What does an LPN job description necessitate?

If you are interested in the idea of working as a nurse but dread the lengthy years of study, becoming an LPN could be the option for you.

LPN or Licensed Practical Nurse works under the guidance of a registered nurse or a doctor to provide patients with basic care and administer prescribed medications.

Apart from working at the hospitals, LPNs can work in various types of settings, such as nursing homes, patient’s private homes, physician’s clinics, correctional facilities, and rehabilitation centers.

To start your career as an LPN, you need to complete a year’s study from an accredited nursing course and have a genuine interest in serving others.

Read on to learn more about LPN job description for resume and other related topics, such as:

• LPN job description template
• LPN duties and responsibilities
• LPN skills for resume
• LPN job salary

Licensed Practical Nurse Job Description

Learning about an LPN’s job description will not only help you make a solid choice for your career approach but will also help you frame your resume according to the job description before sending out your applications.

Take a look at this LPN job description sample that you will commonly see in job listings:

Job Overview

Looking for a dedicated LPN to join our team and assist us to provide proper care for our in-house patients. The candidate must be adept at monitoring patients, administering medications, carrying out routine checks, and assisting senior nurses and doctors. Other than the basic educational requirements, the candidate must be good at dealing with patients and must demonstrate resilience and patience.

LPN Duties

• Monitor and record patient’s vital signs
• Maintain accurate records of different patient allergens and medical histories
• Administer medications on a timely basis according to the physician’s instructions
• Collect blood and urine samples and label them accurately
• Bathe, dress patients, and assist them with toileting
• Carry out wound dressings and administer compresses
• Report the patient’s recovery status to the doctors and RNs
• Communicate the patient’s condition and progress to the respective families with an empathetic approach
• Insert and look after patients with urinary tubes
• Care for patients in ventilators
• Maintain and record inventory of medical supplies, medicines, and equipment
• Perform administrative duties like admitting, discharging, and transferring patients
• Assist doctors and RNs (Registered Nurses) to perform tests, etc.

Also Read: How to draft a professional RN resume

LPN Requirements

• Must possess a valid state license for LPN
• Graduate of an accredited LPN program
• Ability to stand and work for long periods
• Good interpersonal skills with an emphatic and compassionate approach
• Comfortable in working with a flexible schedule
• Basic computer knowledge

SOURCE

What Do LPNs Do?

To give you a broader idea of LPN duties and responsibilities, given below are some of the common duties of an LPN:

• Maintaining documentation and performing administrative tasks
• Providing patient care and giving medicines orally and intravenously
• Developing plans for individual nursing care
• Ensuring adherence to the hospital policies and regulations
• Coordinating with nurses and doctors, whilst monitoring patient’s vital signs
• Assisting in emergency situations and administering CPR as and when needed
• Optimizing wellness levels and providing care to medically fragile children
• Recording and maintaining medical charts, patient history, and allergens
• Rendering assistance with administrative and organizational tasks
• Briefing patient’s family about the post-op dos and don’ts after discharge
• Administering IV therapies, including intramuscular medications and antibiotics
• Ensuring adherence to infection control measures by following the set protocols

Also Read: What to add to your physician assistant resume

LPN Skills for Resume

As stated earlier, besides acquiring learned skills through education, training, and experience, it is important for aspiring LPNs to possess a natural inclination towards helping others.

Given the nature of the job, patience, resilience, and an empathetic attitude are some of the necessary qualities of an LPN.

Coming to their skill sets, take a look at the following table to check the must-have LPN skills of potential candidates:

Now, if you want to showcase these skills in your nurse resume, apart from listing these LPN skills directly, you can also demonstrate it through your work experience like so:

• Provided pre and post-surgical care for 100+ patients to speed up their recovery
• Collected patient’s specimens whilst accurately labeling them
• Worked and cared for 40+ ventilator patients in the cardiac care unit
• Administered medications to patients on scheduled timings with adherence to the patient’s medical chart and history
• Maintained 20+ patient records on a daily basis and managed inventory of medical supplies
• Performed blood glucose tests and administered insulin accordingly to maintain blood sugar levels
• Performed wound dressing, bandaging, etc. as part of providing basic post-op care
• Monitored vital signs of patients whilst keeping an accurate record of it and updating the doctors and RNs about the same
• Administered feeding through nasogastric and gastrostomy tubes to 50+ patients in the post-op ward
• Cared for 10+ elderly patients with bowel incontinence as part of patient care

Also Read: How to write a shortlist worthy charge nurse resume

How Much Does a Licensed Practical Nurse Make?

According to Indeed, the average salary of an LPN is $51,742 per annum in the US while their median hourly wage can range between $24 to $27.

Meanwhile, in India, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNS) can earn about INR 248,021 in a year.

However, this figure is liable to change with experience level, location, company, and personal skill sets.

Following are the varying average salaries of LPNs in the US:

Highest Paying Companies for LPNs

Highest Paying US Cities for LPNs

Key Takeaways

• Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) work under the guidance of a registered nurse or a doctor to provide patients with basic care and administer prescribed medications
• LPNs can work in various types of settings such as nursing homes, patient’s private homes, physician’s clinics, correctional facilities, and rehabilitation centers
• To become an LPN, you must complete a year’s study from an accredited nursing course and have a genuine interest in serving others
• LPN aspirants must have the ability to stand and work for long periods given their nature of work
• Monitoring patient’s vital signs, maintaining patient records, and providing wound care are some of the common LPN duties
• LPNs must communicate the patient’s status to the respective families with an empathetic approach and also coordinate with other nurses and doctors
• Along with other key skills, patience, resilience, and an empathetic attitude are some of the necessary qualities of an LPN.
• Apart from listing LPN skills directly in your resume, you can also demonstrate them through your work experience
• The average salary of an LPN is $51,742 per annum in the US and INR 248,021 in India

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