Being a part of the medical care field has certain prerequisites and it ranges from simple to complex ones, depending on which role you wish to take. One of the simple ways in becoming a part of the medical care field is by becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN), it does not require a lot of time and all you need to do is to complete certain trainings and lpn programs and successfully pass a licensure examination. There are also a few training centers which offer online LPN courses.

A licensed practical nurse works under the guidance of doctors and registered nurses, some of the basic jobs of the LPNs are taking vital signs, helping in simple surgical procedures and providing injections, offering and assisting the requirements of the patient from food to hygiene, accumulating lab samples and do laboratory tests and a lot more. LPNs may also be employed in various establishments from hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, home health care services, and more.

Nursing programs are mostly provided by state approved training centers located on vocation schools, higher secondary schools, junior colleges, technical schools, community colleges and nursing homes. To complete a program, the students need to attend classroom lecture and complete a certain number of hours as interns on clinics and hospitals. There is also the National Council Licensure Examination that has to be passed for a trainee to turn into a licensed practical nurse.

These programs typically last from 9 to 18 months and there are also a number of schools offering it in lesser time. The basic program comprises of nutrition and diet therapy, psychiatric nursing, maternal child health, principles of nursing, contemporary health problems vocational adjustment, growth and development, introduction to pharmacology, medical-surgical nursing, and anatomy and physiology. More courses incorporate chemistry, emergency medical technology, first aid, and biology. The top schools that offer LPN programs are the Lincoln Technical Institute, National American University, Fortis College, Everest Institute, CDI College, and Sanford Brown College.

Furthermore, one could also apply to lpn to rn programs and these would allow for more opportunities and higher wages. A number of the universities and colleges that enable LPN to rn college programs are the Indiana State University, Kaplan University, Liberty University, Grand Canyon University, Walden University, Herzing University and more.

With regards to salary, being a licensed practical nurse has its own benefits. Since the demand for licensed practical nurses are high, the salary is also lucrative and can even increase as an individual gets more experience. Another consideration on the salary is the kind of hospital or health care and nursing home a person would work in.