Practical Nursing: Entry-Level Nursing Careers
If you want a hands-on nursing career without spending several years earning your degree, earning your practical nursing license may be right for you! Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are vital to many healthcare teams, as they can provide basic medical care and complete patient-focused paperwork to help ensure everything runs smoothly.
Read on to learn about what LPNs do, where they may work, how much they can earn, and if this career is right for you.
What Licensed Practical Nurses Do: Job Description
After earning a license, a practical nurse can provide basic patient care under the supervision of a registered nurse or physician. While the services they can offer sometimes differ between states, they often:
- Take and monitor vitals
- Offer basic medical care like bandaging wounds, inserting catheters, and drawing blood
- Insert IVs
- Provide comfort care (e.g., help with bathing, dressing, and eating)
- Learn about patients’ concerns and communicate those to their supervisor
- Serve as the intermediary between patients, families, and healthcare teams
- Keep detailed records
- Maintain a safe and sanitary environment
- Ensure all equipment is functional
Depending on the size and type of workplace, you may supervise paraprofessional staff (such as nursing assistants, nursing aides, and administrative assistants). You might also have to perform administrative duties.
Licensed Practical Nursing vs. Practical Nursing vs. Licensed Vocational Nursing
Generally speaking, LPN, PN, and LVN mean the same thing. Job and licensure titles can vary by state. You may sometimes see “practical nurse” referring to an unlicensed medical position; however, both our Licensed Practical Nursing program and our Practical Nursing program at our Gulfport, MS, campus aim to prepare students for their nursing licensure exams.
Practical Nursing vs. Clinical Medical Assisting
Practical nurses are licensed to perform patient care services, while clinical medical assistants are trained in administrative and clinical skills. While there is overlap – CMAs and LPNs can both take vitals, for instance – LPNs are more hands-on with the patients.
Licensed Practical Nursing vs. Registered Nursing
Registered nurses (RNs) provide more in-depth medical care and have more decision-making freedom than LPNs. To prepare for this, RNs spend more time in school than LPNs. If you want to get started in nursing but aren’t sure of training right away to become an RN, you can start your nursing journey as an LPN and work your way up to becoming an RN.
Where Licensed Practical Nurses Work
Licensed practical nurses can work in nearly any kind of healthcare environment. Just a few common workplaces for practical nurses are:
- Nursing homes
- Hospitals
- General and specialized physicians’ offices
- Home healthcare
- Rehabilitation facilities
So long as there is a registered nurse or physician – depending on your state’s laws – onsite to supervise an LPN, there are few restrictions on where LPNs can find employment.
Salary and Job Demand for Practical Nurses
LPNs earn more than the average for all careers, and the number of job openings is expected to grow. As of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 data, LPNs were paid a median of $59,730 per year ($28.72 per hour), with employment opportunities increasing by 3% (as fast as the average for all jobs) between 2023 and 2033.
Nationwide, practical nursing pay ranges from about $46,000 to over $78,000 annually. How much you could earn as a practical nurse is influenced by your years of experience, number of hours worked (if hourly), specific location, and workplace. LPNs employed by the government have the highest median pay (a little over $63,000), and those in physicians’ offices have the lowest ($51,820).
Is a Licensed Practical Nursing Career Right for Me?
To be a practical nurse, you must enjoy working with people, be detail-oriented, and have a strong stomach.
Working with people may not always be easy. This is particularly because you may be regularly working with patients and families going through some of the most challenging times of their lives. You also serve as the intermediary between patients, families, and medical teams, so you must communicate clearly and accurately with all those parties. A great nurse in these tough situations can make a world of difference.
As part of a healthcare team, you need to keep detailed, correct, and readable records. A nurse or doctor should be able to pick up your records and quickly know everything they need to know. Accurate records can also help avoid billing and insurance hiccups.
Since LPNs provide hands-on care, including comfort care and blood draws, they often deal with bodily fluids. If you want to work in healthcare but don’t have the strongest stomach, consider medical office administration or health information management, billing and coding.
Career Services at Blue Cliff College
The LPN and PN programs at Blue Cliff College aim to prepare students for their NCLEX-PN exams, so graduates should have the knowledge they need to do well at work. But that’s not all we offer. Our Career Services department may not be able to guarantee employment, but they can help you write your resume, prepare for interviews, search for jobs, and more.
Learn About Practical Nursing Training at Blue Cliff College
At Blue Cliff College, you can prepare for your NCLEX-PN exam and practical nursing career through our certiticate or diploma programs. Each program covers all materials required for that licensure exam.
Please note that despite the NCLEX-PN exam being a national test, the programs are geared toward licensure in their respective states.
Get Started Today!
