Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing Courses
How to Choose the Best One Near Bay Shore New York

A first step that you need to take after making the decision to become a Licensed Practical Nurse is to find and enroll in the right LPN program near Bay Shore NY that will help guarantee your entrance into the gratifying vocation of nursing. Texas or California students will alternatively enroll in an LVN school to learn to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse. There is no difference, apart from the names, between an LVN and an LPN. They both practice in health care facilities under the supervision of Registered Nurses (RN) or Doctors and perform the same job duties. However their responsibilities do vary depending on the state they practice in, which we will address in the following segment. Many new students begin by searching for schools that are close to their homes and of those target the one that has the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are relevant factors, they are not the only criteria that you should base your selection on. 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 even more questions that you should ask potential schools before enrolling in a LPN or LVN course that we will cover later in this article. But to start with, let's look at the function of an LPN and what is involved in the instruction and licensing process.

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What is an LPN or LVN?

Licensed Practical Nurses have a number of functions that they perform in the Bay Shore NY health care facilities where they practice. As their titles indicate, they are required to be licensed in all states, including New York. While they may be accountable for supervising Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves normally work under the supervision of either an RN or a doctor. The medical facilities where they work are numerous and assorted, such as hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anyplace that you can find patients in need of medical attention is their dominion. Every state not only regulates their licensing, but also what work activities an LPN can and can't perform. So based on the state, their daily work functions might include:

• • Taking vital signs
  • Providing medicines
  • Starting IV drips
  • Observing patients
  • Taking blood or urine samples
  • Keeping patient records
  • Assisting physicians or RNs with procedures

In addition to their occupational duties being mandated by each state, the health facilities or other Bay Shore NY healthcare providers where LPNs work can additionally limit their job duties within those parameters. In addition, they can work in various specialties of nursing, including long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN and LVN Certificates and Degrees

There are essentially two scholastic credentials offered that provide instruction to become an LPN near Bay Shore NY. The one that may be completed in the shortest amount of time, commonly about 12 months, is the certificate or diploma program. The next option is to attain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma option and typically require 2 years to finish. The benefit of Associate Degrees, aside from providing a higher credential and more extensive instruction, are that they provide 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 some other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC attests that the core curriculum 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

Attending LPN or LVN programs online is growing into a more favored way to get instruction and earn a nursing certificate or degree in Bay Shore NY. 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 completed in a local healthcare center. But since the balance of the training can be accessed online, this option may be a more accommodating answer to finding the free time to attend college for some students. Pertaining to tuition, a number of online degree programs are cheaper than other on campus options. Even supplemental expenses such as for commuting and study materials can be reduced, helping to make education more economical. And a large number of online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. Therefore if your job and household responsibilities have left you with limited time to pursue your academic goals, it could be that an online LPN training program will make it more convenient to fit a degree into your hectic schedule.

Questions to Ask LPN and LVN Schools

Once you have decided on obtaining your LPN or LVN certificate or degree, as well as if you will attend classes on campus or on the internet, you can utilize the following checklist to begin narrowing down your choices. As you probably realize, there are a large number of nursing schools and colleges near Bay Shore NY as well as within New York and throughout the United States. So it is necessary to reduce the number of schools to choose from in order that you will have a manageable list. As we already mentioned, the location of the school as well as the price of tuition are probably going to be the initial two points that you will consider. But as we also stressed, they should not be your only qualifiers. So before making your final decision, use the following questions to evaluate how your pick compares to the other programs.

• 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. Besides helping confirm that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools near Bay Shore NY.
• Licensing Preparation. Licensing requirements for LPNs and LVNs differ from state to state. In all states, a passing score is needed on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) in addition to 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 important that the school you are enrolled in not only provides an excellent education, but also preps you to satisfy the minimum licensing standards for New York or the state where you will be practicing.
• Reputation. Visit online rating companies to see what the reviews are for all of the LPN or LVN schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Additionally, check with the New York school licensing authority to determine if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can call some nearby Bay Shore NY 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 schools you are looking at 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 substantiate that the school has a superb reputation within the Bay Shore NY medical community, but that it also has the network of contacts to help students obtain employment.
• Internship Programs. The best way to get experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical setting. Virtually all nursing degree programs require a certain number of clinical hours be completed. A number of states have minimum clinical hour mandates for licensing also. Find out if the schools have associations with local Bay Shore NY community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the positioning of students in internships.

Learn More About Learning to Become an LVN or LPN in Bay Shore

Enroll in the Best Bay Shore LPN or LVN School

Picking the right Licensed Practical Nurse school is potentially the most crucial first step to launching a new career in the health care industry. There are many aspects that you need to take into account when picking a nursing school. These variables will be prioritized differently depending on your existing career goals, obligations, and financial status. As we have stressed within this article, it is critical that you select an LPN school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have excellent reputations within the health care community. By utilizing our checklist 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 hard work and ambition to succeed, you can become a Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurse in Bay Shore New York.

 

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