Roles and Responsibilities
They are certified healthcare professionals who are responsible of providing basic patient care, working under the supervision of physicians and RNs.
LPNs provide services in all kinds of healthcare facilities and institutions such as private and public hospitals, offices of doctors, small healthcare settings, among others. In some states, LPNs are healthcare experts who are also referred to as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs).
Duties
As an LPN, one collects information from the patients that need to be admitted, regarding medical records, medical insurance details, and helps in completing other pretreatment formalities. He/she also records health details of patients; which usually comprises blood pressure, temperature, and heartbeat rate among other vital signs. He/she helps the patient prepare for medical examinations and also takes test samples from patients. He/she administers medicines and injections prescribed by the physician to the patients.
Apart from administrative duties, LPNs also provide service if for example the patient has external wounds on his body; he/she dresses the wounds regularly for quick healing. Another responsibility is treating bedsores. He/she also gives body massages as a part of an LPN’s job responsibilities.
For LPNs with a good amount of practical experience, he/she may be required to oversee the work done by Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). After recording the medical condition of the patient, they inform the respective doctors about the same.
Some of the roles also include, taking care of the sanitary requirements of patients such as bathing, dressing them, and similar others related to personal hygiene. They also feed the patients and monitor their food and liquid intake and output.
Monitoring catheters is also one of their responsibilities. An LPN monitors the patients’ health condition and reports changes in the same to the concerned physiscians. Once the patient is about to be discharged from the hospital, an LPN is the one who informs the family members about the patient’s regular medication requirements. Included in the information to give are the appropriate diet to follow, and gives them the guidelines for patient care. These are just some of the basic tasks and duties in a typical LPN work day. They are nurses and so they should provide care and support to their patients.
LPN Salary
This will give one a general idea of the per annum salary range of an LPN. Just like in other industry, the salary classification is done on the basis of years of experience and in which state of employment.
- Fresh starts/freshers: $20,000 to $40,000
- 1 – 4 years experience $23,000 to $48,000
- 5 – 9 years of experience $24,000 to $51,000
- 10 – 19 years of experience $26,000 to $58,000
- 20 or more years: Above $50,000
