Summary for:
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Description:
Care for ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled persons in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
Sample of reported job titles:
Sample of reported job titles: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Charge Nurse, Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (CLINIC Lpn), Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse (PEDIATRIC Lpn), Clinic Nurse, Office Nurse, Private Duty Nurse, Triage Licensed Practical Nurse (TRIAGE Lpn)
Tasks:
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, and note times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Provide basic patient care and treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Sterilize equipment and supplies, using germicides, sterilizer, or autoclave.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration.
- Work as part of a health care team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care and implement interventions.
- Collect samples such as blood, urine and sputum from patients, and perform routine laboratory tests on samples.
- Prepare patients for examinations, tests or treatments and explain procedures.
- Assemble and use equipment such as catheters, tracheotomy tubes, and oxygen suppliers.
Knowledge:
| Medicine and Dentistry ó Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. |
| Customer and Personal Service ó Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
| Psychology ó Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. |
| English Language ó Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
| Therapy and Counseling ó Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance. |
| Education and Training ó Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. |
| Mathematics ó Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
| Biology ó Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. |
| Administration and Management ó Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. |
Skills:
| Active Listening ó Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
| Speaking ó Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
| Coordination ó Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
| Service Orientation ó Actively looking for ways to help people. |
| Monitoring ó Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
| Critical Thinking ó Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
| Social Perceptiveness ó Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
| Time Management ó Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
| Complex Problem Solving ó identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. |
| Reading Comprehension ó Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. |
Abilities:
| Oral Comprehension ó The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
| Oral Expression ó The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
| Problem Sensitivity ó The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
| Speech Recognition ó The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
| Speech Clarity ó The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness ó The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. |
| Deductive Reasoning ó The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
| Finger Dexterity ó The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
| Inductive Reasoning ó The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
| Information Ordering ó The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
Work Activities:
| Assisting and Caring for Others ó Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. |
| Documenting/Recording Information ó Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. |
| Getting Information ó Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates ó Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems ó Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| identifying Objects, Actions, and Events ó identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge ó Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others ó Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. |
| Performing General Physical Activities ó Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials. |
| Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships ó Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
Work Experience:
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.
Work Examples:
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
Education Requirements:
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.
Work Style:
| Dependability ó Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. |
| Integrity ó Job requires being honest and ethical. |
| Attention to Detail ó Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. |
| Concern for Others ó Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. |
| Self Control ó Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. |
| Cooperation ó Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. |
| Social Orientation ó Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. |
| Stress Tolerance ó Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. |
| Initiative ó Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. |
| Independence ó Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. |
Work Values:
| Relationships ó Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. |
| Support ó Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
| Achievement ó Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
Median Wage 2008:
$18.77 hourly, $39,030 annual
Estimated Employment Total 2008:
749,000 employees
Projected Growth 2008:
Faster than average (14% to 20%)
Projected Need 2008:
309,000 additional employees
