Pursuing a practical nursing career is not a task to take lightly! If becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is on your mind, you might be wondering how to know if a nursing career is right for you. As you probably know, nursing careers demand long hours, flexibility, and stability when there is unpredictability. However, as an LPN, you also have the benefits of making an immensely impactful difference in others’ lives, earning high and stable wages, and only having to attend school for a year and a half.
There are many things to consider when contemplating a career in healthcare. So, how do you know if a career as a Licensed Practical Nurse is right for you? Here are a few things to consider:
Licensed Practical Nurse Job Duties
Qualities of a Licensed Practical Nurse
Lifestyle of a Licensed Practical Nurse
If you have any questions about Sprott Shaw College’s Practical Nursing program or fast-track bridging Practical Nursing Access program for Health Care Assistants, our advisors are here to help! Click the link below to complete a contact form, and we will get back to you soon.
Licensed Practical Nurse Job Duties
Being responsible for the wellbeing and care of others may seem simultaneously daunting and fulfilling. But there’s no need to worry! Your Practical Nursing education will provide you with training and real-world experience to prepare you for the field. Once you receive education and gain experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse, your job duties will quickly become less daunting, and you can perform them with confidence, allowing you to focus on the fulfilling aspects of the job.
Licensed Practical Nurse job duties are a combination of unpredictable and routine. Although there’s no telling who will be your patients and what might happen during a shift, an LPN’s responsibilities are usually the same day in and day out. LPNs’ work is primarily focused on performing routine check-ins and assessments, such as measuring temperature and blood pressure, and assisting with daily living activities, such as eating and bathing.
The main job duties that people are concerned about typically involve bodily fluids. LPNs are sometimes responsible for collecting urine, tissue, and fecal samples. According to the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), LPNs are not usually responsible for taking blood samples or starting IVs, so their work with needles is typically limited. Right now, the idea of fulfilling these tasks may make you feel uneasy, but by the time you graduate from our Practical Nursing program and become a Licensed Practical Nurse, you’ll already be used to these responsibilities thanks to your hands-on education and preceptorship that allow you to gain real-world experience.
For a more detailed overview of Licensed Practical Nurse job duties, check out our blog post “What Do LPNs Do?: A Day in the Life of a Licensed Practical Nurse”.
Qualities of a Licensed Practical Nurse
Although there is no one type of person who can become a Licensed Practical Nurse, there are a few key qualities that make for excellent LPNs. For example, one of the important qualities of a nurse is that they should be approachable. It’s crucial that patients feel comfortable telling their nurses what they’re experiencing so that their LPNs get an accurate picture of what their patient is experiencing and how they can help.
Another quality a nurse should have is the ability to stay calm under pressure. In the healthcare field, your day at work can present many unexpected or challenging situations. As a Licensed Practical Nurse, it is your responsibility to keep your cool when dealing with an uncooperative patient or addressing a patient’s decline in health. Your patients are likely experiencing something stressful, and your demeanour alone can reassure them that they can put their trust in you.
Lifestyle of a Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed Practical Nurses don’t typically have set working hours or working days. LPNs usually work in shifts, which can vary in length (typically between 8-12 hours), and their workdays and days off vary from week to week. Because of this, LPNs must be flexible since their schedule is fairly unpredictable. Although LPNs get their shift schedules ahead of time, there’s no saying what days they will and won’t be working in the future, so they must plan ahead by requesting certain days off in advance.
A major benefit of the scheduling system is that LPNs often get to choose between working full-time or part-time, and they can sometimes choose between eight-, ten-, or twelve-hour shifts. As opposed to an office job where employees work from 9:00AM to 5:00PM five days a week with no flexibility, as an LPN you can work longer days in order to work less days per week. An LPN’s work schedule may be less predictable, but it does allow for flexibility!
Launch Your Career with Sprott Shaw College!
Sprott Shaw College is one of the largest providers of Practical Nursing training in British Columbia. Our Practical Nursing students consistently boast high pass rates on the Practical Nurse regulatory exam (Rex-PN), demonstrating their readiness to provide excellent care. With campuses across the Lower Mainland, the Interior, on Vancouver Island, and in the Fraser Valley, we are one of the most accessible colleges in the province.
Have questions or ready to take the next step to become a Licensed Practical Nurse? Whether you’re looking to enroll or you want to learn more about our Practical Nursing program, our Admissions Advisors are here to help! They can answer any questions you have and guide you through the enrollment process when you’re ready. Click the button below to complete a contact form, and an advisor will get back to you soon!