Online Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Degree Programs

For a high-school graduate looking to get into nursing, becoming a licensed practical nurse (sometimes referred to as an LPN) may be the fastest path. With only a year of training, you could find yourself working in health care, a profession which is set to enjoy rising long-term demand. From this position, you can seek the particular job description and working environment that suits you best, or continue your education to advance your career prospects. The important thing is that becoming a licensed practical nurse starts the paychecks coming in and gets your foot in the door.

Nursing Occupations

A licensed practical nurse does not have the specialized training typical of a registered nurse because this career does not require a bachelor's degree. With less specialized training, licensed practical nurses tend to be more generalists, attending to a wide variety of duties.

These duties can be split into three major areas:

• Direct patient care. Care given directly to patients can include anything from injections to helping with feeding to dressing minor wounds.
• Monitoring and reporting. A licensed practical nurse will often monitor a patient's vital signs, and enter data into the medical record so that a patient's progress and responses to treatment can be analyzed.
• Medical testing. Testing is a vital diagnostic tool, and a licensed practical nurse may assist in collecting samples and performing basic laboratory tests.

In addition to the nursing skills associated with performing the above functions, a licensed practical nurse should seek to develop effective people skills. These will be valuable given the amount of interaction with other health care professionals involved in the job, not to mention the necessary sensitivity required when dealing with patients and family members.

LPN Career Training Specifics

What are the specific career training requirements for becoming a licensed practical nurse? Each state requires a combination of a state-approved educational program and passage of a standardized test. Most of the formal training programs are one year in length, and may be available online. The standardized test is computer-based and administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. There are four major components to this exam: safe and effective care environment; health promotion and maintenance; psychosocial integrity; and physiological integrity.

Becoming a licensed practical nurse can be a career goal in itself, or a stepping stone to earning a bachelor's degree and becoming a registered nurse. In particular, with online degrees it is highly practical to get started as a licensed practical nurse to gain experience and receive an income while pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Job Outlook for Licensed Practical Nurses

As the baby boom generation in the United States ages into the retirement years, demand for health care services is expected to rise steadily. This bodes well for all health care occupations. Rising demand means more job opportunities, and stronger income levels.

As of May 2008, licensed practical nurses were earning a median annual income of $39,030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Program outcomes vary according to each institution’s specific curriculum and employment opportunities are not guaranteed). This was slightly higher than the national average, despite the relatively small amount of formal training required to enter this profession.

• Nursing
• Health & Medical