If nothing feels more right than taking up a healthcare career, a licensed practical nurse is among the options. The employment rate of LPNs is set to increase thanks to the increasing aging population. However, working in nursing homes may not be in your plans. It may help to shed some light on various work settings that licensed nurses can work in, especially in hospitals.
What You May Not Know About a Licensed Practical Nurse
Like doctors, LPNs play a significant role in the healthcare sector by working with the support of registered nurses and physicians.
Their duties include:
- Checking patients’ vital signs.
- Changing the bandages.
- Keeping records of patients’ health to monitor progress.
- Feeding patients who are unable to feed themselves.
- Reporting any variations in the patients’ health to their supervisors.
Hospital Areas Suitable For LPNs
Working in a hospital setting may be fulfilling for you, and this could be in any public or private hospital. Regardless of how it fits into your ideal picture of offering significant help, the pressure in the daily activities can also be overwhelming. This includes long shifts in the ever-changing environment with a variety of situations. Typically, these are twelve-hour shifts with offs on the weekends and rotating shifts.
The services of hospital nurses are not limited to emergency wards, surgery facilities, and maternity departments. In most cases, the services include providing care to adversely ill patients and those who have undergone major surgery. With close supervision from a Registered Nurse (RN), an LPN can provide care to the patients.
Other Work Settings For LPNs
Licensed practical nurse jobs also include working at:
· Rehabilitation centers
After a major medical or surgical process, patients may need the care to gain back their initial skills, and that is where a practical nurse comes in. And just like in hospitals, a registered practical nurse works with a registered nurse to ensure the best care for patients. With additional help from speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists, the patient’s health will improve.
· Home or residential care
Family members of the ill patient may wish to live with them at home as they receive additional healthcare services. Patients will have different needs at this point, which influences the type of care required. Either way, it is likely to fall into one of the following: complex patients who require care several hours daily to give the family some time off, or where the LPN’s oversight is needed to ensure the patient is keeping up with the medical plan at home. It may incorporate giving insight into patient education. The work hours can be set daily or weekly, with episodic visits lasting around one to two hours.
· Schools
This is another reason practical nurse jobs don’t start and end at nursing homes. School children may require care for minor illnesses like lice or sore throat. The learning institutions needing LPNs or RNs include elementary schools, high schools, and universities. The schedule for LPN in such cases depends on the open school days and whenever learners are on site.
Despite licensed practical nurses working in a nursing home, their services extend to various parts of the hospital and other sectors like schools and rehabilitation centers. As you look forward to starting a promising career, getting your license from a credible institution is crucial, and one such place is Florida International College.