Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

What Does a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Do?

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.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
• 2Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
• 3Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
• 4Provide 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.
• 5Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
• 6Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
• 7Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
• 8Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.

Required Skills

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Monitoring
• Reading Comprehension
• Critical Thinking
• Diagnostic and procedural coding software
• eClinicalWorks EHR software
• Electronic medical record EMR software
• Epic Systems
• FaceTime
• Google Drive
• Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
• Infusion management software
• Inventory tracking software
• Medical condition coding software

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Salary