Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurse Jobs

Training and Education Jobs and Salaries

Licensed practical nurses hold about 750,000 jobs. About 25 percent of licensed practical nurses work in hospitals, 26 percent in nursing care facilities, and another 12 percent in offices of physicians. Others work for home health care services, employment services, residential care facilities, community care facilities for the elderly, outpatient care centers, and Federal, State, and local government agencies. About 19 percent of licensed practical nurses work part time.

Employment of of licensed practical nurses is projected to grow faster than average. Overall job prospects are expected to be very good, but job outlook varies by industry. The best job opportunities will occur in nursing care facilities and home health care services, while applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition. Employment of of licensed practical nurses is expected to grow 14 percent between 2006 and 2016, faster than the average for all occupations, in response to the long-term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general increase in demand for health care services.

Many procedures once performed only in hospitals are being performed in physician offices and in outpatient care centers such as ambulatory surgical and emergency medical centers, largely because of advances in technology. LPN care for patients who undergo these and other procedures, so employment of of licensed practical nurses is projected to decline in traditional hospitals, but is projected to grow faster than average in most settings outside of hospitals. However, some hospitals are assigning a larger share of nursing duties to of licensed practical nurses, which will temper the employment decline in the industry.

Employment of of licensed practical nurses is expected to grow much faster than average in home health care services. Home health care agencies will offer a large number of new jobs for LPN because of an increasing number of older people with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home. Employment of of licensed practical nurses in nursing care facilities is expected to grow faster than average, and provide the most new jobs for LPN, because of the growing number of people who are aged and disabled and in need of long-term care.

In addition, of licensed practical nurses in nursing care facilities will be needed to care for the increasing number of patients who have been discharged from the hospital but who have not recovered enough to return home. Replacement needs will be a major source of job openings, as many workers leave the occupation permanently. Very good job opportunities are expected. Rapid employment growth is projected in most health care industries, with the best job opportunities occurring in nursing care facilities and in home health care services however, applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition as the number of hospital jobs for LPN declines.

Median annual earnings of licensed practical nurses are about $36,500. The middle fifty percent earn between $31,000 and $43,500. The lowest ten percent earn less than $26,500, and the highest ten percent earn more than $50,500. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of licensed practical nurses are as follows: LPN jobs in employment services pay about $42,000, jobs in nursing care facilities pat about $38,000, LPN jobs in home health care services pay close to $38,000, general medical and surgical hospitals pay about $35,000, and LPN jobs in offices of physicians pay close to $33,000. Licensed practical nurses work closely with people while helping them. So do emergency medical technicians and paramedics, medical assistants; nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides; registered nurses; athletic trainers; social and human service assistants; pharmacy technicians; pharmacy aides; and surgical technologists.