How many lpns are there in the united states

RNs have an expanded set of duties and are more frequently employed in hospital settings. They, RNs, are generally expected to do more critical thinking on the job. Find a Registered Nursing program in your state.

Visit School's Website. Licensed practical nurses LPN have about a year of nursing education, often culminating in a certificate. The role of an LPN is, as the name suggests, practical. LPNs are expected to report even minor changes in patient care to a registered nurse or other medical professional. More licensed practical nurses work in long term care than in any other setting. National Nursing Workforce Study. Simulation Study. Center for Regulatory Excellence.

Resources for Researchers. Claire Zangerle: Yes, that's true. The nursing shortage was concerning and challenging before the pandemic, and it's just even worse after the pandemic. Not only are we seeing nurses retire sooner, but we have a different competitive animal out there right now, and that's the [staffing] agencies because the agencies are luring our nurses away from the bedside to work for much more money than we were prepared and able to pay those nurses.

I had to look at alternatives to fill those holes, and one of those are LPNs and looking to see if I can bring them back into the hospital because there were years when we were not hiring LPNs in the hospital. I'm not the only hospital system doing that. It's almost like we forgot that they existed because we stopped hiring them in acute care. They all went to post-acute care—nursing homes, assisted living facilities—because their model is such that that's usually the highest-ranking nurse in those facilities and they're paying them big dollars.

Now I have to re-look at my LPN rates and say, okay, we still use them in the outpatient area a lot, but we have to look at their rates on the inpatient side and value them more on the inpatient side than we did prior to the pandemic and prior to not hiring them anymore.

Zangerle: It was mostly around the research that if you have a BSN-prepared nurse in your facility you have better outcomes—better quality, less errors, and safety is better. We listened to the research and the research wasn't wrong. BSNs do improve the outcomes. An LPN as part of the team is very valuable, especially in the absence of having nursing assistants or certified medical assistants and in the absence of having enough registered nurses, but that was really it.

It was like, "Well, look, we don't need you guys and you guys can go work in rehab facilities or assisted livings or whatever," but that's when the nursing shortage wasn't as bad as it is now. Not even close. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings.

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The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Additional training needed postemployment to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation. Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education. The employment, or size, of this occupation in , which is the base year of the employment projections. The projected percent change in employment from to The average growth rate for all occupations is 8 percent.

Menu Search button Search:. Summary Please enable javascript to play this video. What Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Do About this section Licensed practical and vocational nurses must be empathetic and caring toward the people they serve. Work Environment About this section In some states, licensed practical and vocational nurses can give medication or start intravenous IV drips.

Job Outlook About this section Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Percent change in employment, projected Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses Projections Central Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information LMI or individual state Employment Projections offices.

CareerOneStop CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. Similar Occupations About this section This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.

Suggested citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. What They Do The What They Do tab describes the typical duties and responsibilities of workers in the occupation, including what tools and equipment they use and how closely they are supervised.

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Job Outlook The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings. Similar Occupations The Similar Occupations tab describes occupations that share similar duties, skills, interests, education, or training with the occupation covered in the profile.

Contacts for More Information The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. On-the-job Training Additional training needed postemployment to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation. Entry-level Education Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation. Work experience in a related occupation Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education.

Number of Jobs, The employment, or size, of this occupation in , which is the base year of the employment projections. Job Outlook, The projected percent change in employment from to