How to become a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse
Official title: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Also called: Charge Nurse, Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN), Clinic Nurse, Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Office Nurse, Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse), Private Duty Nurse, Radiation Oncology Nurse, Triage LPN (Triage Licensed Practical Nurse)
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.
Main tasks
- 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.
How to become one
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses must complete a state-approved educational program, which typically takes about 1 year. They must be licensed.
Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Nurse, Licensed Practical.
- Certificate or associate's degree: Postsecondary nondegree award. Programs such as Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training; Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, Other
- Licence: A licence is required in 48 states.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $64,400 a year The middle half earn $59,000 to $76,030.
- About 666,900 people work in this job now, and about 686,700 are projected by 2035. (+3%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses must complete a state-approved educational program, which typically takes about 1 year. They must be licensed.
How much does a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $64,400 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $59,000 to $76,030.
Is a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 3% by 2035, from about 666,900 to about 686,700 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Usually not. Only 5% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Postsecondary nondegree award; Nurse, Licensed Practical.
Will AI change the work of a Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.