Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing Programs
How to Find the Best One Near Kings Park West Virginia

A first step that you need to take after deciding to become a Licensed Practical Nurse is to find and enroll in the right LPN school near Kings Park West VA that will help you enter 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. Other than the titles, there is no difference between an LPN and LVN. They both work in medical facilities supervised by Physicians and Registered Nurses and fulfill the same job duties. However their duties do vary depending on the state they practice in, which we will look at in the following section. When beginning their search for schools, many prospective nursing students begin with the ones that are the closest to their homes or that are the least costly. While cost and location are significant considerations, they are not the only qualifications that you should base your decision on. Such as are the schools accredited or do they have high pass rates on the licensing exam, which are both extremely important too. There are various other questions that you should ask potential schools before enrolling in a LPN or LVN course that we will talk about 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.

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What is an LPN or LVN?

Licensed Practical Nurses have many duties that they accomplish in the Kings Park West VA medical facilities where they practice. As their titles indicate, they are required to be licensed in all states, including Virginia. Even though they may be responsible for supervising Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves usually work under the guidance of either an RN or a doctor. The medical facilities where they work are numerous and assorted, including hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anyplace that you can encounter patients requiring medical treatment is their domain. Every state not only oversees their licensing, but also what work activities an LPN can and can't perform. So depending on the state, their everyday work activities might include:

• • Taking vital signs
  • Administering medicines
  • Starting IV drips
  • Overseeing patients
  • Getting blood or urine samples
  • Maintaining patient records
  • Helping doctors or Registered nurses with procedures

Along with their work functions being controlled by each state, the healthcare facilities or other Kings Park West VA healthcare providers where LPNs work can further limit their job duties within those parameters. Also, they can practice in various specialties of nursing, which include long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN and LVN Training Programs

There are basically two scholastic credentials available that provide education to become an LPN near Kings Park West VA. The one that can be completed in the shortest time frame, typically about 12 months, is the certificate or diploma course. The second alternative is to earn a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma alternative and generally require 2 years to finish. The advantage of Associate Degrees, along with offering a higher credential and more extensive instruction, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor's Degree in nursing. Regardless of the kind of credential you seek, it needs to be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or another national accrediting organization. The NLNAC attests that the course of study adequately prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that most graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

LPN and LVN Online Programs

Enrolling in LPN or LVN programs online is growing into a more favored way to get instruction and earn a nursing certificate or degree in Kings Park West VA. Some schools will require attending on campus for a component of the training, and virtually all programs call for a specified amount of clinical rotation hours carried out in a local healthcare center. But since the rest of the training can be accessed online, this option may be a more practical solution to finding the free time to attend classes for many students. Regarding tuition, a number of online degree programs are less costly than other on campus options. Even additional expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be minimized, helping to make education more affordable. And a large number of online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. So if your work and family responsibilities have left you with little time to work toward your academic goals, maybe an online LPN program will make it more convenient to fit a degree into your busy schedule.

Questions to Ask LPN and LVN Programs

Now that 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 utilize the following pointers to start narrowing down your choices. As you no doubt realize, there are numerous nursing schools and colleges near Kings Park West VA as well as within Virginia and throughout the United States. So it is necessary to decrease the number of schools to choose from in order that you will have a manageable list. As we already pointed out, the location of the school and the price of tuition are probably going to be the initial two things that you will look at. But as we also emphasized, they should not be your only qualifiers. So prior to making your final choice, use the following questions to see how your selection compares to the other programs.

• 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 acknowledged accrediting organization. Aside from helping verify that you receive an excellent education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often not provided for non-accredited schools near Kings Park West VA.
• Licensing Preparation. Licensing prerequisites 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) in addition to graduation from an accredited school. Certain states require a specified 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 outstanding education, but also preps you to meet the minimum licensing standards for Virginia or the state where you will be practicing.
• Reputation. Visit internet rating services to see what the reviews are for each of the LPN or LVN schools you are looking into. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews too. Additionally, check with the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can contact some nearby Kings Park West VA healthcare organizations you're interested in working for after graduation and ask what their assessments 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 substantiate that the school has a good reputation within the Kings Park West VA healthcare community, but that it also has the network of relationships to help students gain a position.
• Internship Programs. The best way to acquire experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical environment. Virtually all nursing degree programs require a certain number of clinical hours be completed. Various states have minimum clinical hour mandates for licensing also. Ask if the schools have associations with local Kings Park West VA community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placement of students in internships.

Learn More About Training to Be an LVN or LPN in Kings Park West

Enroll in the Right Kings Park West LPN or LVN Program

Picking the right Licensed Practical Nurse program is probably the most crucial first step to launching a new career in the medical care industry. There are many aspects that you must take into account when choosing a nursing school. These factors will be prioritized differently contingent on your current career objectives, obligations, and economic situation. As we have emphasized within this article, it is critical that you choose 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 produce a shortlist of schools to select from so that you can make your ultimate selection. And with the appropriate degree and training, combined with your hard work and ambition to succeed, you can become an LPN or LVN in Kings Park West Virginia.

 

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