The job of a nurse requires the individual to show care, sympathy, responsibility and attention to detail oriented, as well as showing an inclination toward leadership when it comes to supervision and direction of others. These individuals need a developed sense of stable emotions to be able to deal with situations at hand such as the extent of suffering and other pressures and stresses the job entails. LPN jobs can take place in private and government agencies which include the school, clinic or retirement home setting. These nurses concentrate on communities as well as individuals and families, striving to improve their circumstances of health.

Nurses in public health educate relevant groups in the case of health matters like child care, nutrition and prevention care. These nurses oversee and administer immunizations, test for blood pressure and conduct other necessary health screening tests. They work alongside the leaders in the community, other educators, doctors and parents.

LPN Jobs – An Overview

LPN nursing jobs include certain dangers particularly in the hospital clinical setting. Diseases which are infectious in nature are an example of where nurses must follow particular protocols and standards such as when dealing with needles, instruments needing sterilization, radiation and chemical exposure.

LPNs also manage and create a plan for nursing care which can assist to give instruction to both families and the patient, and assist those who may be in need to embark on a routine which can lead to improving or maintaining health. In each state, different laws are set to govern over the various tasks that LPN jobs perform, however work settings determine duties for each day. For example, occupation health nursing which is also referred to as industrial nursing who care for employees and customers who sustain illness or injury on the job site. These nurses administer emergency care, put together reports of the accident as well as follow up care and impart health counselling. They also conduct examinations as well as inoculating those who require it and assess the work environments for the identification of potential problems that may affect employee or customer health in any way.

Hospital nurses are the most common form of all LPN jobs, providing care at the bedside of patients and overseeing as well as implementing various medical regimes. These nurses work within a specific department under the supervision of an RN, such as in maternity, childcare, surgery, ICU or treating patients with cancer. Some serve in a rotational capacity.

Nurses who work in the administrative areas of the hospital doing office work oversee outpatients in doctors rooms, clinical settings, ambulance surgical centers as well as in the ER. LPN jobs in this setting require the preparation of patients to administer medicines and injections and assist with medical examinations and take care of wound dressing. Their services are also required in cases of minor surgical procedures, record maintenance and routine office or lab work.

Nurses in care facilities primarily oversee and manage the resident’s who suffer from Alzheimer’s as well as fractures and other conditions. Albeit spending time on admin and supervision, LPNs also provide oversight for the health of these residents by putting together plans for treatment when skilled enough and may learn to administer IV’s. LPN jobs can extend to serving in special-care settings such as with patients in longer term rehabilitation suffering from a stroke or injury to the head.

In the case of residential health, nurses at a certain level of expertise can also offer a service to the patient in the comfort of their own homes. Here, they assess the patient at home and assist in educating and with instruction of the patient and family. Nurses who work in patients oversee those who are stricken with disease, cancer, in labor as well as the convalescent. These LPN jobs require the nurses to work separately and may also call for the supervision of residential health assistants, requiring a designated skills level.

The Next Stage – Specialization

The three primary paths of education to an RN are; a BSN or bachelor science nursing degree; ADN nursing associate degree or diploma. Bachelor nursing programs can be taken at university or college, lasting about four years whilst community and juniors education institutions offer a two to three year associate program.

Those who receive a diploma or are educated as associates often aim for bachelor study programs to facilitate entry in a more specialized choice of field. These candidates often seek LPN jobs as staff nurse after which they utilise the reimbursing of their tuition as a benefit whilst studying for their BSN and finishing the available LPN to BSN bridge programs.

Accelerated BSN programs are also an option, lasting twelve to eighteen months, providing the quickest way to a Bachelors for those with an existing degree. Individuals considering career advancements of this nature must think strategically when considering the pros and cons or applying for a Bachelors since these advancement opportunity is more vast. LPN jobs do not cover all positions and BSN is usually a prerequisite for an admin post as well as when being admitted to research, education, clinical or consulting graduate programs of specialization.

An LPN not being on the level of qualification as that of an RN means they are restricted to certain working responsibilities. As a result many LPN’s choose to advance their careers from LPN jobs to working as an RN, which has its perks such as the many job opportunities and requirements for this level of nursing as can be seen in the graph. As an LPN is the first qualification before the RN level, LPN’s will have a limit on their duty and responsibility.

Good on the job performance and skills expertise can result in the nurse being promoted to a position of higher oversight and more responsibility. An example is managerial in nature, where a nurse can be promoted to being the head nurse’s assistant or the head nurse and then to directors assistant or the director and even vice president.

In the cases of caring for patients, LPN jobs can evolve into specialized nursing areas such as a midwife who is certified or CNS and CRN (certified registered and clinical specialist) as well as anaesthetists. Each has a prerequisite of two graduation years which will go onto a masters nursing degree.

Further areas of specialization include the possibility of studying to become a Nurse educator. These individuals’ duties include education and mentorship of the next set of young nursing candidates, as well as teaching in class and clinical settings. LPN jobs can lead to a desire to teach and in this case, they must draw up plans for the lessons and encourage the student to appreciate the professions through inspiration, and by setting an example.

Other specialists include paediatric nursing for the younger patient whose age range is from new born to early adult, nursing in peri-anaesthesia Nursing or in the rooms of recovery with a patient who is recovering from anaesthesia post-surgery as well as peri-natal nursing to assist a family and women in labor with support during as well as post-birth.

Psychiatric nursing is another specialist interest that may be sparked during LPN jobs where nursing aids in the field assist patients who are deemed mentally unstable with a complex range of psychological requirements. Nurses in public health operate in both private and government agencies as well as clinical settings. Radiology nursing speaks for itself and these workers are also known as catheterization cardiac laboratory nurses. The choices are endless, its just a matter of weighing options versus in the field passion, the rest will reveal itself as the job progresses.

Finding LPN Jobs

Discover Nursing is a comprehensive online database of information for individuals interested in this field. According to the site, LPN jobs and opportunities have a favorable projection such as the need for RN’s which is expected to accelerate more than any other job through this decade. Since the demand is growing, it is in turn projected that the job market will need more of these nurses. In addition, nurses currently working who will retire also leave ongoing spaces in the job market.

LPN jobs can be found online at various search engines such as; Simply Hired, Indeed.co, Monster.com, Wow Jobs (Canada) and the www.bls.gov as well as www.lpnjobsfinder.com.
As a result of the rise in market for a nurse certain hospitals may offer a bonus of up to fourteen thousand dollars for a nurse in the skills category they require. The National Student Nurse’s Association has many articles on becoming a nurse, from where to begin to what to do for your first job. Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek magazines have a nationwide job search engine at their site – nurse.com.

Additional article resources for LPN jobs guidance can be found at the Resume Objective Know how career portal, the Bureau of US Statistics and Labor and Career Owl. Another source for LPN jobs is NHT, Nursing for a Healthy Tomorrow, this coalition of over forty health care and nursing organizations operate in partnership around a salary communication campaign which is designed to draw individuals to following a nursing career. The coalition aims to address a potentially dangerous nursing shortage in the nation, with the risk in short and long-term being more serious in certain geographic areas than others. As a result, NHT is now working now to heighten awareness about the looming nursing shortage and excellent opportunities awaiting those seeking a career in nursing.

LPN jobs at NHT can be found in addition to the coalition having assumed the role of communicating and bringing the message and image of the nursing profession, in line with the realities of its tremendous social importance and personal potential for career satisfaction. The site offers Career Profiles and a list of LPN jobs and Career Descriptions. Below are examples of what is available as an option for specialization;

• Nurses who work in critical care
• Nurses in emergency-situations
• Palliative or hospice-care nursing
• Material delivery and labor nursing
• Nursing in nephrology
• Anaesthesia
• Educator nurses
• Executive nursing
• Nurse practitioner
• Nursing in oncology
• Nursing in orthopeadics
• Peri-optive nursing
• Mental care or psychiatric ward nurses
• Nurses in schools
• Staffing nurse
• Nursing health practitioner for women

NHT also offer a recruiter campaign for nursing educators and careers page which can be accessed on their website. Alternately, LPN jobs on Nurse.com can be found by searching thousands of nursing jobs in any location in the U.S for nurses in every specialty, state and setting. The site allows you to post your resume and gain career advice. Other online sources include general job boards such as Monster, Career-builder, and Craigslist and nursing-specific job boards: such as Nurse Jungle Nursing Job-Source, Nurse-job-shop, Top jobs in the USA and Hire- nursing.

In addition LPN jobs can be searched for at http://www.licensedpracticalnurse.org who offer additional helpful services such as links to finding sample templates for cover letters for LPN positions.

The site also offers guidance when writing a resume using either a chronological resume, the most popular format, or a functional resume focusing on the skills and experiences and a combination resume uses both of the aforementioned formats. LPN jobs are also available by visiting local setting where this nursing designation will work and speaking to staff about opportunities or placing oneself on lists for when positions may become available.

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According to ehow.com an “LPN charge nurses oversees the work of other licensed practical nurses and nursing aides, who all provide general care and monitoring of sick and injured patients under the supervision of physicians or registered nurses”. As the name suggests, as an LPN charge nurse you will be in charge of others. In the past only RNs could really become charge nurses but changing times mean more responsibilities for LPNs.

Nature of the Work/Duties

The LPN charge nurse is responsible for fulfilling the following roles in the healthcare environment:

• Supervision
• Charting
• Medications
• Safety
• Care Plans

An LPN charge nurse supervises other LPNs and nurse aides in her wing of the hospital, and in turn is supervised by an RN, although the RN does not need to be in the building. Charting involves keeping records of information like medication administration, vitals, and safety protocols. The LPN charge nurse ensures that this is done properly. Some facilities will only allow a charge nurse to administer medications. The LPN charge nurse is responsible for the safety of her patients and employees at all times during her shift and is responsible for preparing care plans for each patient.

Employment

LPN charge nurses are employed in setting where nurses require supervision. This, essentially, means any healthcare setting, including:

• Hospitals (the most common place to find charge nurses of all kinds)
• Hospices
• Clinics

As an LPN charge nurse you will be required to work the same hours, more or less, as other LPNs. This means that you will need to work shifts that include nights and weekends. This should not come as a surprise – other nurses working at night need to be supervised in the same way as those working during the day, so LPN and RN charge nurses need to be on duty at all times to verse proceedings and ensure that everything is done according to hospital protocols and ethical and professional standards.
The most popular cities for an LPN charge nurse to be employed are:

• Birmingham, Alabama
• Tacoma, Washington
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Seattle, Washington

LPN Charge Nurse Requirements

In order to become an LPN charge nurse you must be licensed to work as an LPN in your state. In order to become licensed there are a number of education requirements that you will need to adhere to. Most LPNs earn a diploma or certificate in nursing in order to do this job. The program has to be state approved and accredited by the appropriate bodies. If it is not you will essentially be wasting your time and your money on that program as the end result of the program will be a qualification that is useless in terms of helping you find employment as an LPN charge nurse. Most LPN charge nurse jobs require you to have a certain number of years of experience.

Personality Traits

The following personality characteristics are essential to being a good LPN charge nurse:

• Exemplary people skills
• An ability to work with both the nurses under their supervision and patients and their families
• The ability to offer supervision that is straightforward
• The ability to offer evaluations that are fair and honest
• The ability to offer serve as a nursing educational resource for your staff
• A clear understanding of the chain-of-command
• The ability to give as well as take direction
• The ability to multitask as you must also treat patients as required

Natural leadership skills will come in handy, although many people believe that leadership can be taught. If you have aspirations to become an LPN charge nurse you will need to be willing to accept the high degree of responsibility that comes with the position.

Educational Requirements

In order to become an LPN charge nurse there are two basic educational requirements that you will need to meet:

• You must have a high school diploma or a GED equivalent in order to enter into the training necessary to become an LPN
• You must complete an LPN training program from an accredited school

The LPN program that you complete must comprise of both a theoretical aspect as well as of a practical, hands-on training aspect. Both of these are educational requirements necessary to allow you to go on and become an LPN, your first step in becoming an LPON charge nurse. After that it is up to you to prove your leadership skills in a health care setting in order to become promoted to the position of charge nurse.

Licensure

Graduating from an accredited and approved LPN nursing program earns you the right to sit the licensing examination. This exam, called the NCSBN’s National Council Licensure Examination, is a requirement for all LPNs in all states across the country. In order to become licensed as an LPN you must:

• Apply for licensure from your state board of nursing
• Submit all necessary documentation and complete other requirements, such as criminal background checks and health exams
• Once you have been approved for licensure, set an exam date with Pearson VUE – this will cost you $200
• Sit the exam
• Your results will be sent to your state board of nursing; passing the examination means that you will be granted licensure in your state
• This license usually needs to be renewed regularly

How To Become An LPN Charge Nurse

Training, Advancement And Other Qualifications

If you want to move on from being an LPN charge nurse and become an RN charge nurse (usually referred to simply as a charge nurse) you will need to meet the following requirements:

• You must have an Associate’s degree or diploma (bachelor’s degree may be preferred)

• You must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN)

• You must meet any other state requirements

• You must have certification in basic life support (certification in other areas may also be required)

• You must have 3 or more years of experience (1+ years in a specialization may be required)

• You must possess critical-thinking skills, compassion, organizational skills, sound judgment, creative-thinking, and customer service skills

• In addition you must be able to spend long periods on feet and stooping over patients, be able to provide aid in moving and lifting patients and pushing or carrying medical equipment

Source An Accredited Education Program

It is extremely important that you attend an accredited training program when earning your LPN qualification with the aim of becoming an LPN charge nurse. This is because a qualification from a program that is not accredited will not get you anywhere. Your state board of nursing’s website should be able to provide you with information on this subject. In addition schools are required to publish their accreditation status on their own websites. However this is not necessarily reliable. Another good way to determine which schools are accredited in your area and which are not is by speaking to LPNs who work at your local hospital and asking them where they completed their training. In order for them to be where they are they must have completed an accredited program, making this an excellent source of information.

Earn Your Associate’s Degree

An associate’s degree is not the most common form of qualification for LPN charge nurses, and most nursing candidates (86%) complete a state-approved practical or vocational nurse diploma program at a community college or vocational school, while only about ten percent complete an associate’s degree program. If you would like to earn an associate’s degree you should:

• Find out what schools in your area offer the qualification
• Create a list of criteria based on which you will choose a schools
• Become aware of the entry requirements for each school and ensure that you adhere to them
• Apply to at least 3 LPN schools to keep your options open
• Pay the tuition fees and complete the program
• Complete all theoretical and practical coursework

Graduating from the program means that you have successfully earned your associate’s degree in nursing.

Obtain Your Licensure

In order to become an LPN charge nurse the only license you need is your LPN license, which can be earned by completing an accredited program and writing the NCLEX-PN examination. The license must also be renewed once every few years depending on the rules of your state. There is no additional licensure required in order to become an LPN charge nurse. However some health care facilities may prefer for you to have a more advanced educational qualification, such as an associate’s degree, before you can be a charge nurse as an LPN. It is easier to become a charge nurse as an RN, but this will require returning to school and earning your RN license. Experience as a nurse is always a requirements before you can become an LPN charge nurse.

Online/Distance Education Programs

When it comes to LPN programs online you need to remember that an LPN course consists of the following two aspects:

• Theoretical, book learning
• Clinical, hands-on training

Although the theoretical portion of the coursework can be studied in an online setting, the clinical portion, clearly, cannot. Any online school claiming to offer the qualification entirely online is not being honest as you will always need to attend an actual healthcare facility of some kind in order to gain practical experience.

Good online schools will have measures in place to ensure that you are able to complete your practical training. Completing part of your course online can save you time and money and can make it easier for you to fit your education into your current schedule.

Job Outlook

According to www.bls.gov we can expect jobs for LPNs to continue improving at the very good rate that we have seen thus far. In fact this line of work is expected to increase 21% from 2008-2018, which would add about 155,000 positions in that decade to the roughly 753,000 LPNs employed in 2008. This should not come as a surprise – the healthcare industry has a strong reputation for being an industry that is always growing and that always offers job stability and security, regardless of the concurrent economic climate. This is because, as long as people get sick, nurses will always be needed, and those nurses will also always need to be supervised by a charge nurse of some description. The future job outlook for this sector of employment is indeed very promising.

Earnings

The average hourly rate for an LPN charge nurse is about $15.30 – $25.83 an hour with the potential of earning an overtime rate of $18.45 – $38.47 an hour. LPN charge nurses also have the potential of earning an annual bonus of anything from $0.00 to $783 a year. The overall average potential salary that an LPN charge nurse can earn is about $31,562 – $57,303 a year.

The industry that you choose to work in as an LPN charge nurse can affect how much you are paid:

• In Long-term Care and Rehabilitation you can earn around $15.85 – $24.78 an hour
• In a Nursing Home you can earn around $15.64 – $24.61 an hour
• In Healthcare you can earn around $15.78 – $25.12 an hour
• In Medical Services you can earn around $15.79 – $25.38 an hour
• In Family Medicine you can earn around $15.46 – $24.46 an hour

Although women make up 92% of people employed as LPN charge nurses they earn less than the 8% of men in the same position. Women earn about $16.72 – $22.37 an hour, while men earn about $18.35 – $24.49 an hour.

Your level of education will also affect how much you can earn:

• With an Associate’s Degree you can earn about $15.53 – $27.28 an hour
• With a Diploma of Nursing (DN) you can earn about $18.49 – $26.52 an hour

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