Pros & Cons of an LPN
Choosing to become a licensed practical nurse can be an excellent career decision. This job poses many challenges to a job, so you must be prepared to meet the daily demands and duties of caring for patients in many different types of environments. There are many pros and cons to becoming an LPN, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
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Career Opportunities
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Due to an increase in an aging population, nursing homes will qualified LPNs. There will always be sick and injured people so job security is high. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, nursing positions will be in demand indefinitely--job opportunities will increase by 21 percent from 2008 to 2018. Many of these jobs will be in hospitals, but due to an aging baby boomer populations, there are also alternative nursing career options such as home care, nursing home and outpatient clinic positions.
Patient and Staff Interaction
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A licensed practical nurse has one-on-one patient interaction. If you became a nurse's aide, you would be destined to work the menial jobs such as bathing patients, taking vital signs and making beds. As an LPN, you might do many of the same duties, but have much more patient interaction. As an LPN. you may administer most medications and injections and have one-on-one dialogues with doctors and other hospital personnel. The downside would be that a registered nurse would be the one who will be more able to consult with doctors, make decisions concerning patient care and delegate nursing duties to other staff.
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Schedules
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Many hospitals and nursing homes now offer four-day work weeks for nursing staff. This gives a person ample time to spend with family and friends. The negative aspect is that nurses are needed around the clock and that includes working evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. Having a regular weekday schedule is practically unheard of unless you are employed in a doctor or dentist's office or a daytime clinic.
Career Stepping Stone
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While an LPN is a higher position than a nurse's aide, it is still behind registered nurses in education, pay, job duties and responsibilities. An LPN can make her job a stepping stone to become a registered nurse with much more responsibility, a higher salary and sometimes more of a supervisory role.
Salary
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Considering the very short training time of approximately one year in a technical school or community college, this type of job can be quite lucrative, averaging approximately $39,000 per year. Taking the time to earn your registered nursing degree though would increase your earnings to a median salary of approximately $62,500.
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References
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