Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses is the O*NET name for people who care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. The skills rated most useful are service orientation, social perceptiveness, and coordination. You may also need to observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action. Its interest code is SRC. Social leads at 5.5 out of 7, so expect helping, teaching or caring for people, with Realistic next at 4.6. Getting in usually takes one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree, a level O*NET calls medium preparation. If you want helping, teaching or caring for people, keep it on your list. If you need creative work with room for original expression, it may feel thin.
What they do
Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
Main tasks
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
Skills
- Service Orientation
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on service orientation and social perceptiveness.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.1 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SRC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Some College Courses. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Charge Nurse
- Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN)
- Clinic Nurse
- Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN)
- Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.