are there opportunities for LPNs/LVNs outside of LTCs?

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Hi all! Great to be here.... I was hoping I could get some advice!

I have thought long and hard about a career choice, and I have found that college is not for me anymore. I want to help people, learn a skill, and use that skill. I am very well acquainted with medical field because I grew up with many health problems. I wanted to be an actual MD at one point in my life.

Of course, that's far fetched for some...including me.... so I decided to become an LPN. It's a one year course and that's perfect for me...

I'm just a bit unnerved about working in a long term care facility - In fact, I don't want anything to do with a LTC because LPNs employed at LTCs are responsibile for suppositories, enemas, among other things that deal with bowel movements....

I was hoping to aim for a physician's office. The LPN at my family doctor's office is likea great friend - she has always been there for me and I always admired her for what she did - and she doesn't have to give anyone an enema!

So my big question is this - Are job prospects favorable for doctor's offices, or am I at a total loss? I have been researching education, college, careers, technical and trade, and LPN seems like it's best for me. I am just taken aback by all the horror stories of enemas and suppositories. :imbar

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I am an LVN in california. The majority of job opportunities for LVN's are in LTC and Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs). Many LVN's usually apply at clinics because the hours are so much better (mon to fri). I have applied for tons of clinic jobs and have only had a second interview at one (i ended up not being able to take the job because I needed open heart surgery and required my insurance.)

There are a few hospitals out here that hire LVN's. But most of them don't. And none of them will hire you without a year experience.

So, there are jobs out there, but it requires a lot of diligence and just applying to them over and over until you get a call.

Good luck!

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Specializes in A little of this, a little of that.....

i have done ltc for quite a while, and to be honest, i very rarely had to give an enema. rectal dis-impacting.....yes. not that bad, when you consider the alternative.

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[color=#708090]i have also worked with developmentaly disabled, home health cases........

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm still a nursing student so I can't completely answer your question but I will tell you that at my nephrologist's office they have like 10 LVNs and I think 2 RNs. So, those jobs are definately out there but you may have to do a little job hunting. Oh, and at the nephrologist there is nothing to do with bowel movements either so that's a plus. Good luck with everything!

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I am a LPN in florida, have been for 10 years. I work in an skilled nursing facility, 120 beds, half of which are ltc beds, and half acute care. We provide skilled nursing, on a short term basis, the discharge to home. Its like a step down from hospital nursing. In the 10 years with the company I have held many jobs in nursing...Ie: floor nurse, MDS coordinator, unit manager, and now currently do wound care, and case management. So yes there are many jobs out there for lpns, and lvns.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Most doctors' offices prefer to hire medical assistants because they possess the necessary skills and can be paid significantly lower wages.

Seventy percent of all new LPN opportunities will be in long term care. If long term care does not appeal to you, my suggestion is to pursue your RN license.

I have thought long and hard about a career choice, and I have found that college is not for me anymore.
Your statement leads me to believe that you seem to think LPN programs are easy. The typical one-year LPN program is more rigorous than the education required to earn a four-year bachelor's degree in a liberal studies major. My friend is an LPN who also has a bachelor's degree in social work from Dillard University; she states that the LPN program was much more difficult. My coworker is an LPN who also has a degree in history from a California State University; he states that the LPN program was more difficult.
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Specializes in Med Surg.

Sweetheart....don't waste your time going to LPN school. When I went 21 years ago, it was a year-long program. Now it is almost 2 years long. But the main point is that nursing school is hard enough and you only want to have to do it once. Go for the big bucks as you will be doing the same job as an RN if you go anywhere but to Nursing Homes. You will have a whole world of options as an RN. Take it from someone who is trying to go back to school after losing tons of brain cells over the years as an LPN striving to be recognized as a nurse rather than being referred to in meetings as "this applies to nurses and LPNs". Don't put yourself through that. Contrary to what is told to you, there are a lot of places that do not recognize LPNs as nurses when most of the time, the LPN is the one doing all of the work. Please, please, please, please think twice before going to LPN school. College will agree with you...you deserve it.

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Hi there! I must put in my two cents on this one!!:wink2: I was a medical assistant for 10 years~with a college degree. I decided to go back to nursing school for my RN but chose to get a PN license first because there were no part time RN programs in my area and I had to work. My friend entered an RN program around the same time and guess what~the PN program was much harder. We were both good students, my GPA was 3.80 and hers was 4.0 (she made Deans list twice) so that wasn't the problem. We had pharmacology~ she didn't, we had clinicals our first semester~she had clinicals her second year. We had dissection labs which helped for A&P~ she didn't. Yes she had theory which I did not, however after graduation I got a job and she is still looking... why? LPNs learn more skills hands on because they want us out there to work, RNs in a lot of ways, are educated for management. I still want my RN license and will get it, but I'm happy to have gotten my LPN license first. I won't be respected as much and definetly won't make as much, but I'm happy with the experience that I receive on the job. I'm not sure where you live, but in NJ doctor's offices LOVE LPNs~ Medical Assts are no longer legally allowed to give injections, which most offices administer. The starting rate here is 22.50 in offices. One of my classmates SWORE that she would never work in LTC, she is in charge of an allergist's office in the are making 26.00/hr. Not bad for just an LPN out of school. :rolleyes: Good Luck to you!!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Well for sure the further up the food chain you are the farther away from poop you get. While I'd agree that LPN school is no walk in the park, I'd disagree that getting your LPN is a waste of time. Depending on your goals and situation it can be an excellent choice. In our area there seem to be quite a few openings for LPNs in psych also if that is something you might be interested in. FWIW I also was hoping to avoid poop when I started school but in all honesty if you do it enough its not as bad as you would have imagined.

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Specializes in nursing home,psych,chemical dependency.

Ladside - I totally agree,,,I too worked as LPN and we were excluded from nurse's meetings due to we were not "really" nurses,,just medication people...don't waste your time on LPN...go for the big time,,,be an RN or better yet,,go to medical school.....

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