Medical Training

LVN stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse or the Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN. LVN’s are registered nurses who take care of the sick, injured and disabled people under the proper supervision of the physicians. LVN programs are very rewarding and the salaries are really attractive. These programs make way to facilitate the basic care to the patients.

LVN nursing is a fundamental education on patient’s care and recovery. They treat bedsores, give injections and enemas, apply dressings, provide massages, monitors catheters etc. It is a vital lifesaving profession since they are a critical link between the patient and doctor.

The prerequisites to join the LVN programs include an age-bar of 17yrs or older. The applicant must produce a copy of your High School Diploma, GED or its equivalent certificate, current immunization record, healthcare provider CPR. Applicant has to pass the school enrolment exam and pass an interview with the institution directors. The preferred courses are anatomy, physiology and general psychology.

The institutes of Medical Education provide the healthcare community with expertise required to fulfill their daily professional needs. Clinical part of the student’s education occurs mainly in the hospitals. After undergoing the training in LVN and obtaining a license, nurses can find jobs in hospitals, nursing homes or in a doctor’s office.

When it comes to the healthcare occupation, nursing holds the largest share of job opportunities and they are one of the 10 ten occupations which or the possibility of the most jobs annually. The market demand is very huge when compared with other professions. Therefore, it is quite evident that the nursing jobs are not just lucrative but also in huge demand. With advancement in technologies and invention of new methods of treatment, healthcare jobs have more opportunities to diversify.

The market demand is something which gives much worth to this course. It is not just that LVN nursing is of great demand due to the aging workforce and shortage of nursing school enrolments. Also the reason that the old age problems are increasing with more of patients preferring home based treatment and caring. This need is only helping the cause and encouraging the LVN nursing job opportunities.

After you become an LVN, in less than two years you can become an RN (registered nurse) which is a step lesser than a MD. Some RNs start their careers as licensed practical nurses and then later go back to schools to receive the RN degree. As a registered nurse, the salaries will be a lot higher and the demand in the market is no less either. LVN Certification is the easiest path to become a registered nurse and the best part is that your employment is guaranteed until you become one.

Nurses can advance in their careers to an assistant unit manager or a head nurse or more senior levels like chief nurse. Few of them also get into other business segments of healthcare. Employers need RNs for health planning and development, consulting, marketing etc. There is also the requirement of registered nurses as the faculty in colleges or universities.

An LVN salary will depend upon the medical institutions and the states or locations. An LVN salary would fall anywhere from $35,000 to $45,000 annually. Like already mentioned, the demand for LVN is ever increasing due to the shortage of workforce. Hence when the supply fails to meet the demand, salary is made more competitive to attract more qualified nurses. LVN is absolutely the profession which has huge demand in the market.

If you are a person who would like to build a career in the medical field as an LVN (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse then you are most definitely making the right choice. A career in LVN has mostly advantages in terms of financial, emotional and physical benefits.  With nursing profession you will get a financial stability and the job security, emotional satisfaction and since you are almost always on the go, physical toning.

Licensed Vocational Nurses usually work under the direct supervision of doctors and RNs (Registered Nurses). Primary responsibilities are include, but are not limited to caring for the ill, injured, convalescent and disabled patients. LVNs are employed not only by the hospitals, surgical centers, doctor’s office or convalescent homes, but even in medical beauty spas and educational institutions.

LVN’s day to day schedule includes giving the bedside care to the patients with the responsibilities of checking blood pressure, measuring temperature, polls and respiration, give injections and monitor patients.  There is a high demand for nurses not only in the United States but also everywhere across the globe. Statistics reveal that there is a shortage of well-trained vocational nurses in the current job market which might even double or triple in the coming years.

In order to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse, one needs to graduate from an approved educational institution, receive certain number of internship hours, as well as pass national certification exam. Most of the vocational schools offer an LVN Program and prepare graduates for the NCPLEX exam.  Some LVN schools offer shorter courses than others. It takes about 15-18 months and up to 2 years of training and internship to be able to become an LVN.

The type of work they do is challenging and fun, beneficial emotionally, mentally and financially, holds strong during recession, not only permits a person to self-actualize, but also is meaningful and significant for oneself and for others. Job roles of LVNs include and are not limited to the care of the sick and recovering patients. LVNs take care of the patient’s health by administering injections, collecting the samples for analysis, dressing applications and in some cases also performing laboratory testing and other lab work. In some states an LVN never starts and intravenous line, while in others they may be able to obtain IV certifications to perform this procedure. In areas where they don’t start IVs most LVNs can take blood and administer injections.

There are a lot of opportunities for LVNs and RNs…
Nursing is the largest health-care occupation and one of 10 occupations projected to have the largest numbers of new jobs annually. Some states report current and projected shortages of nurses, primarily due to an aging workforce and recent declines in nursing school enrollments. Faster than average growth also will be driven by technological advances in patient care, which permit nurses to treat more medical problems, and an increasing emphasis on preventive care. In addition, the number of older people, who are much more likely than younger people to need nursing care, is projected to grow rapidly.

A great thing about becoming an LVN is the fact that this career is a great stepping stone into the professional healthcare career…you can then take a course (so called Bridge program ) after you become an LVN and in less than 2 years become and RN – registered nurse…which is the career one step less than MD. Some RNs start their careers as licensed practical nurses or nursing aides, and then go back to school to receive their RN degree.

In management, nurses can advance from assistant unit manger or head nurse to more senior-level administrative roles of assistant director, director, vice president, or chief nurse. Some nurses move into the business side of health care. Their nursing expertise and experience on a health care team equip them to manage ambulatory, acute, home-based, and chronic care. Employers—including hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and managed care organizations, among others—need RNs for health planning and development, marketing, consulting, policy development, and quality assurance. Other nurses work as college and university faculty or conduct research.

Hopefully this article will help future generations of nurses think about and prevent the spread of addiction of drugs among nurses. It is important that student think of the dangers and consequences associated with the drug abuse.

The prevalence of addiction especially among nurses and the signs and symptoms of addiction are very important point matters. It is vital to talk about adverse effects of not reporting an impaired colleague as well as the role of state boards of nursing in treatment of nurses who abuse substances.
Some consider alcohol and drug addiction as primary, and often, fatal health problems.

One of the reasons why the nurses abuse alcohol/drugs is related to family histories that include emotional impairment, alcoholism, drug use, and/or emotional abuse that results in low self-esteem, over achievement, and overwork.

Many nurses choose to stay quiet about a coworker who may have a substance-abuse problem because of loyalty, fear of being a hypocrite, guilt, or fear of jeopardizing a colleague’s license to practice. Some argue that addiction must be accepted as an illness, so that if recognized as illness can be treated. This way many will try addressing and recognizing the problem.

Statistics often indicate such information as:
*employed people who abuse substances are unreliable on the job
*compared to nonusers, alcohol and illicit drug users are more likely to have:
- changed jobs frequently,
- missed two or more days of work in the past month,
- resigned voluntarily from a job in the past year,
- been terminated by an employer in the past year, and
- been involved in a workplace accident in the past year.

The prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse in the nursing population has not been fully documented, but it is believed to parallel that of the general population. It is suspected that 10% of the nursing population has alcohol and/or drug abuse problems, and that 6% of nurses have problems that are serious enough to interfere with their ability to practice.*
* BVNET.

* Do check for LVN programs in California

Licensed Vocational Nurses, along with the other health care professionals are responsible to perform nursing interventions for patients with acute or chronic illness. Licensed Vocational Nurses earn licensure from the state to administer routine patient care. All states, except Texas and California, use the title Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Licensed Vocational Nurses may work in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, dialysis centers, blood banks, ambulatory surgery centers, day care centers or correctional facilities.

The LVN may provide continuous monitoring of all aspects of patient care, inclusive of all bedside care, diet, physical activity, and administration of medications, including injections under the direction of a physician of registered nurse. In most states LVNs can perform phlebotomy with an additional post-licensure course and certification. The LVN assist with data collection of patient symptoms, reactions and progress. LVNs also assist by performing patient and care-giver teaching in order to support patient and family independence.

Qualities necessary to the LVN include dedication, commitment, patience, understanding, knowledge, empathy, and the ability to utilize critical thinking in administration of all patient care.

As Modesto Bee writes:
“Anyone looking for a job in California this spring has to be a little depressed. The collapse of the housing industry has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs in construction and the finance industry. Manufacturing is slumping. Retail is not doing much better. If not for schools, health care, government and information technology, the state’s employers wouldn’t be adding any jobs at all.”

A lot of that is demand is driven by the need for more nurses. Thankfully, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger introduced the California Nurse Education Initiative back in April 2005 to expand the number of nursing programs.

Many students choose private LVN training programs as viable and immediate options.

With Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts you become LVN in just short 14 months!