What are Licensed Vocational Nurses?
A Licensed Vocational Nurse or LVN normally works under the supervision of a physician or a Registered Nurse, but the duties and licensing vary from state to state. Generally the program is approximately twelve to fourteen months depending on the state for licensure and is a stepping stone to becoming a registered nurse.
The LVN training includes courses that prepares the student for nursing and familiarizes them with the respiratory system, the reproductive system, the endocrine system, immunology, oncology, the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal system, the integumentary system, the musculoskeletal system, oncology, obstetrics and pediatrics to name a few.
LVNs usually work in a hospital but can be employed in skilled nursing facilities, schools, clinics, home health care agencies, physician’s offices and even correctional facilities. Their duties include assisting with the daily activities of a patient that might include assisting with food service, bathing, dressing changes and inserting catheters. They are likely to take a patient’s vital signs and in some states they would start and hang an IV or draw blood for laboratory work. Other activities might include changing linens on beds, assisting patients with other activities like shaving or other personal care.
Many people who are training to be a registered nurse become a licensed vocational nurse so that they can be working while they are still in school to become a nurse. This gives them on-the-job training so to speak and is invaluable in assisting them in giving them firsthand knowledge on what they will be dealing with once they become a registered nurse. With doctors spending less time with their patients, it makes sense that there are nurses of all levels that are available to provide the variety of services needed for a patient that is in a hospital or other healthcare facility and a licensed vocational nurse offers a valuable service.
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