LPN Careers

To enter the medical field there are many routes and options.  Some are more time consuming and labor intensive than others.  Some pay more than others.  If you are looking for a stable, in demand job in medical but don’t want to spend 4-10 years in school then a LPN career/LVN career is the perfect choice.  It is an easy choice that will pay off in the end.

To become an LPN you need to attend a vocational training program at a local State run program.  There are some options to get part of your LPN degree online.  The program will require about a year of schooling before you can become and LPN. If you decided to further your education at any point you can use your LPN degree to get an RN degree in the future so the schooling will provide you with many opportunities for advancement in the future.  Once you complete the program you can make a salary from $30,00 to $40,000 per year depending on the type of facility you work in and the area you live in.  Many people who go to school for 4 years make this salary or even less.  If you need to get into a career where you can advance, but don’t have the money or time for a 4 year degree this is a great option.

Your duties as and LPN will vary from facility to facility.  For example in a doctor’s office you may do very different things than you would in say a retirement facility.  However you choose to use your degree you will be qualified and possibly asked to perform the following: taking Vitals; checking blood pressure, pulse and respiration; performing injections and enemas; giving massages; applying and maintaining clean dressings; treating bed sores; monitoring catheters; and giving alcohol rubs.  Many other duties will be asked of an LPN based on the needs but these will be the main duties.  Possibly an LPN might be called on to give medication, feed or bath patients, help deliver babies.  Again these duties would depend on where you chose to work and in which state you are in.  Some states will allow you to give certain medications and others will not.  You would learn these restrictions in your training program.  If you worked in a doctors office you may be required to schedule patients and do paperwork such as record keeping as part of your regular duties.  With enough experience and time in the field you may also learn and be required to supervise other nurses.

The jobs in this field are increasing.  The elderly are actually living longer these days.  Therefore more LPN’s are needed to care for them.  Also intermediate facilities are filling up with patients who need long term care.  LPN’s are in high demand in these facilities. This field is growing rapidly.  In any ecomomy the medical field is always necessary.  People still get sick and need care.  The medical field is the most stable when it comes to finding jobs and keeping them.  As a LPN you should not have trouble finding work that provides a decent salary.  Its is a rewarding careeer with many opportunities for advancement.  It is quite easy to jump from an LPN career and decide to take a couple more years of schooling and become an RN by going through a LPN to RN program. Or simply to work hard and then work into a supervisory position of the other nurses.  These are just a few of the advancement opportunities you will find in an LPN career.

So as you can see becoming an LPN is not only an exciting career choice but it is rewarding and lucrative  investment.  For one year of your life and the cost of the training you can invest in other people’s lives and make money doing so.  Nothing is more satisfying than knowing at the end of a work day you helped someone. Helping someone with their most basic needs is rewarding.  The time you invest to give a person a new outlook makes the job as an LPN exciting,  Many LPN’s find the relationships with their co workers just as exciting as the relationships with the patients.  All that said.  If you are looking for a career and want something that pays well, has opportunities for advancement and building relationships, gives you a feeling of satisfaction and is rewarding at the end of the day then consider a career as an LPN. It is one of the best choices you can make.