NURSING

Nursing Transition: RN vs. LVN

Nursing Transition: RN vs. LVN

Nurses make up the largest segment of the health care profession in the United States and are often the professional that patients have the most interaction with during appointments and treatments. While there are many different types of nurses, RNs and LVNs (also known as LPNs) are the most common. (Kash, Castle, Naufal, 2006)

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Nursing Transition: RN vs. LVN

LVNs and RNs are two types of nurses: licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 2.5 million nurses in the United States; 59 percent are RNs, and about 30 percent are LVNs. An LVN is also known as a licensed practical nurse, or LPN.

Education

1. LVNs require a one-year course while RNs must have an associate's or bachelor's degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs receive additional training in communication, leadership and critical thinking.

Certification

2. LVNs must pass the NCLEX-PN exam and RNs must pass the NCLEX-RN, both national exams. Each exam has four components: health care environment, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, and physiological integrity. However, the RN test is considered more difficult. These two exams are taken after graduation to obtain nursing certification, which is required to work.

Duties

3. LVNs function primarily as assistants, helping patients with daily tasks, monitoring vitals and administering medications. RNs can specialize in areas such as anesthetics or birthing, as well as supervise other nurses. An LVN needs additional training to become an RN.

Salary

4. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs make between $47,000 and $70,000, as of 2006, with the higher salaries in surgical hospitals and employment services and the lower salaries in nursing care facilities. LVNs averaged between $32,000 and $42,000 in 2006, with the higher salaries in employment services and the lower pay in physicians' offices.

Potential

5. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects jobs for RNs to grow by almost 25 percent between 2006 and 2016, with almost 600,000 new jobs, while LVN jobs are expected to grow by 14 percent. Both increases will be driven in part by an aging population.

1. History

Florence Nightingale's work nursing soldiers injured in the Crimean War of the mid-1850s marked the beginning of the modern profession of nursing. In particular, her 1859 book "Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is Not" was the first time a specific list of nursing principles and philosophies had been put into words. (Kash, Castle, Naufal, 2006)

2. Types

RNs and LVNs are the two major types of nurses. An RN is a registered nurse; an LVN is a licensed vocational nurse. LVNs can also be known as LPNs, or licensed practical nurses. While both RNs and LVNs deal directly with patient care, there are a number of differences between their roles.

3. Identification

One of the main differences between RNs and LVNs is the amount of training they receive. LVNs train in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and practical ...