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Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in California

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Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in California

Want to work as a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in California? Here’s what you need to know. 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 do Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Make in California?

For licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses working in California, wages run about $77,170 per year (or roughly $37.10/hour).Earnings range from $62,390 at the 10th percentile to $99,840 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $62,390 $30.00
25th percentile $68,960 $33.15
Median (50th) $77,170 $37.10
75th percentile $85,700 $41.20
90th percentile $99,840 $48.00
Salary ranges for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in California

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in California compared to the national average — is 1.07.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn a median of $118,810 per year ($57.12/hour), lower than the California median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 2,776,351 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the U.S.. In California alone, approximately 79,610 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 6,940 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.

Forecasted number of jobs for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Top California Metros for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

These are the California metros with the most licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in California.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 32,320 $76,290
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 8,460 $75,560
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 8,290 $90,810
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 6,640 $77,280
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 4,350 $79,460
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 2,930 $92,840
Fresno, CA 2,380 $73,340
Bakersfield-Delano, CA 1,480 $74,580
Stockton-Lodi, CA 1,390 $75,560
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 1,160 $76,620
Modesto, CA 1,030 $75,800
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 820 $80,180
Vallejo, CA 800 $80,380
Visalia, CA 790 $70,900
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 740 $76,640
Salinas, CA 630 $80,600
Chico, CA 530 $70,020
Redding, CA 450 $71,280
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 430 $77,500
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 350 $79,580
Napa, CA 320 $81,820
El Centro, CA 310 $73,760
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 280 $75,560
Yuba City, CA 280 $76,030
Merced, CA 270 $71,430

Top States for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Employment

View the states that employ the most licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses work.

State Number Employed
California 79,610
Texas 59,060
New York 40,720
Florida 36,470
Ohio 36,440
Pennsylvania 31,140
Georgia 20,800
Tennessee 19,140
Louisiana 18,630
Illinois 18,230
North Carolina 17,430
Virginia 16,710
New Jersey 15,210
Massachusetts 15,210
Indiana 14,680
Missouri 14,320
Minnesota 12,740
Oklahoma 11,820
Michigan 11,060
Alabama 10,840

Highest-Paying States for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Where licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn the most: licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.

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

Skills

Key licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Service Orientation  4.1 / 5
0
5
Coordination  4.0 / 5
0
5
Social Perceptiveness  4.0 / 5
0
5
Speaking  3.9 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.9 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  3.9 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Customer and Personal Service  4.0 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.9 / 5
0
5
Psychology  3.7 / 5
0
5
Medicine and Dentistry  3.7 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  3.3 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  3.2 / 5
0
5

Abilities

Top abilities for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Oral Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Problem Sensitivity  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5
Speech Clarity  3.9 / 5
0
5
Near Vision  3.8 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses typically:

  • 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.
  • Record food and fluid intake and output.
  • Assemble and use equipment, such as catheters, tracheotomy tubes, or oxygen suppliers.
  • Collect samples, such as blood, urine, or sputum from patients, and perform routine laboratory tests on samples.
  • Prepare or examine food trays for conformance to prescribed diet.

Work Activities

  • Assisting and Caring for Others
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Getting Information
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
  • Working with Computers
  • Processing Information

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: eClinicalWorks EHR software, Epic Systems

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

  • Nursing & Nursing Assistants

Other careers like licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses include:

Also Known As

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), Medical LPN (Medical Licensed Practical Nurse), Nursing Home LPN (Nursing Home Licensed Practical Nurse), Office Nurse, Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse), Private Duty Licensed Practical Nurse (Private Duty LPN), Private Duty Nurse, Radiation Oncology Nurse.

References

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