What is a LP or LV Nurse?

Career Description Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.

Life As a LP or LV Nurse

• Measure and record patients’ vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
• Prepare or examine food trays for conformance to prescribed diet.
• Record food and fluid intake and output.
• Provide medical treatment or personal care to patients in private home settings, such as cooking, keeping rooms orderly, seeing that patients are comfortable and in good spirits, or instructing family members in simple nursing tasks.
• Sterilize equipment and supplies, using germicides, sterilizer, or autoclave.
• Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.

Things a LP or LV Nurse Should Know How to Do

When polled, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Types of LP or LV Nurse Jobs

• Triage Licensed Practical Nurse (TRIAGE LPN)
• Office Nurse
• Private Duty Nurse
• Home Health Care Provider
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

What Kind of LP or LV Nurse Job Opportunities Are There?

In the United States, there were 724,500 jobs for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in 2016.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.3% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 88,900 new jobs for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 62,700 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are Texas, California, and New York.

Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Wisconsin, or Rhode Island. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

The average yearly salary of a LP or LV Nurse ranges between $33,680 and $62,160. The median salary is $46,240.

How much do Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses make in each U.S. state?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Rhode Island	$59,130
Massachusetts	$58,990
Alaska	$58,250
Nevada	$57,140
Connecticut	$56,970
New Jersey	$56,290
California	$56,200
Washington	$55,420
Arizona	$54,090
Maryland	$53,650
District of Columbia	$53,370
Oregon	$53,240
Delaware	$52,860
New Hampshire	$52,510
Colorado	$51,210
Illinois	$51,080
Hawaii	$50,930
Vermont	$49,720
Michigan	$49,040
New York	$48,770
Utah	$48,130
Pennsylvania	$48,120
New Mexico	$47,560
Minnesota	$47,020
Texas	$46,990
Wyoming	$46,790
North Dakota	$46,410
Maine	$45,610
Wisconsin	$45,290
Virginia	$44,850
North Carolina	$44,610
Florida	$44,400
Indiana	$44,310
Idaho	$44,280
Montana	$43,770
Ohio	$43,430
Kansas	$43,240
Nebraska	$43,160
Iowa	$42,820
Missouri	$42,580
Kentucky	$41,920
Georgia	$41,690
Oklahoma	$41,260
South Carolina	$40,890
Tennessee	$40,120
Arkansas	$39,570
Louisiana	$39,480
South Dakota	$38,630
Alabama	$38,230
Mississippi	$37,930
West Virginia	$36,770

Tools & Technologies Used by Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

• Medical procedure coding software
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Outlook
• Epic Systems
• Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
• Microsoft Excel
• MEDITECH software
• Medical condition coding software

How to Become a LP or LV Nurse

Are there Licensed Practical or Licensed Vocational Nurse education requirements?

How Long Does it Take to Become LP or LV Nurse?

Where Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Are Employed

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons