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How to hire a licensed practical nurse

Licensed practical nurse hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring licensed practical nurses in the United States:

  • There are a total of 1,850,604 licensed practical nurses in the US, and there are currently 614,369 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a licensed practical nurse is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per licensed practical nurse on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for licensed practical nurses, with 1,561 job openings.

How to hire a licensed practical nurse, step by step

To hire a licensed practical nurse, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a licensed practical nurse:

Here's a step-by-step licensed practical nurse hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a licensed practical nurse job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new licensed practical nurse
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a licensed practical nurse do?

Licensed practical nurses are considered leading front liners in the clinic or hospital setting. They assist nurses and doctors in conducting various activities related to sick or injured patients. Licensed practical nurses are primarily expected to provide routine care for patients and assist registered nurses in creating care plans. They maintain and update medical records, prepare patients for medical examinations, help patients dress, bath, or eat, take vital signs, administer and monitor medicine intake, monitor patients and update nurses and doctors on patient status, and assist during medical examinations.

Learn more about the specifics of what a licensed practical nurse does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a licensed practical nurse, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A licensed practical nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, licensed practical nurses from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list presents licensed practical nurse salaries for various positions.

    Type of Licensed Practical NurseDescriptionHourly rate
    Licensed Practical NurseLicensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic nursing care. They work under the direction of registered nurses and doctors.$17-35
    NurseNurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor... Show more$18-41
    Emergency Department Registered NurseAn emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries... Show more$23-64
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Patients
    • CPR
    • Home Health
    • Medication Administration
    • Quality Care
    • Vital Signs
    • Rehabilitation
    • IV
    • Resident Care
    • Direct Patient Care
    • Infection Control
    • Compassion
    • Physician Orders
    • Wound Care
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage all operational aspects of the organizations open heart program while also serving in the role of APN.
    • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
    • Provide nursing care for med/surg patients in the transitional phase of recovery.
    • Work up patients for the Dr, administer allergy testing, mix allergens.
    • Perform emergency medical procedures, such as BLS, ACLS, and other condition stabilizing interventions.
    • Drug screens, phlebotomy wind care education of safety practices communications with treatment facilities as indicated/.
    More licensed practical nurse duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your licensed practical nurse job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A licensed practical nurse can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, licensed practical nurses' average salary in nebraska is 20% less than in hawaii.
    • Seniority. Entry-level licensed practical nurses 50% less than senior-level licensed practical nurses.
    • Certifications. A licensed practical nurse with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a licensed practical nurse's salary.

    Average licensed practical nurse salary

    $52,912yearly

    $25.44 hourly rate

    Entry-level licensed practical nurse salary
    $37,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 26, 2025

    Average licensed practical nurse salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Massachusetts$57,483$28
    2New York$57,081$27
    3New Hampshire$56,965$27
    4Maine$56,758$27
    5California$56,639$27
    6Pennsylvania$56,457$27
    7Maryland$55,282$27
    8Oregon$53,772$26
    9Nevada$53,760$26
    10Virginia$53,320$26
    11Ohio$53,319$26
    12Washington$53,223$26
    13Arizona$52,651$25
    14North Carolina$51,656$25
    15Texas$51,623$25
    16New Mexico$51,449$25
    17Florida$51,378$25
    18Indiana$50,849$24
    19Utah$50,507$24
    20Illinois$50,221$24

    Average licensed practical nurse salary by company

  4. Writing a licensed practical nurse job description

    A job description for a licensed practical nurse role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a licensed practical nurse job description:

    Licensed practical nurse job description example

    Essential Job Functions
    • Provides safe, compassionate nursing care to assigned patients with predictable health care needs as directed by the registered nurse and the patient's plan of care in accordance with state's nurse practice act and organizational policies.
    • Performs assigned responsibilities in a manner that promotes quality and safe patient care and excellent customer service.
    • Completes accurate and timely documentation of patient care that reflect the plan of care.
    • Completes focused patient assessments (defined as an appraisal of the patient's status or current situation) in accordance with state's nurse practice act and organizational policies.
    • Administers medications in accordance with organization's policies.
    • Report data to assist in the identification of problems and formulation of goals/outcomes and patient-centered plans of care in collaboration with patients, their families, and the interdisciplinary health care team.
    • Communicates and collaborates with patients, their families, and the interdisciplinary health care team to assist in the planning, delivery, and coordination of patient-centered care.
    • Maintains a clean and safe work environment.
    • Adheres to required infection control, isolation procedures, and aseptic techniques in the delivery of patient care
    • Maintains patient privacy and confidentiality of information and records at all times
    Other Job Functions
    • Attend staff meetings or other company sponsored or mandated meetings as required
    • Perform additional duties as assigned
    Basic Qualifications
    • Education Required: High School diploma or G.E.D and graduated from an approved licensed practical nurse/vocational nurse (LPN/LVN).
    • Experience Required: Two years of relevant experience as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) or as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in an Emergency Department or similar experience; preferred
    • Certification/Licenses/Registration Required:
      • Current license as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) or as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) by the state in which you practice
      • Current Basic Life Support (BLS) & Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification from the American Heart Association, required
      • Pedagogy IV Certification Course must be completed within 30 days of hire
    • Position requires fluency in English; written and oral communication
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  5. Post your job

    To find the right licensed practical nurse for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with licensed practical nurses they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit licensed practical nurses who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your licensed practical nurse job on Zippia to find and recruit licensed practical nurse candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting licensed practical nurses requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new licensed practical nurse

    Once you've found the licensed practical nurse candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a licensed practical nurse?

Hiring a licensed practical nurse comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting licensed practical nurses involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of licensed practical nurse recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

Licensed practical nurses earn a median yearly salary is $52,912 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find licensed practical nurses for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $17 and $35.

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