Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse

 

Career Description

Licensed practical nurses (LPN) provide bedside care to patients and perform various nursing duties. Under the direct supervision of registered nurses and physicians, licensed practical nurses assume the responsibilities of taking vital signs, observing patients and seeing to their comfort, collecting specimens for laboratory tests, administering medications, dressing wounds, starting IVs and, in some cases, supervising nursing aides or assistants.

Academic Requirements

Entrance to a practical nurse educational program may require a high school diploma or its equivalent, although a diploma definitely is recommended. Of the close to 1,100 state-approved training programs, most are offered through vocational-technical schools and community or junior colleges. After a one-year educational program, graduates must pass the N-CLEX-PN examination.

Schools

Applied Technology Services West (Chesterfield)
314/989-7901

Chamberlain College of Nursing
800/942-4310

Four Rivers Career Center (Washington)
636/239-7777

Jefferson College (Hillsboro)
636/797-3000

Sanford-Brown College - St. Charles
314/724-7100

St. Charles Community College
636/922-8000

St. Louis College of Health Careers
314/845-6100

St. Louis Community College - Forest Park
314/644-9234

View Nursing Schools in St. Louis

Professional Associations

National
American Nurses Association
Discover Nursing
National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service Inc.
National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses Inc.
National League for Nursing

State
Missouri Nursing Coalition
Missouri Professional And Practical Nursing Student Loan Program
Missouri State Board of Nursing

Additional Information

Learn More About Nursing
Read Personal Accounts of Current Nurses