Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are a vital part of our healthcare system by providing essential care for patients and assisting RNs and doctors. Depending on where an LPN decides to work, some of these essential care duties include taking vital signs, administering medication, collecting samples, reporting the status of their patients to the nurses, and always ensuring the comfort of the patient.
By completing an LPN program, you are provided with the opportunity to enter a fulfilling career that also has plenty of opportunities for growth and development. Keep on reading to learn more about some of the career options that are available to licensed practical nurses, and if you are pursuing a career in nursing, start by giving our Brooklyn LPN program a call at AMG School of Nursing today.
Nursing Care Facilities
Nursing homes are one of the most popular workplaces among LPNs today, largely because of how rewarding the job can be. LPNs are typically required to assist nursing home patients to ensure that they maintain good hygiene and keep records on their status day by day. They may also need to monitor medications, assist with feeding, and provide patients with a comfortable home.
Typically, LPNs who work within nursing care facilities will benefit from expanding their knowledge in regards to specific ailments that often come with aging such as dementia, heart or lung problems, and arthritis. They are also able to provide companionship for the elderly and often have the opportunity to hear inspirational life stories.
Medical and Surgical Hospitals
For those who desire a fast-paced work environment where no two days are alike, a hospital is a great option. There is a range of departments that can always use LPN nurses, including maternity wards, emergency rooms, and surgical departments.
In general, LPNs can be found assisting doctors and RNs with advanced medical practices, supervise hospital nursing aides, and monitor patient conditions. This includes taking vital signs, communicating with the patients, answering any questions they may have, and educating both the patients as well as their families about treatments.
Physician Offices
Licensed practical nurses are useful within physician offices by ensuring that patients receive the highest standard of care possible. In this setting, LPNs will still typically be overseen by a doctor, give injections when necessary, prepare patients for examination, administer medication, and assist with some minor surgeries. In some physician offices, LPNs may also be asked to assist with some administrative tasks.
Home Health Care
As the baby boomer population is aging and the geriatric population grows, the demand for quality health care is also increasing — in particular, in people’s homes. In the home health care world, there is a great need for quality LPNs, and they are being hired by private agencies, large health care facilities, and clinics to travel to patient;s homes in order to ensure that they are receiving the proper care that they need.
Home health care is not only for the geriatric population, though. Sometimes, whether due to personal injury, illness, or a health condition, other patient populations will require home care services. For example, traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. When working in a home health care setting, licensed practical nurses can expect to keep an eye on patients’ living conditions, teach basic patient care to their families, promote positive mental health for their patients, assist with personal and environmental hygiene, and take them on daily outings if necessary.
Assisted Living and Rehabilitation Facilities
While “assisted living” often gets associated with the geriatric population, there are many types of patients who require long-term care and rehabilitation. For example, patients who are chronically ill, in hospice, those struggling with mental disorders, and individuals who need residential rehabilitative services like those who are experiencing substance addiction, are all scenarios where a licensed practical nurse assists with their care. In this type of environment, LPNs are responsible for helping create and develop treatment plans, conducting health assessments of patients, ensuring patients’ rooms are both clean and safe, and may also supervise nursing aids.
As you can see, there are ample opportunities for LPNs to select a career they feel suits them the best. By completing an LPN program, the nursing world becomes your oyster — whether you decide to pursue a long-term career as an LPN or use it as a stepping stone to become an RN, the opportunities available are virtually endless.
If you have any questions regarding our LPN program at AMG School of Nursing in Brooklyn, our admissions process and requirements, our program schedule, or anything else, be sure to give us a call or send us an email today. We are conveniently located in the heart of historical downtown Brooklyn and provide our students with oversized classrooms, a state-of-the-art-nursing clinical laboratory, and are accredited by the New York State Board of Regents. We look forward to hearing from you!
