Information on Becoming A Licensed Practical Nurse
Get Your Degree!
Find schools and get information on the program that’s right for you.
Powered by Campus Explorer
Licensed practical nurse (LPN) is also called an LVN. In other countries outside the United States, LPN is called "registered practical nurse" (RPN). In Australia and New Zealand, it’s called "enrolled nurse" (EN) or "Division 2 nurse". In the United Kingdom, it’s called "state enrolled nurse" (SEN). No matter the name or acronym, LPN is a term used to describe nurses who takes care of patients in a general sense.
With shortages in nurses are prevalent in the world today, countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand continuously hire nurses from different parts of the world. It is predicted that by the year 2020, there is a need for approximately 1.7 million more nurses around the world especially in the countries mentioned.
There are thousands of job openings for LPNs or LVNs (as what they are called in Texas) today. Many flock to nursing schools but as much as there are shortages in nurses, there’s more in qualified nurse educators. Therefore, nursing schools cannot accommodate a large number of applicants all the time. So, what should potential, qualified applicants need to do?
Most applicants would like to begin with their careers as nurses right away, but getting a nursing degree would take time and it can be costly too, not to mention the quota of applicants admitted in colleges with nursing programs.
The most practical solution is to enroll in a Licensed Practical Nursing Program.
How to become an LPN?
State-approved LPN or LVN programs are offered in community colleges and technical or vocational schools. Some programs are even part of a high school curriculum. It would take about a year to complete the program before becoming eligible to take the licensure exam.
In order to be eligible for the program, applicants must have a high school diploma. If the applicant has no diploma but already took LPN courses included in their high school curriculum, they need to have their Transcript of Records (TOR) on-hand to have these classes accredited and be allowed to continue their training.
LPN classes include the following:
- Human Anatomy
- Human Physiology
- Pediatric Nursing (Neo-natal Care)
- Obstetrics Nursing
- Medical-Surgical Nursing
- Patient Care
- Nutrition
- First Aid
- Clinical Practice (O.J.T. – on-job training or Internship) – this is supervised by an nurse faculty, physician or registered nurse (RN).
Continued training and education credits are required for practicing LPN throughout their careers are innovations and upgrades in health care also progresses.
Passing NCLEX-PN is required of LPN degree holders in order to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and practice right away and start earning money in the health care industry.
What is NCLEX-PN?
After earning an LPN degree, individuals must take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) to get an LPN license.
NCLEX-PN is a test developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and presently administered by Pearson VUE in their Pearson Professional Centers (PPC) network. It is a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) format designed to gauge an individual's skill, knowledge and abilities that are vital to the safe and efficient practice of nursing.
Majority of questions in the exam all involve cognitive skills. They deal mainly in knowledge, memory, analysis and application of knowledge. These questions are all in multiple choice formats. Recently, there are some questions included by the Boards of Nursing that include broader questions that are in "new format questions" (not in multiple choice formats). These questions are given in scenarios and allows students to come up with various possible solutions.
The test questions are based on patient needs like:
- Basic Care and Comfort
- Pharmacological Therapies
- Reduction of Risk Potential
- Physiological Adaptation
- Psychiatric
- Reduction of Risk Potential
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Safe Effective Care Environment (Coordinated Care and Safety and Infection Control)
- Psychosocial Integrity
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) can get an Associate Degree in Nursing completely online to level up and have more job opportunities and career growth in the field. Individuals can complete the online lpn degree program for as little as a year while they continue working and practicing. Some health care facilities offer individuals a chance to undergo training as part of their own programs as training for LPN is continuous.
LPNs can also go on and enroll in any BSN programs online while they're already earning a living being an LPN. Gaining further knowledge through experience will help as well.
Top 7 Schools That Offer an LPN Program in Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)
5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, California 90032CBD College
5724 West 3rd Street, Third Floor, Los Angeles, California 90036Community Based Education Development (CBD)
5724 W. Third Street # 314, Los Angeles, California 90036Marian Health Careers Center
3325 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1010, Los Angeles, California 90010Mount St Mary's College (MSMC)
12001 Chalon Rd, Los Angeles, California 90049University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, California 90095Walter Jay MD Institute An Educational Center
1930 Wilshire Blvd Ste 700, Los Angeles, California 90057