Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing Programs
How to Enroll In the Best One Near Dover New Hampshire

A first step that you need to take after making the decision to become a Licensed Practical Nurse is to locate and enroll in the right LPN college near Dover NH that will help guarantee your entrance into the gratifying vocation of nursing. If you reside in Texas or California, then you will be looking for a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) school instead. There is no distinction, apart from the names, between an LPN and LVN. They both practice in health care facilities under the supervision of Registered Nurses (RN) or Doctors and fulfill the same job functions. But their functions do vary depending on the state they practice in, which we will look at in the following section. Many nursing candidates begin by looking for schools that are close to their homes and of those lean towards the one that has the lowest tuition. But there are other qualifications that a school must have and a decision should not be made based on location and cost alone. For example are the schools accredited or do they have high pass rates on the licensing exam, which are both extremely important as well. There are even more questions that you should ask potential schools before enrolling in a LPN or LVN training program that we will address later in this article. But to start with, let's look at the role of an LPN and what is involved in the education and licensing process.

It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your LPN or LVN Career Below

LPN and LVN Job Description

Licensed Practical Nurses have numerous tasks that they complete in the Dover NH health care facilities where they work. As their titles indicate, they are required to be licensed in all states, including New Hampshire. While they may be responsible for managing Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves typically work under the direction of either an RN or a doctor. The medical facilities where they work are numerous and varied, including hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anyplace that you can encounter patients seeking medical assistance is their domain. Each state not only controls their licensing, but also what work activities an LPN can and can't perform. So depending on the state, their daily job activities may include:

• • Checking vital signs
  • Giving medicines
  • Initiating IV drips
  • Overseeing patients
  • Getting blood or urine samples
  • Keeping patient records
  • Supporting doctors or RNs with procedures

In addition to their job duties being controlled by each state, the health care facilities or other Dover NH healthcare providers where LPNs work can further limit their job roles within those parameters. In addition, they can practice in different specialties of nursing, which include long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN and LVN Degree and Certificate Programs

There are basically two academic credentials available that provide education to become an LPN near Dover NH. The one that can be completed in the shortest period of time, normally about twelve months, is the certificate or diploma course. The second choice is to attain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma alternative and typically require 2 years to complete. The benefit of Associate Degrees, besides providing a higher credential and more comprehensive training, are that they furnish more transferable credit toward a Bachelor's Degree in nursing. Regardless of the kind of credential you seek, it should be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or some other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC guarantees that the core curriculum adequately prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that the majority of graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

Online LPN and LVN Programs

Attending LPN or LVN schools online is becoming a more preferred way to obtain instruction and earn a nursing certificate or degree in Dover NH. 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 balance of the training may be accessed online, this alternative may be a more convenient answer to finding the time to attend school for many students. Pertaining to tuition, many online degree programs are cheaper than other on campus alternatives. Even supplemental expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be lessened, helping to make education more easily affordable. And a large number of online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. So if your work and family commitments have left you with limited time to work toward your academic goals, maybe an online LPN school will make it easier to fit a degree into your hectic schedule.

Questions to Ask LPN and LVN Schools

Now that you have decided on obtaining your LPN or LVN certificate or degree, and if you will attend classes on campus or online, you can utilize the following checklist to begin narrowing down your options. As you no doubt are aware, there are many nursing schools and colleges near Dover NH as well as within New Hampshire and throughout the United States. So it is important to lower the number of schools to choose from so that you will have a workable list. As we previously discussed, the site of the school along with the cost of tuition are undoubtedly going to be the primary two things that you will take into consideration. But as we also stressed, they should not be your sole qualifiers. So before making your ultimate selection, use the following questions to see how your selection compares to the field.

• Accreditation. It's a good idea to make sure that the certificate or degree program as well as the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. In addition to helping verify that you obtain a quality education, it may help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not offered for non-accredited schools near Dover NH.
• Licensing Preparation. Licensing prerequisites for LPNs and LVNs are different from state to state. In all states, a passing score is required on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) as well as graduation from an accredited school. Some states require a specific number of clinical hours be completed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It's essential that the school you are attending not only provides an exceptional education, but also readies you to meet the minimum licensing requirements for New Hampshire or the state where you will be practicing.
• Reputation. Visit internet rating companies to see what the reviews are for each of the LPN or LVN schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews too. Additionally, check with the New Hampshire school licensing authority to check out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can contact some nearby Dover NH healthcare organizations you're interested in working for after graduation and ask what their judgements are of the schools as well.
• Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the LPN or LVN programs 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 dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It's also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only substantiate that the school has a superb reputation within the Dover NH medical community, but that it also has the network of contacts to assist students attain a position.
• Internship Programs. The most ideal way to obtain experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical setting. Essentially all nursing degree programs require a specific number of clinical hours be completed. Various states have minimum clinical hour prerequisites for licensing also. Check if the schools have a working relationship with nearby Dover NH community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placing of students in internships.

Learn More About Learning to Become an LVN or LPN in Dover

Enroll in the Best Dover LPN or LVN School

Deciding on the right Licensed Practical Nurse program is arguably the most crucial step to beginning a new career in the healthcare field. There are a number of variables that you must consider when selecting a nursing school. These variables will be prioritized differently depending on your current career goals, obligations, and economic status. As we have emphasized in this post, it is important that you choose an LPN college and a certificate or degree program that are each accredited and have excellent reputations within the health care community. By using our checklist of qualifying questions, you will be able to create a shortlist of schools to pick from so that you can make your final selection. And with the right degree and training, combined with your hard work and drive to succeed, you can become an LPN or LVN in Dover New Hampshire.

 

DOVER LPN OR LVN COURSES NEAR ME | DOVER LPN OR LVN TRAINING NEAR ME