Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses: Job Description
Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
What Tasks Do Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Do?
Typical responsibilities of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses cover:
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
- Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
- Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
What Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Need to Know
Top licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Charge Nurse
- Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN)
- Clinic Nurse
- Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN)
- Licensed Care Coordinator (LCC)
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
- Long Term Care LPN (Long Term Care Licensed Practical Nurse)
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 2,776,351 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +14.4% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $118,810 |
| Hourly median | $57.12 |
| 10th percentile | $70,839 |
| 25th percentile | $94,824 |
| 75th percentile | $142,796 |
| 90th percentile | $166,782 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Washington | $79,700 |
| Rhode Island | $77,940 |
| Alaska | $77,670 |
| California | $77,170 |
| Oregon | $76,570 |
| Massachusetts | $76,560 |
| New Hampshire | $74,660 |
| Arizona | $74,020 |
| Nevada | $73,820 |
| New Jersey | $71,180 |
| Maine | $70,870 |
| District of Columbia | $70,420 |
| Maryland | $69,870 |
| Connecticut | $69,130 |
| Colorado | $67,480 |
| Delaware | $66,090 |
| Illinois | $66,030 |
| Hawaii | $65,560 |
| Vermont | $64,560 |
| New York | $64,030 |
| Michigan | $63,810 |
| Indiana | $63,690 |
| Virginia | $62,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,010 |
| Wyoming | $61,880 |
| Idaho | $61,720 |
| Utah | $61,710 |
| North Carolina | $61,380 |
| Wisconsin | $61,040 |
| Ohio | $60,990 |
| Minnesota | $60,870 |
| North Dakota | $60,820 |
| New Mexico | $60,760 |
| Nebraska | $60,740 |
| Texas | $60,150 |
| Florida | $60,080 |
| Kansas | $59,920 |
| Montana | $59,750 |
| Iowa | $59,460 |
| South Carolina | $59,050 |
| Missouri | $59,030 |
| Georgia | $58,490 |
| Kentucky | $58,450 |
| Virgin Islands | $56,670 |
| Oklahoma | $55,870 |
| Tennessee | $54,530 |
| Louisiana | $53,930 |
| Arkansas | $51,030 |
| Alabama | $50,100 |
| West Virginia | $49,850 |
| South Dakota | $49,170 |
| Mississippi | $48,850 |
| Guam | $36,150 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,920 |
Where Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Earn the Most
Pay for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $77,115 | 14.9% | 0.98 |
| New England | $73,549 | 4.6% | 1.04 |
| Middle Atlantic | $65,158 | 15.6% | 1.05 |
| Rocky Mountains | $64,013 | 1.8% | 0.50 |
| Great Lakes | $62,858 | 13.7% | 1.14 |
| Southwest | $60,440 | 12.3% | 1.09 |
| Plains States | $59,505 | 7.6% | 1.11 |
| Southeast | $56,860 | 29.0% | 1.33 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $92,840 | 2,930 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $90,810 | 8,290 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $81,820 | 320 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | WA | $80,880 | 120 |
| Salinas, CA | CA | $80,600 | 630 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $80,480 | 3,500 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $80,380 | 800 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $80,180 | 820 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 543,940 | $61,990 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 30,580 | $75,730 |
| Educational Services | 13,320 | $52,160 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,170 | $63,450 |
| Finance and Insurance | 1,370 | $67,030 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,300 | $66,490 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,190 | $60,070 |
| Manufacturing | 250 | $60,650 |
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses reflects the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Telephone Conversations
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Physical Proximity
How to Become Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Most licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses positions require a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Physician Assistants (Supplemental)
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (Supplemental)
- Critical Care Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Midwives (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Aspiring licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
2 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-2061.00 (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses).
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