Being a part of the medical care field has a few prerequisites and it ranges from simple to complex ones, depending upon which role you want to take. One of the simple ways in being a part of the health care field is by becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN), it does not require much time and all you have to do is to complete certain courses and lpn programs and successfully pass a licensure exam. There are also a few training centers that offer online LPN courses.

A licensed practical nurse works under the supervision of doctors and registered nurses, a few of the basic jobs of the LPNs are taking vital signs, helping in simple medical procedures and providing injections, offering and assisting the requirements of the patient from food to personal hygiene, collecting lab samples and conduct laboratory tests and much more. LPNs can also be employed in different establishments from hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, home medical care services, and even more.

Nursing programs are mainly offered by state approved training centers located on vocation schools, higher secondary schools, junior colleges, technical schools, community colleges and hospitals. To complete a program, the trainees will need to attend classroom lecture and complete a certain number of hours as interns on clinics and hospitals. Additionally, there is the National Council Licensure Examination that needs to be passed for a student to turn into a licensed practical nurse.

These programs usually last from 9 to 18 months and there are also some schools that offer it in lesser time. The basic curriculum includes nutrition and diet therapy, psychiatric nursing, maternal child health, basics of nursing, contemporary health issues vocational adjustment, growth and development, intro to pharmacology, medical-surgical nursing, and anatomy and physiology. Additional courses include chemistry, emergency medical technology, first aid, and biology. The most notable schools which offer LPN programs are the Lincoln Technical Institute, National American University, Fortis College, Everest Institute, CDI College, and Sanford Brown College.

Moreover, one can also apply to lpn to rn programs and these would enable more opportunities and higher wages. A few of the universities and colleges that enable LPN to rn college programs are the Indiana State University, Kaplan University, Liberty University, Grand Canyon University, Walden University, Herzing University and many more.

In terms of salary, being a licensed practical nurse has its advantages. Since the demand for licensed practical nurses are high, the salary is also lucrative and could even increase as a person gets more experience. Yet another consideration on the salary is the type of hospital or health care and nursing home a person would work in.