Career Overview
Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
Also Known As
- Charge Nurse
- Clinic Nurse
- Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
- Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse)
Alternate Job Titles
- Charge Nurse
- Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN)
- Clinic Nurse
- Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN)
- Licensed Care Coordinator (LCC)
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
- Long Term Care LPN (Long Term Care Licensed Practical Nurse)
- Medical LPN (Medical Licensed Practical Nurse)
- Nursing Home LPN (Nursing Home Licensed Practical Nurse)
- Office Nurse
- Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse)
- Private Duty Licensed Practical Nurse (Private Duty LPN)
- Private Duty Nurse
- Radiation Oncology Nurse
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
- Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Psychology
- Medicine and Dentistry
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Service Orientation
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Time Management
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Speech Clarity
- Near Vision
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Speech Recognition
- Written Expression
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cooperation
- Empathy
- Integrity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Achievement
- Independence
- Working Conditions
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Some College Courses
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience Required: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Epic Systems
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- Zoom
Tools & Equipment
- Abdominal binders
- Air fluidized beds
- Ankle restraints
- Apnea monitors
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Automated spirometers
- Bag infusion systems
- Balkan frames
- Blood glucometers
- Blood transfusion drip regulators
- Bucks extensions
- Butterfly needles
- Canes
- Capillary tubes
- Circo-electric beds
Work Environment
- Contact With Others
- Telephone Conversations
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Physical Proximity
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $47,960 |
| Median | $62,340 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $80,510 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 632,430
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Registered Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Paramedics
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $58,410
Nurse Practitioners
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $129,210
Acute Care Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Nursing Assistants
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $39,530
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.