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What is a senior licensed practical nurse and how to become one
As a senior licensed practical nurse, you'll develop and implement health care plans. You'll be accountable for preparing, administering, and documenting medication and treatments in line with nursing policies and procedures. You'll take the measurements of vital signs and assist with care plan activities. Additionally, you'll monitor and report patient conditions and behaviors.
Also, you'll be involved in the rehabilitation, ambulation, and transfer of patients. Besides this, you will supervise and delegate work to junior LPNs, nursing assistants, and other patient care staff. Furthermore, you will interact with doctors, patients, and families and educates patients on care plans.
An associate's degree is the most common educational requirement for this role. Applicants must possess relevant licenses and two or more years of related experience. You must possess communication and interpersonal skills. The salary ranges from $30,000 to $52,000, with an average salary of $40,127 per year or $19.29 per hour.
What general advice would you give to a senior licensed practical nurse?
Dr. MaryAnn D'Alesandro DNP, MSN, RN, CNOR, NI-BC, CNE
Associate Professor, The University of Tampa
Avg. Salary $51,806
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 6%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%
Asian 7.20%
Black or African American 12.89%
Hispanic or Latino 13.19%
Unknown 4.55%
White 61.32%
Genderfemale 88.91%
male 11.09%
Age - 46American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 46Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Senior licensed practical nurse career paths
Key steps to become a senior licensed practical nurse
Explore senior licensed practical nurse education requirements
Start to develop specific senior licensed practical nurse skills
Skills Percentages Resident Care 21.62% Medication Administration 16.88% Patients 12.16% Physician Orders 10.69% Quality Care 6.51% Complete relevant senior licensed practical nurse training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior licensed practical nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior licensed practical nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior licensed practical nurse resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed senior licensed practical nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed senior licensed practical nurse in most of states. 43 states require senior licensed practical nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Alabama Degree required State exam required Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Alaska Degree required Third-party exam required Nurse, Licensed Practical Arkansas Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) California Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Vocational Nurse Colorado Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Practical Nurse Research senior licensed practical nurse duties and responsibilities
- Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
- Educate clients concerning ADL'S.
- Conduct comprehensive minimum data set (MDS) assessments.
- Assist in transitioning all paper records to the new EMR.
Get senior licensed practical nurse experience
Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior licensed practical nurse. The most common roles before becoming a senior licensed practical nurse include licensed practical nurse, certified nursing assistant team lead and licensed practical nurse staff nurse.Prepare your senior licensed practical nurse resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior licensed practical nurse resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior licensed practical nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
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Build a professional senior licensed practical nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior licensed practical nurse resume.
Apply for senior licensed practical nurse jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior licensed practical nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first senior licensed practical nurse job
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Average senior licensed practical nurse salary
The average senior licensed practical nurse salary in the United States is $51,806 per year or $25 per hour. Senior licensed practical nurse salaries range between $37,000 and $72,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do senior licensed practical nurses rate their job?
Senior licensed practical nurse reviews
How employers and our patients or clients appreciate what we do for them
What is there not to like? It's such a rewarding job!
Not much little freedom and talk to degraded by RNs on a regular basis. They have to sign off on all your work. Management does little about this because they have to keep Rn over Lpn.
Above says it all cant wait to be rn
Working with children and families most state regulations that inhibit the best care for patients from getting the least prohibitive care necessary for the best outcomes of treatment
Updated January 8, 2025
