Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing Training Programs
How to Choose the Right One Near Brookline Massachusetts

One of the first things that you need to do after making the decision to become a Licensed Practical Nurse is to find and enroll in the right LPN school near Brookline MA that will help you enter the gratifying vocation of nursing. California or Texas students will instead enroll in an LVN school to train to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse. There is no difference, except for the names, between an LVN and an LPN. They both practice in health care facilities supervised by Physicians and Registered Nurses and fulfill identical job duties. Although, as we will discuss in this report, their routine job activities can vary depending on the state where they are practicing. When beginning their search for schools, many potential nursing students begin with those that are the nearest to their homes or that are the least expensive. But there are other credentials that a school must have and a decision should not be made based on location and cost alone. Such as do the schools offer job placement assistance and do they have high placement rates, which are both extremely important as well. There are additional questions that you should ask potential schools before enrolling in a LPN or LVN course that we will address later in this article. But to start with, let's have a look at the role of an LPN and what is involved in the training and licensing process.

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What does an LPN or LVN Do?

Licensed Practical Nurses have many different tasks that they carry out in the Brookline MA health facilities where they work. As their titles signify, they are required to be licensed in all states, including Massachusetts. Even though they may be accountable for overseeing Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves usually work under the guidance of either an RN or a doctor. The health care facilities where they work are numerous and assorted, for instance hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anywhere that you can find patients in need of medical treatment is their domain. Every state not only regulates their licensing, but also what functions an LPN can and can't perform. So depending on the state, their day-to-day work activities can include:

• • Checking vital signs
  • Providing medicines
  • Initiating IV drips
  • Monitoring patients
  • Getting blood or urine samples
  • Managing patient records
  • Supporting doctors or Registered nurses with procedures

Along with their work responsibilities being mandated by each state, the health facilities or other Brookline MA healthcare providers where LPNs work can further limit their job roles within those parameters. Additionally, they can practice in numerous specialties of nursing, such as long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN and LVN Training

There are essentially two academic credentials offered that provide instruction to become an LPN near Brookline MA. The one that may be finished in the shortest time period, usually about 12 months, is the certificate or diploma course. The second option is to attain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma alternative and commonly require 2 years to complete. The benefit of Associate Degrees, in addition to supplying a higher credential and more extensive training, are that they furnish more transferable credit toward a Bachelor's Degree in nursing. No matter the kind of credential you seek, it should be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or any other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC warrants that the syllabus effectively prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that most graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

Online LPN and LVN Programs

Enrolling in LPN or LVN schools online is emerging as a more in demand way to receive training and acquire a nursing certificate or degree in Brookline MA. Certain schools will require attendance on campus for part of the training, and almost all programs call for a specific amount of clinical rotation hours performed in a local healthcare facility. But since the remainder of the training can be accessed online, this alternative may be a more convenient approach to finding the time to attend college for some students. Pertaining to tuition, a number of online degree programs are less expensive than other on campus alternatives. Even additional expenses such as for commuting and study materials can be reduced, helping to make education more economical. And numerous online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. Therefore if your work and household commitments have left you with very little time to work toward your academic goals, maybe an online LPN program will make it easier to fit a degree into your busy schedule.

Questions to Ask LPN and LVN Schools

Once you have decided on obtaining your LPN or LVN certificate or degree, and if you will attend classes on campus or on the web, you can use the following pointers to start narrowing down your options. As you no doubt realize, there are numerous nursing schools and colleges near Brookline MA as well as within Massachusetts and throughout the United States. So it is important to lower the number of schools to select from so that you will have a workable list. As we already mentioned, the site of the school and the expense of tuition are undoubtedly going to be the first two things that you will consider. But as we also emphasized, they should not be your only qualifiers. So prior to making your final choice, use the following questions to evaluate how your pick measures up to the field.

• Accreditation. It's a good idea to make sure that the certificate or degree program along with the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. In addition to helping verify that you receive an excellent education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not provided for non-accredited schools near Brookline MA.
• Licensing Preparation. Licensing criteria for LPNs and LVNs are different from state to state. In all states, a passing score is needed on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) together with graduation from an accredited school. Some states require a certain number of clinical hours be completed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It's important that the school you are enrolled in not only provides an exceptional education, but also preps you to meet the minimum licensing requirements for Massachusetts or the state where you will be practicing.
• Reputation. Visit online rating services to see what the reviews are for all of the LPN or LVN schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Also, contact the Massachusetts school licensing authority to find out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can call some local Brookline MA healthcare organizations you're interested in working for after graduation and ask what their opinions are of the schools as well.
• Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the LPN or LVN schools you are considering what their graduation rates are as well as how long on average it takes students to complete their programs. A low graduation rate may be an indication that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It's also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the Brookline MA medical community, but that it also has the network of relationships to help students obtain a position.
• Internship Programs. The most ideal way to acquire experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical setting. Almost all nursing degree programs require a certain number of clinical hours be completed. Various states have minimum clinical hour mandates for licensing as well. Check if the schools have associations with local Brookline MA community hospitals, clinics or labs and assist with the positioning of students in internships.

Learn More Info About Learning to Become an LPN or LVN in Brookline

Choose the Right Brookline LPN or LVN School

Enrolling in the ideal Licensed Practical Nurse program is arguably the most important step to launching a new career in the health care field. There are a number of variables that you must consider when deciding on a nursing school. These variables will be prioritized differently depending on your current career objectives, obligations, and financial situation. As we have stressed within this article, it is critical that you select an LPN college and a certificate or degree program that are each accredited and have exceptional reputations within the health care community. By using our list of qualifying questions, you will be able to develop a short list of schools to select from so that you can make your final selection. And with the right degree and training, combined with your dedication and drive to succeed, you can become a Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurse in Brookline Massachusetts.

 

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