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Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Occupation Detailed Description

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

The main tasks and work activities of Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are to record patient medical histories, monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities, administer intravenous medications, measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients. In general, for the Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, service Orientation, speaking, active Listening, reading Comprehension and other 15 skills are required.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses jobs.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
0.00%
Post-Secondary Certificate
43.43%
Some College Courses
34.98%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
20.33%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
1.26%

Tasks and Work Activities of Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

  • Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
  • Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
  • Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
  • Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
  • 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.
  • Help patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, or standing and walking.
  • Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
  • 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.
  • Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
  • 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 patients for examinations, tests, or treatments and explain procedures.
  • Prepare or examine food trays for conformance to prescribed diet.
  • Apply compresses, ice bags, or hot water bottles.
  • Clean rooms and make beds.
  • Inventory and requisition supplies and instruments.
  • Provide medical treatment or personal care to patients in private home settings, such as cooking, keeping rooms orderly, seeing that patients are comfortable and in good spirits, or instructing family members in simple nursing tasks.
  • Sterilize equipment and supplies, using germicides, sterilizer, or autoclave.
  • Assist in delivery, care, or feeding of infants.
  • Assisting and Caring for OthersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Record patient medical histories.
  • Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
  • Administer intravenous medications.
  • Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
  • Apply bandages, dressings, or splints.
  • Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
  • Assist patients with hygiene or daily living activities.
  • Supervise patient care personnel.
  • Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
  • Analyze quantitative data to determine effectiveness of treatments or therapies.
  • Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
  • Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
  • Collect biological specimens from patients.
  • Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.
  • Prepare patients physically for medical procedures.
  • Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
  • Manage preparation of special meals or diets.
  • Treat patients using physical therapy techniques.
  • Clean medical equipment or facilities.
  • Order medical supplies or equipment.

Skills and Abilities for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Management of Personnel ResourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Time SharingThe ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Static StrengthThe ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Speed of ClosureThe ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Abdominal binderse.g. Abdominal binders
  • Patient care beds or accessories for specialty caree.g. Air fluidized beds
  • Patient stabilization or fall prevention devices or accessoriese.g. Ankle restraints
  • Apnea monitors or accessoriese.g. Apnea monitors
  • Automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddlese.g. Automated external defibrillators AED
  • Spirometers or its accessories or its suppliese.g. Automated spirometers
  • Intravenous or arterial infusion single port bags or containerse.g. Bag infusion systems
  • Leg traction suppliese.g. Balkan frames
  • Glucose monitors or meterse.g. Blood glucometers
  • Blood transfusion filters or screens or accessoriese.g. Blood transfusion drip regulators
  • Orthopedic traction hardware or weightse.g. Bucks extensions
  • Butterfly needlese.g. Butterfly needles
  • Canes or cane accessoriese.g. Canes
  • Capillary or hematocrit tubese.g. Capillary tubes
  • Patient care beds or accessories for specialty caree.g. Circo-electric beds
  • Clinical trapeze barse.g. Clinical trapezes
  • Intravenous or arterial infusion single port bags or containerse.g. Closed infusion systems
  • Nebulizer or accessoriese.g. Compressor tabletop nebulizers
  • Continuous passive motion CPM devices or accessoriese.g. Continuous passive motion CPM equipment
  • Crutches or crutch accessoriese.g. Crutches
  • Medicine and DentistryKnowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • PsychologyKnowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Therapy and CounselingKnowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • ChemistryKnowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
  • Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Sociology and AnthropologyKnowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.