Nurse (RN) Jobs

Nurses can be RNs, registered nurses, or LPNs, licensed practical nurses. The major differences between the two are the amount of education and job duties and authority. A Registered Nurse has the most training and education. Registered Nurses earn more and manage some aspects of the medical field. An LPNs’ primary job is to administer to patients while in the hospital and while being checked in. A registered nurse can oversee LPNs, assess patient care needs and plan patient care.

Those who wish to become Registered Nurses can start their careers by becoming an LPN. LPNs, also called LVNs in some states (licensed vocational nurses), can obtain appropriate training in about a year from a vocational school or a community college. LPNs can then go to work and get valuable experience while pursuing an associates degree or bachelors degree in nursing.

Not all who go through an LPN training program will want to become registered nurses. For those who choose to work in the medical field as LPNs, the choice comes as a desire to provide practical, hands on, compassionate care to patients. LPNs have the majority of the small care duties, which means they are responsible for making patients comfortable, checking vital signs, and cleaning and dressing wounds. When most people think of a nurse, the LPN is what they think of. This job can be demanding and heart-breaking because it requires true face-time with patients; some of them terminally ill, depressed, or in otherwise tragic circumstances. LPNs also deliver care to the elderly in nursing homes, or in-home care to aged, aging or disabled patients. In addition to school, every LPN will have to pass an examination called the National Council Licensure Examination, or, NCLX-LPN.

Registered Nurses oversee LPNs, plan care, and educate patients and their families about care. RNs also take and assess vital signs, assess and plan nutritional needs and educate patients and families about diseases and other health concerns. A Registered Nurse who has completed an LPN will have two to three additional years of education. To receive an associates degree in nursing, two years are required, for a bachelors degree, completion of a four year program, including the year obtaining an LPN, is needed. Many community colleges provide excellent nursing programs in partnership with local hospitals and other medical facilities. The bachelors degree in nursing may better qualified a nurse for management positions or to function as a head nurse, or might be a step towards a masters or doctoral degree. The starting pay for those with an associates degree over those with bachelors degree differs very minutely; nurses with a bachelors degree start out with about a three to five percent pay advantage over those with an associates. Nurses with a masters degree or a doctoral degree become Nurse Practitioners. Every RN will have to pass an exam called the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLX-RN.

Both RNs and LPNs are needed throughout the country and throughout the world. As of 2009 many hospitals and other medical facilities were still reporting a shortage of nursing, prompting concerns that, as baby boomers age, there will not be enough medical staff to care for them. Job prospects are, therefore, extremely good.