LVN Training Facts And Benefits
Date: April 22, 2018
An LVN or licensed vocational nurse is a licensed practical nurse. The licensed vocational nurse profession is rewarding, and the LVN salary is handsome. Licensed professional nurses work directly under physicians and registered nurses to help care for the ill, injured, disabled, and convalescent patients.
The duties of a licensed vocational nurse involve primary bedside care to patients. Occasionally, they must take vitals like temperature, blood pressure, polls, and respiration; caring for patients may include giving injections, applying dressings, and observing patients for adverse reactions to treatment or medications.
LVN training is not that easy as you may think because an aspiring licensed vocational nurse has a lot to learn. Everyone who wants to be a licensed vocational nurse must complete a state-approved LVN training program and pass a licensing program before being hired as an LVN. Because a licensed vocational nurse has to complete different duties and tasks, a typical LVN training program takes about one year.
A variety of educational environments are available for students that want to become licensed vocational nurses. Nowadays, even some high schools offer LVN training programs. Students who become LVN take part in two types of training: classroom study and clinical practice that involve supervised patient care. When undergoing classroom study, the aspiring licensed vocational nurses learn about basic nursing and patient care, from anatomy and physiology to administering drugs and first aid. LVN training that involves clinical practice takes part in a hospital, including an alternate medical setting.
Several highly respected training companies offer the best LVN training programs. The students develop the skills and gain valuable experience that helps them obtain their LVN license. After undergoing LVN training and obtaining an LVN license, the nurses can find a job in a doctor’s office, a hospital, or a nursing home.
The hard work invested in becoming a licensed vocational nurse will pay off as soon as you can find a job because most people consider LVN salaries quite desirable. However, they are not stable and vary from one medical environment to another and from one state to another.
One reason for the attractive salary is the fact that licensed vocational nurses are growing in demand. The areas predicted to develop the most attract more licensed practical nurses in nursing homes and home health services. The number of LVN training programs is relatively small compared to the industry’s fast growth rate and the increasing demand for licensed vocational nurses.
Licensed vocational nurses held about 700,000 jobs in 2000. Twenty-nine percent of LVNs worked in nursing homes, 28 percent worked in hospitals, and 14 percent in physicians’ offices and clinics. Others worked for home healthcare services, residential care facilities, schools, temporary help agencies, or government agencies; about 1 in 5 worked part-time.
Most licensed vocational nurses in hospitals and nursing homes work on average a 40-hour week, but because patients need round-the-clock care, some work nights, weekends, and holidays.
