Thinking of an LPN or RN Nursing Career?
Are you thinking of a nursing career in the US today? It’s worth understanding the career paths available to you in order to make an informed choice about what you want to do and where you want to take your career.
Although there are many nursing options available for students, we will look closely at 2 distinct careers, the Licensed Practical Nurse or LPN and the more advanced Registered Nurse or RN. The lower qualification is sometimes referred to as a Licensed Vocational Nurse or LVN, but the qualification is the same as the LPN.
Let’s start by looking at the RN qualification. This takes between two and four years of study depending on the qualification being studied, with the Associates Degree taking two years and the Bachelors Degree taking four years. Entry is usually via a high school diploma or GED. After graduation you will need to pass the national exam for nurses, known as the NCLEX-RN or National Council Licensure Examination. Success in this exam means that you can actually practice as a Registered Nurse.
So what about the LPN qualification? Although this is not as advanced as the RN qualification, it is still a significant course of study and the education lasts for a year. The training is offered by a number of hospitals and schools and requires graduates to also pass the NCLEX-PN examination before being allowed to practice.
The NCLEX examinations are demanding and you will be expected to clearly demonstrate your abilities if you want to pass. This applies to either the RN or the LPN qualification.
The RN course is divided into a number of study categories;
- Safe and Effective Care Environment, made up of the Management of Care and Safety and Infection Control.
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity and Physiological Integrity, made up of Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological and Parental Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential and Physiological Adaptation.
- Integrated Processes which consists of Nursing Process, Caring, Communication and Documentation, and Teaching and Learning.
The LPN course is divided into the following study categories;
- Safe and Effective Care Environment, made up of Coordinated Care and Safety and Infection Control
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity and Physiological Integrity, which is made up of Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential and Physiological Adaptation
- Integrated Processes, which consists of the Clinical Problem-solving Process, Caring, Communication and Documentation, and Teaching and Learning.
Be prepared to be subjected to Computer Adaptive Testing as administration of the NCLEX uses this method of assessment. Basically this means that as you answer the questions, the computer selects subsequent questions based on the earlier answers. Questions continue until the computer eventually decides if you have passed or failed. The minimum number of questions is 75 and the maximum is 265 for the RN qualification and the minimum is 85 and the maximum is 205 for the LPN qualification.
The examination themselves can last for up to 6 hours in the case of the RN and up to 5 hours for the LPN, and you can also expect to be able to demonstrate your ability to interpret charts and tables accurately in either exam.
With most courses, either LPN or RN, you can also expect to be subjected to further selection criteria such as aptitude tests to ensure that you are actually suited for the career and also some form of intelligence type tests to ensure that you have the intellectual capacity for the level of study required.
Whatever you decide, you will enter a profession which is both challenging and rewarding.
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