Definition of a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

A Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) is a medical practitioner who is responsible for the most physically demanding job in the hospital including bathing and feeding the patients and cleaning the hospital rooms. LVN practitioners (also known as Licensed Practical Nurse in some states) also work under the supervision of Registered Nurses (RNs) and doctors.

Meanwhile, LVN practitioners also have restricted job responsibility in their working place. They cannot administer some medical procedures which are done by RNs including Intravenous Line (some states allow these procedures).

The importance of taking RN programs

The advantage of taking LVN is that you only have to study for a short period of time, which usually takes one year to complete compared to RN programs which usually take two years for Associate Nurse or four years when obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Also, the tuition fee for LVN is also lower than RN programs.

While it is true that LVN programs are shorter than RN courses, practitioners usually get the lowest salary among medical professions (with a salary only half of RNs). But despite the meager salary (ranging from $24,000 to $48,000 annually), LVN practitioners get the dirtiest and most physically demanding job in the hospital.

For those LVNs who want to receive higher salary, the best career move is to obtain RN degree. You can either be an Associate Nurse which takes two to three years, or a degree holder of Bachelor of Science in Nursing which takes four to five years.

Meanwhile, most LVNs decided to take RN programs because they want to have more career opportunities. Since there are some states which do not hire LVNs, it can be a major concern for some people. And because LVN practitioners cannot do most medical procedures, most hospitals would just prefer to hire RN graduates who can do more procedures and even have specialized skills.

But despite some restrictions, there are still some doctors and hospitals which prefer to hire an LVN than RN because the former has lower salary. LVNs are also an effective hospital employee because they are also trained to do CPR, measure blood pressure, take medical history of the patients, and give injections.

The advantages one gets after taking RN programs

While taking LVN is a good stepping stone for some people who want to work in hospitals, there are some who prefer to take another career step by enrolling in RN programs.

One major reason for people who want to become RNs is to have higher salary. Because an LVN practitioner salary is only half of RNs’, many people have decided to take another career path in RN.

Another advantage of taking RN programs is that you will have better career opportunity because hospitals and doctors prefer to hire RNs because these people have specialized skills than LVNs. And because of you will have a better educational background after taking RN courses, you can have better position in the hospital and even hired as a management staff which means your work is less physically demanding than LVN practitioners.

Because of the current work competition nowadays, it is better to take RN programs to make yourself more appealing to employers.

Two options for LVN practitioners

• You can take Associate Nurse degree which usually takes around two to three years. After finishing this, you will have to take National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to receive a license. For those who are concerned that they cannot study because they are working in a hospital, there are many online schools where they can enroll. One major advantage of studying in an online school is that students can finish their course for 18 months.
• You can also take a degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While this can take you four to five years to complete, it is truly worth it as you can have better job opportunities, higher salary, and better position because you will have specialized skills. There are also online schools which can provide this course that will make it easier for you to juggle your time in studying and working. After finishing your curriculum, you are also required to take NCLEX-RN.

For those who are concerned that they cannot afford to study, there are many financial aids provided by government, non-government organizations, and private groups. There are also some schools which provide its students with easy payment mode and employer tuition reimbursement.