#PHSfit Career of the Day: Licensed Practical Nurse

Licensed practical nurses (known as LPNs) provide basic medical care. They work under the direction of registered nurses and doctors. Duties of LPNs vary, depending on their work setting, For example, they may teach family members how to care for a relative; help to deliver, care for, and feed infants; collect samples for testing and do routine laboratory tests; or feed patients who need help eating. Because medical care is regulated, LPNs may be limited to doing certain tasks, depending on their state. In some states, for example, LPNs with proper training can give medication or start intravenous (IV) drips, while in other states they cannot. State regulations govern the extent to which LPNs must be directly supervised; for example, an LPN may provide certain forms of care only with instructions from a registered nurse. LPNs must complete an accredited program, which takes about 1 year. These programs are commonly in technical schools and community colleges. They may occasionally be in high schools and hospitals as well. Practical nursing programs combine classroom learning in subjects such as nursing, biology, and pharmacology, with supervised clinical experience.
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm