Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Charge Nurse; Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN); Clinic Nurse; Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN); Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN); Office Nurse; Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse); Private Duty Nurse; Radiation Oncology Nurse; Triage LPN (Triage Licensed Practical Nurse)

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.
• Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
• Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
• Record food and fluid intake and output.
• Assemble and use equipment, such as catheters, tracheotomy tubes, or oxygen suppliers.
• Collect samples, such as blood, urine, or sputum from patients, and perform routine laboratory tests on samples.
• Prepare or examine food trays for conformance to prescribed diet.
• Help patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, or standing and walking.
• Prepare patients for examinations, tests, or treatments and explain procedures.
• Apply compresses, ice bags, or hot water bottles.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• English Language
• Psychology
• Medicine and Dentistry
• Administration and Management
• Education and Training
• Therapy and Counseling
• Mathematics

Skills

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Monitoring
• Reading Comprehension
• Critical Thinking
• Active Learning
• Writing
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Speech Clarity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Near Vision
• Speech Recognition
• Written Expression
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Static Strength
• Trunk Strength
• Memorization
• Flexibility of Closure
• Selective Attention
• Time Sharing
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Manual Dexterity
• Finger Dexterity