Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse

 

Career Description

Licensed practical nurses (LPN) provide bedside care to patients and perform various nursing duties. Under the direct supervision of registered nurses and physicians, licensed practical nurses assume the responsibilities of taking vital signs, observing patients and seeing to their comfort, collecting specimens for laboratory tests, administering medications, dressing wounds, starting IVs and, in some cases, supervising nursing aides or assistants.

Annual Salary

Entry: $27,768	Mean: $33,197	Experienced: $39,686
Source: Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council, 2006 Salary Data

Hourly Wage

Entry: $13.35	Mean: $15.96	Experienced: $19.08
Source: Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council, 2006 Salary Data

Academic Requirements

Entrance to a practical nurse educational program may require a high school diploma or its equivalent, although a diploma definitely is recommended. Of the close to 1,100 state-approved training programs, most are offered through vocational-technical schools and community or junior colleges. After a one-year educational program, graduates must pass the N-CLEX-PN examination.

Schools

Colorado Technical University North Kansas City
816/472-7400

Concorde Career College
816/531-5223

Johnson County Community College
913/469-8500

Northland Career Center
816/858-5505

Northeast Kansas Technical College
913/367-6204

Penn Valley Community College
816/759-4000

Warrensburg Area Vocational Technical School
660/747-2283

View Nursing Schools in Kansas City

Professional Associations

National
American Nurses Association
Discover Nursing
National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service Inc.
National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses Inc.
National League for Nursing

State
Missouri Nursing Coalition
Missouri Professional And Practical Nursing Student Loan Program
Missouri State Board of Nursing

Additional Information

Learn More About Nursing
Read Personal Accounts of Current Nurses