Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Training
In order to become licensed vocational nurses, graduate nurses must pass the NCLEX-PN licensing examination and qualify for a license through the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas. A high school diploma or its equivalent is usually required for entry into vocational nursing programs. These programs are offered by vocational schools, high schools, hospitals, community and junior colleges and universities. Vocational nursing programs take between one and two years to complete and consist of classroom study and supervised clinical experience.
Classroom study for licensed vocational nurses includes nursing concepts and subjects related to patient care such as anatomy, medical-surgical nursing, gerontology, psychiatric nursing, nutrition, pediatrics, pharmacology, physiology and first aid. LVN students must also learn how to calculate medication dosages and how to convert between units of measurement. In general, the depth and breadth of classroom study is different from that of registered nurses who, at a minimum, have to complete two years of nursing education but frequently have four years of education including additional advanced science courses.
Vocational nursing programs also require supervised clinical practice. Supervised clinical practice is an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and to reinforce material studied in the classroom. In general, during the last semester of the program, the clinical rotation includes integrated clinical experience which means that students work full-time shifts. This helps nursing students make the transition from the student role to the role of a graduate vocational nurse (GVN).
Clinical nursing experience is a very important part of LVN education because it allows students to apply and test the knowledge they obtained in the classroom. Clinical practice is usually completed in hospitals but may include other settings such as nursing homes or school laboratories. During clinical practice, nursing students familiarize themselves with LVN duties, rules and regulations of the profession, and also learn how to perform the various tasks associated with LVN work. Students are required to work together with the hospital nursing staff and to plan and provide safe patient care.
In general, a school instructor or vocational nurse employed at the facility where clinical practice takes place is assigned to one or more students to provide supervision, guidance, and support. Supervised clinical practice consists of activities related to building proper nurse-patient relationships and providing basic patient care. Vocational nursing students act as health care team members but are allowed and even encouraged to obtain clarification and advice from the instructors.
If you like a particular nursing specialty you should request to have your clinical experience in the appropriate hospital department. This can help you greatly if you are able to work in a similar department after you become a licensed vocational nurse. Vocational nursing students who finish all program requirements are called Graduate Vocational Nurses (GVN). Vocational graduate nurses can only work under the direct supervision of licensed nurses until they pass the NCLEX-PN examination and become Licensed Vocational Nurses. Many vocational nurses work for a couple of years and then go back to school to become Registered Nurses. Many nursing schools in Texas offer LVN to RN programs which take into consideration prior education and are usually the fastest way for LVNs to get their RN license.
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