ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO BE A LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE?

Nursing is one profession that is just as committed to health care as being a doctor. Think about it! Doctors can only do so much but almost all backup care and maintenance is carried out by caring nurses who keep a sharp eye out for sudden changes in your condition when you are admitted in a hospital. They are also responsible for ensuring that you are comfortable and well-cared for and when you leave the hospital; you are hale and hearty! As a result, if you are seriously contemplating a profession as a licensed practical nurse then there are a few things you should be aware of!

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The exact educational requirements before you can be a Licensed Practical Nurse depend on the state you stay in. Before you actually start your LPN course you have to get in touch with the local state Board of Nurses to find out your eligibility for the course. Since the year 2002, the National Council of State Boards of Nurses has attempted to standardize the educational entry requirements for students who want to be LPN ’s by asking states to sign on to a common agreement. As a result, several states follow the standardized entry requirements and you will be able to enter a course depending on whether the state has signed the NCSBN agreement.

1. Before you can gain entry into the course, you will also have to complete a few preparatory courses like basic math, human anatomy, microbiology and Basic English to prepare you for the LPN course. These can be a part of your high school electives as they are a part of the curriculum and they provide a very good base for further nursing education.
2. You will also need a reasonable GED score to gain entry into the course.
3. If you have any volunteer experience in nursing make sure you have the certificates and transcripts of them ready to add to your application letter. Almost all colleges now have an online form that is much easier to fill and submit.

Physical requirements

The LPN nursing course has several physical requirements too that you have to fulfill. A part of the LPN duties include physically moving handicapped patients from one area to another, bathing and changing their clothing. Sometimes patients can be totally uncooperative, comatose, or even violent under the influence of dangerous drugs. They can injure an unprepared LPN quite severely.  As a result, LPN trainees have to have a definite physical strength to deal with such substantial tasks. Essential physical criteria include:

• The ability to lift heavy weights up to 70 pounds or more
• Carrying of incapacitated patients up to 45 pounds in weight
• Pulling and pushing of emergency carts and stretchers in routine shift of 8 hours or more
• The use of hands and shoulders to fill in insurance forms, entry forms and to reach to high up places to replace IVs and other appliances.
• Helping patients to replace or attach new prostheses and carrying such prostheses for patients who cannot do so themselves
• Repeated standing, walking, squatting and running in the normal 8 hours shifts required for a normal LPN schedule
• Operating and shifting heavy medical equipment like mobile X-rays devices, sonograph machines, IV stands, radiation shields etc
• Near perfect vision to be able to read fine prints on medication bottles and history charts.

Mental requirements

Licensed Practical Nurse trainees are also assessed for their mental health levels too before they can be enrolled in the course. The LPN course teaches students to deal with the pain and trauma of clinically sick patient’s everyday. LPN’s can get very close to their patients and losing them to death can be a very traumatic experience for the family as well as the LPN. Similarly, Licensed Practical Nurses also had to deal with the fear, depression and grief of families and ill patients who have been told about a terminal diagnosis.  Apart from that, the course and eventually clinical practice under supervisory staff can be fraught with tensions and stresses. But dealing with it and continuing to care for patients is something that every LPN, nurse and doctor has to deal with. This is considered an essential part of a trainee practical nursing performance and each LPN trainee is assessed for-

• Capacity to understand and carry out physician printed instructions
• Capability of responding to verbal medical instructions.
• Capacity to multitask and perform many tasks at the same time
• The capacity to understand verbal criticism about academic and clinical performance and still improve
• The ability to maintain a healthy competition and respect for colleagues while still working in a high-stress environment

Background check

As a responsible nurse, you will be working in a hospital where drugs are freely available for patient use. Terminally ill patients require larger amounts of sedative drugs to make them comfortable during their last days. It’s not unknown to have dishonest Licensed Practical Nurses to take addictive medication and use it for criminal purposes. Most courses and hospitals will do a compulsory background criminal check to ensure you do have a criminal record or any kind. You will have to fill in a compulsory CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK form and a DRUG SCREENING FORM at all the colleges and hospitals you apply too.

After getting into the LPN degree

• Once you have been taken into the course you will have to finish the course in atleast a year. Please ensure that the course is accredited. You can easily check that by logging into the State Nursing Board Website to check for accreditation.
• Almost all community colleges, technical schools, and vocational nursing schools offer the course for students.
• A few colleges will also require you to take up a compulsory vaccination schedule to protect you against any infections you may pick up from patients while on your clinical training.
• Once you’ve finished the LPN course, you will have to complete a Practical Nurse training program and then sit for a practical nurse licensing exam called the NCLEX-PN.