LPNs? What do they do? Where can they work? Difference between LPN vs RN?

By the way, I have heard so many people saying, "The LPN is only a certificate/diploma program." This is not accurate.

LPNs in the U.S. can earn a certificate/diploma, associate of applied science (AAS) degree in practical nursing, or challenge a couple of state boards. Click on the link below to read about the different educational pathways available to people who want to become LPNs in the U.S.

https://allnurses.com/lpn-lvn-nursing/educational-pathways-lead-743076.html

Thanks for posting this. It's probably more accurate and informative than either wikipedia or the bureau of labor's description of the LPN role.

By the way, I have heard so many people saying, "The LPN is only a certificate/diploma program." This is not accurate.

LPNs in the U.S. can earn a certificate/diploma, associate of applied science (AAS) degree in practical nursing, or challenge a couple of state boards. Click on the link below to read about the different educational pathways available to people who want to become LPNs in the U.S.

https://allnurses.com/lpn-lvn-nursing/educational-pathways-lead-743076.html

Thanks for the post. I really really don't mean to start a RN vs LPN thread. Please don't get offended. But the bolded area, seriously, what does this mean? Has anybody ever heard of this? Which college/university offers this? Or where in BON can we look that up?

You either have Associate in Applied Science (RN), which could also be called Associate degree in nursing. Or you have Diploma in Practical Nursing (LPN). There is no such thing as "associate of applied science (AAS) degree in practical nursing". LPN is not a degree in nursing. Lowest degree in nursing is Associates and that leads to RN.

Thanks for the post, but that very section was not accurate.

Thanks for the post. I really really don't mean to start a RN vs LPN thread. Please don't get offended. But the bolded area, seriously, what does this mean? Has anybody ever heard of this? Which college/university offers this? Or where in BON can we look that up?

You either have Associate in Applied Science (RN), which could also be called Associate degree in nursing. Or you have Diploma in Practical Nursing (LPN). There is no such thing as "associate of applied science (AAS) degree in practical nursing". LPN is not a degree in nursing. Lowest degree in nursing is Associates and that leads to RN.

Thanks for the post, but that very section was not accurate.

I respectfully disagree with you. The associate of applied science (AAS) in practical nursing certainly exists at many community colleges and state universities in the U.S.

A person can choose one of three paths to become an LPN: certificate/diploma, associate degree, or challenging the board (a couple of states still allow this). Click on the first link below to read about the educational pathways that lead to initial LPN licensure. Click on the second link to read about the practical nursing AAS program at North Seattle Community College.

https://allnurses.com/lpn-lvn-nursing/educational-pathways-lead-743076.html

https://northseattle.edu/career/degrees/practical-nursing-aas-degree

Informative article. I did not realize the scope of practice in CA was significantly limited compared to other states. I thought we were somewhere in the middle.

Thank You Jesus because lpns are very important nurses too .

Excellent article about LPNs. As we can see, there are many people who have misunderstandings about LPNs...from not understanding about the various ways to train to be an LPN to not realizing that each state is different and facility is different in LPN scope of practice. I get so tired of posting "LPN scope is different in each state" when posters say things like "LPNs can't assess, LPN's can't push meds, LPN's only take care of stable patients with predictable outcomes." I blame the universities that train RN studentsfor not giving these kids this understading. Experienced RNs who work alongside LPNs know that a veteran LPN is worth her/his weight in gold and are not mindless automatons.... which I know is taught by some nursing professors in academia who have long since traded their reality for ideality.

Kudos on an excellent post

Mrs H.

I've noticed the certainty with which people claim LPNs cannot do this or that is inversely related to how long they've been a student or new nurse - so I think you're right, Mrs. H. -- that we can attribute a lot of the misinformation to nursing school faculty.

One thing the article didn't mention was the length of LPN educations and how they vary.I am an RPN in Ontario and our programs are two years long.Excellent article.

One thing the article didn't mention was the length of LPN educations and how they vary.I am an RPN in Ontario and our programs are two years long.Excellent article.

I wrote another post recently that discusses in detail the different types of educational entries into practical nursing. However, I focused heavily on LPNs in the United States. Click on the link below if you are interested.

https://allnurses.com/lpn-lvn-nursing/educational-pathways-lead-743076.html

I think it's best to compare program length by contact hours. My LVN program was 1500 hours over 52 weeks. 1,040 hours were clinical the rest was theory hours. The course was 5 days a week 32-36 hours a week. They offered the same program over 1.5 years with 2 evenings and every other weekend.

Regardless of the number of hours as a percentage of contact hours I've noticed LPN/LVN do more well practical hands on. Not more overall but as a ratio.