as such, that is, care. This basic responsibility includes, taking basic medical care for the sickness, injury, convalescence, disability, pregnancy, few psychic difficulties like emotional outburst, sudden pain or non responsive organ etc.
The Responsibility of Diagnosis
LVN job responsibilities include execution of many diagnostic procedures, like, diagnosing relevant physiological signs of the patient for the purpose of further treatment or more specialized diagnosis. Some of these responsibilities are, measuring temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiratory trouble, difficulty in eyesight, hearing difficulty, pain in particular body posture, heart palpitation, trouble in body movement etc. Accredited LVN schools in Los Angeles teach these skills.
The Responsibility of Primary Medication
Both in absence or presence of the physician an LVN may be directed to perform some practices of medication by the established guidelines or particular directives from the physician. These sort of LVN job responsibilities include preparing and giving injections and enemas, monitoring catheters, applying dressings, treating bedsores, applying alcohol massages etc.
The Responsibility of Assistance
This category of job responsibilities learned in LVN programs in Los Angeles mainly focuses on the role of a nurse in assisting the patient in going through the daily routine of living and also in assisting the doctor in the treatment of the patient. The first kind of assistance involves regular caring practices like keeping the patient comfortable, managing the moods and mental temperament of the patient in receiving required treatment, assistance with bathing, dressing, personal hygiene etc. The second kind of assistance involves regular monitoring practices like, collecting various physiological samples for testing, performing routine pathological testing, recording fluid intake and output, observing and recording various improving or derogatory syndromes etc.
Special Responsibilities
In some health care facilities in USA, with the permission of authorities the LVN can perform a number of jobs which normally does not belong to his or her area of practice. These special LVN job responsibilities may include, administering medicines or starting intravenous fluids.
To conclude, though the above mentioned LPN job responsibilities are mainly clinical in nature, there are a few LVN nursing jobs outside of clinical practices, which are mainly in the area of community health program, missionary health initiatives and aid providing organizations. These non clinical LVN job responsibilities involve, supervising nursing practices and evaluating, planning as well as developing of health care and nursing practices in a macro level.
LVN Scope Of Practice
Licensed Vocational Nursing, being a career on its own has managed to cut out its niche in the career industry. It is a medical career whose larger scope lies within the health care system. It has a wide scope that extends across all sectors that touch on primary health care. A greater part of Licensed Vocational Nursing falls in the same sector as medicine and registered nursing. Most Licensed Vocational Nurses work in hospitals and other primary health care facilities. However, the scope of Licensed Vocational Nursing may vary according to sates and their licensing boards.
Licensed Vocational Nursing in Los Angeles has a limited scope compared to Registered Nursing. Licensed Vocational Nurses operate under the supervision of licensed medical professionals such as dentists, psychologists, physicians, nurse practitioners and registered nurses. The extents to which they are allowed to practice by their supervisors in a health care facility are dependent on their level of training. A Licensed Vocational Nurse who has undergone special training in areas such as pediatrics, psychology, obstetrics or medical-surgical nursing will obviously have a wider scope of practice than the one who has just undergone that one year of Licensed Vocational Nursing training. A Licensed Vocational Nurse can thus increase their scope of practice by pursuing further training in her area of interest.
The main task of a Licensed Vocational Nurse is to adopt and apply the orders given by the qualified professionals. The qualified professionals diagnose patients and give a regimen for their treatment which is then implemented by the Licensed Vocational Nurse under the supervision of Registered Nurses and other professionals. The scope of practice encompasses different tasks and duties allocate by the supervising professional. The tasks are mainly patient based and include caring for patients.
Usually, Licensed Vocational Nurses avail bedside care to patients. This includes recording vital signs such as weight, height, temperature, pulse and blood pressure. They also administer medication and injections, dress wounds and monitor the patient’s general health. In some instances, they help patients in their daily activities such as bathing and feeding. Licensed Vocational Nurses in Los Angeles are responsible for gathering information from the patients about their clinical history and sharing it with the attending physicians and registered nurses for effective patient treatment. They also advise family members on how to care for their patient.
Licensed Vocational Nurses are also involved in sample collection for testing and running tests alongside their supervisors. Those who are experienced take on the role of supervising nurse aides. Sometimes, the training of a Licensed Vocational Nurse may take them out of a hospital environment into other medical fields. Due to their generalized training, Licensed Vocational Nurses can work in nursing homes or in physicians’ offices. In nursing homes, the role is mainly primary care while in a physician’s office; they can carry out tasks like record keeping, clerical work and making appointments. Even though the scope of Licensed Vocational Nursing is restricted, you can increase your scope by undergoing further training in order to gain versatility, for instance to take one of the LVN to RN programs in Los Angeles.
Effective LVN Resume
Why is taking time to draft your LVN resume so important? The job market for Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) is expected to continue to grow over the next decade as the elderly population grows and is in need of more medical care and assisting. There are often even more openings in a community than there are applicants, especially as the number of retiring LVNs continues to grow.
Nevertheless, there’s always competition for the choicest LVN positions, so your LVN resume is essential. While there may be many places you can send your Los Angeles LVN resume, such as physicians’ offices, specialists’ offices, dentists’ offices, general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, retirement homes, and in-home care services, you’re not guaranteed the LVN position you want. That’s where your LVN resume comes in; know how to draft an effective LVN resume and you can set yourself above the competition.
If you’ve worked as an LVN before, your LVN resume should put more emphasis on your nursing experience, but your nursing resume should list your LVN training as well. If you’re new to the LVN profession, your resume should focus on your LVN training. Your LVN resume can also highlight previous jobs—in order to demonstrate your work ethic and people and assisting skills—and community service, as this demonstrates your compassion and people skills.
An LVN Sample Resume
Below is a sample resume for a licensed practical nurse (LPN) applying for a job:
Carrie T. Simpson
123 Main St
Anywhere, USA 10000 (555) 555-5355
csimpson@gmail.com
OBJECTIVE: Full-time LPN position
EDUCATION: ABC University, Anywhere, USA
Licensed Practicing Nurse Program May 2014
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Nursing Clinical Internship, XYZ Retirement Home
- Assisted residents in bathing, dressing, eating, and exercising
- Took patient vitals daily January 2015
- Supervised residents on medication
- Educated residents on proper medical care
Office Assistant, XYZ Office
- Greeted residents of the community and made them more comfortable
- Answered and directed phone calls
- Filed and organized resident files June 2013 – September 2014
- Reminded residents of medical appointments
- Dealt with several crisis situations, guiding emergency personnel to injured residents
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE:
- Drive for Meals-on-Wheels once a week
- Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity once a month
Estimating Your LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) Salary
As an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse), you’ll be working in a people-oriented field either as an assistant to a doctor, dentist, or registered nurse or working on-on-one to help the elderly and the disabled in their daily tasks. Across the country, most LVNs can expect a LVN salary of between $37,000 and $48,000, but your LVN salary may be higher or lower. If you want to estimate your LPN salary, you should take the following factors into consideration:
- Location: Cost of living differs dramatically across the country and the cost of living in the area in which you’ll be working will influence your LVN salary. Metropolitan areas generally offer a higher LVN salary, but you must remember that your living expenses will be higher as well. As an example of the difference your location makes, consider that the average LVN salary is about $52,000 in Los Angeles Ca, while the average LVN salary is about $32,000 in Oklahoma.
- Education: As an LVN, you’ll have to complete training through one of the licensed LVN programs in Los Angeles and you’ll have to be licensed by the state following completion of the program. (Don’t forget to take the licensure exam in the state in which you plan to work.) However, some employers may offer you a greater LVN salary if you come into the program with more education than the minimal high school diploma required. If you go on to earn a bachelor’s or master’s, you should find a school with a nursing program or major in sciences.
- Experience: As with most careers, the longer you work as an LVN, the greater your LVN salary will most likely be. LVNs with an LVN salary of $56,000 or higher typically have a few years’ worth of experience under their belt.
- Place of Employment: The type of place you work can also have an impact on your LVN salary. As an LVN, you’ll have the opportunity to work at a number of locations, such as hospitals, clinics, psychiatric hospitals and clinics, specialists’ offices, dentists’ offices, employment services, at-home care services, and retirement homes, to name a few. Your LVN salary may be higher or lower depending on your place of employment. For example, your LVN salary may be $43,000 working through an at-home care service, while your LVN salary could be $35,000 working at a physician’s office.
Pursuing a college degree if you’re not otherwise interested may not have that great an impact on your LVN salary, especially considering the cost of education. Moving to another community with a higher cost of living may not be an option for you. Over time, you’ll earn a greater LVN salary with experience. If you hope to earn a greater LVN salary, your place of employment may be the easiest factor to look into changing, as most communities are in need of LVNs in a wide variety of capacities.
The LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) Job Description
As an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse), you’ll be working a flexible job in the health care field. Enjoying job security and a livable wage are just two benefits of the career, as LVNs are always in demand in communities across the nation. However, it’s essential that you understand the LVN job description before you decide to pursue the career.
The basics of the LVN job description center around people skills. Your job will be to take care of people, supervise their medical treatment, and help them manage their health care. At times, your patients will be rude and cranky—medical treatment can make people scared and fearful, and there are medical conditions that make people lose their social skills—so the LVN job description mandates that you have patience and can handle stressful situations. At the same time, the LVN job description asks that you have a friendly, upbeat personality so that you can help make patients comfortable and relaxed during your care.
The rest of the LVN job description can differ depending on your employer. Because skilled caregivers are needed in so many places, you’ll have a wide variety of options as an LVN. The LVN job description will differ depending whether you work at a physician’s office, a specialist’s office, a dentist’s office, a hospital, a psychiatric hospital, a retirement home, or an in-home care service, to name a few of your options.
The LVN job description for those who work at most clinics and hospitals involves taking patients’ vital signs, asking patients basic health questions, answering some basic medical care questions, dressing wounds, giving injections, and performing some simple diagnosis tests. The LVN job description for people who work with the elderly and disabled may include helping people complete daily tasks, such as assisting them with bathing, eating, dressing, and light exercising. The exact tasks in this kind of LVN job description in Los Angeles may differ slightly depending on whether you work at a retirement home or work in your patients’ homes.
The LVN job description may also include supervising patients’ medication and reporting observations to your supervising medical professional. This may be part of the LVN job description when you work at hospitals, retirement homes, and other places that house patients for long-term care.
There are a number of more tasks that you may find in the LVN job description depending on the exact job you have. If you want to engage in more specialized medical work, you should look for a job in a specialist’s office, such as a dermatologist, a podiatrist, a urologist, or any other specialization.
LPN Jobs and Where to Find Them
The LVN (licensed vocational nurse) career is among the more popular in the health care industry because of the challenges and benefits associated with the job. You can enjoy the freedom and responsibility of diagnosing and treating patients for minor to moderate ailments without the assistance of a physician as well as a higher salary than many positions in the health care field.
The LVN job field is expected to grow about 23% in the next decade, which is greater than the average projected job growth by at least 11%. This is due to an increasing population as well as an increasing aging population, as the elderly are more in need of medical care than younger people. Becoming an LVN requires a fair amount of education and experience in the field, but once you’ve invested the time and money, you’re highly likely to find an available position, especially if you live in a metropolitan area, such as Los Angeles. (The greater an area’s population, the more health care positions will be available.) At the same time, some rural areas are increasing health care services to serve their population and may have plenty of LVN jobs available. Nevertheless, remember that you’ll be competing with an increasing number of applicants as well as more experienced applicants in the field.
Nursing care facilities are the number one source of LVN jobs. This is because doctors aren’t usually in-house, but a knowledgeable medical professional, such as an LVN, is necessary on-site to monitor the health of patients. The second most common source of LVN jobs is general hospitals, followed by physicians’ offices, which often send an overflow of patients with minor to moderate health conditions to see an LVN if a doctor is otherwise occupied. Home care services, in which you’ll visit patients at their homes as an LVN, constitute another popular source of LVN jobs, as do elderly community centers.
You may be surprised to find LVN jobs in many more locations, such as at schools, in the government, at dentists’ offices and through temporary assignments via an employment agency. Because of the growing need for health care jobs, you’re sure to find LVN jobs available following your education.
LVN Scope Of Practice
Medical Careers : LVN Scope Of Practice
LVN Scope Of Practice – A Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) is the mediator between the Registered Nurse (RN) and patient. Whereas the RN evaluates and assigns treatment for a patient’s medical condition, the nurse who has completed one of the LVN programs in Los Angeles ensures that the individual follows through with the health plan. On average, the LVN scope of practice is limited to assisting registered nurses, but vocational caretakers may also assist physicians when necessary. The best vocational nurses have formal training and receive maximum compensation for their services.
Although the duties of a vocational caretaker vary by state, the typical LVN is responsible for monitoring the patient and making recommendations for improved treatment based on analyses. LVN Scope Of Practice. If an occupational nurse notices a stroke patient’s unresponsiveness to therapeutic massages, he or she may suggest that such treatment be removed from the recovery plan. Vocational caretakers receive their assignments from registered nurses and must fulfill all duties as outlined in the care plan prepared by the RN or physician.
While they are given authority to monitor and recommend changes, a vocational nurse is not allowed to implement alterations to treatment without RN or physician approval. LVN Scope Of Practice. Not classified as independent practitioners, nurses operating under a vocational license do not have the power to educate family members about an admitted person’s medical condition. Such individuals are also restricted from conducting comprehensive analyses about patients, but may collect data to pass on to the RN.
Occupational providers receive a lot of institutional and practical training. While in school, LVNs learn about various theories that relate to their line of work. LVN Scope Of Practice. Many nursing programs place special emphasis on practical learning by having potential vocational nurses intern at hospitals, convalescent homes, and other medical facilities. It is the instructor’s hope that students will gain the hands-on experience necessary to become a leading professional in his or her field.
Whereas some industries do not reward hard work with increased salaries, the medical field richly compensates the best and brightest workers with larger paychecks. The average LVN earns a yearly wage of $40,000, but a well-trained occupational caretaker earns $60,000 per year. Although all entry level LVNs usually begin at $28,000 per year, the LVN scope of practice is vivid for those who work hard.