Discovering LPN Career Outside of Long-Term Care Facilities

The best part about working as an LPN is that you can access a variety of opportunities in healthcare. Unfortunately, you will come across many people who think that an LPN limits you to working in a nursing home or other long-term care. As the health care industry diversifies and grows, you can access several opportunities with your LPN license. They include:

Emergency Room Nurses

If you are looking to work in a high-paced environment under pressure, you should look for a job in the ER. The work will force you to move quickly and think fast on your feet. The ER gives you diversity; every day is different and you will often come across unique causes that push you into the stretch zone, encouraging you to grow your skills. Your success in the ER will depend on your ability to prioritize, follow orders and provide quality services fast. ERs run for 24 hours daily, which means you will have to work on rotational shifts, which includes working on weekends, at night and on holidays. While some states may require additional IV certification, your LPN qualifies you to take on responsibilities such as administration of medication, monitoring catheters, taking vital signs and dressing wounds.

Labor Room Nurses

The labor room takes you out of traditional nursing roles, which involve working with sick or injured patients. Here, you get to work with mothers and their loved ones as they welcome a new life. You get to witness a lot of laughter and joy, which is quite fulfilling. As a labor or delivery nurse, your duties will include caring for expectant women before and after delivery, helping the physicians in the delivery room and caring for the new baby.

In the labor room, you must have good people skills as you will often have to deal with anxious family members who are eager to meet the new baby. Sometimes the news is not good, and you must have the communication skills and patience required to deal with families at such a time. Additionally, you will work a lot with midwives, doctors, nursing assistants, and nurses, which requires a team spirit and an open mind.

Oncology Nurse

The oncology offers two opportunities to you as an LPN nurse: you can either work with cancer patients in treatment or help out cancer educational programs, including preventive measures. In the care of cancer patients, you will work on vital signs, blood draws, injection and in ensuring patients enjoy a comfortable environment. Alternatively, you can offer back-office support services such as triage, scheduling of appointments, referrals, and charting.

Pediatric Nurse

Your LPN gives you diverse opportunities, including the chance to work with children. In pediatric care, you have to show emotional strength, patience, genuine interest in your patients, empathy and a willingness to go above and beyond set expectations. You must enjoy working with children and have the skills to work alongside their families and friends. Sometimes the job requires providing basic services such as bathing and feeding your patients. On other days, you might stay up late answering endless questions from your curious young patients.

Your LPN offers you access to exciting opportunities in healthcare where you have an opportunity to make a difference in patients’ lives. Instead of focusing on the traditional LPN path towards long-term care, diversify your search and find new opportunities in different fields, where you can gain new skills and even specialize in a new area. The Athena Careers Academy offers a quality LPN program, preparing you to take on exciting opportunities.