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How to hire a senior licensed practical nurse

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

  • The median cost to hire a senior licensed practical nurse is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per senior licensed practical nurse on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 608,660 senior licensed practical nurses in the US, and there are currently 263,650 job openings in this field.
  • Louisville, KY, has the highest demand for senior licensed practical nurses, with 9 job openings.

How to hire a senior licensed practical nurse, step by step

To hire a senior licensed practical nurse, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a senior licensed practical nurse:

Here's a step-by-step senior 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 senior licensed practical nurse job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior licensed practical nurse
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior licensed practical nurse do?

As a senior licensed practical nurse, you have to develop plans of health care and medication and help in assisting all the paper records. When you are applying for this job, you need to make sure that you are responsible for managing the clinical and the staff members. You have to be extremely careful while assisting the doctors in an ICU. An associate degree is a certification required before going to an ICU. You also need to be skillful in handling medical equipment such as pipes and oxygen equipment and have documentation skills to complete the files to be sent to medicated programs, nursing homes, and other clinics.

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

    The senior licensed practical nurse hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

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

    A senior licensed practical nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior 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.

    Here's a comparison of senior licensed practical nurse salaries for various roles:

    Type of Senior Licensed Practical NurseDescriptionHourly rate
    Senior 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.$17-34
    Nurse CoordinatorA nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures... Show more$29-49
    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
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Resident Care
    • Medication Administration
    • Patients
    • Physician Orders
    • Quality Care
    • Home Health
    • CPR
    • Emergency Situations
    • Direct Patient Care
    • Rehabilitation
    • Blood Pressure
    • Vital Signs
    • Patient Education
    • MDS
    Check all skills
    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.
    • Coordinate with the MDS team the overall plan of care of the clients to maximize reimbursement.
    • Serve as LPN caring for residents in need of physical, and occupational rehabilitation after surgery or hospital stays.
    More senior licensed practical nurse duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your senior licensed practical nurse job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior licensed practical nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a senior licensed practical nurse in Missouri may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level senior licensed practical nurse usually earns less than a senior-level senior licensed practical nurse. Additionally, a senior licensed practical nurse with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average senior licensed practical nurse salary

    $51,806yearly

    $24.91 hourly rate

    Entry-level senior licensed practical nurse salary
    $37,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average senior licensed practical nurse salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$57,775$28
    2New Jersey$57,558$28
    3Massachusetts$57,425$28
    4Pennsylvania$57,303$28
    5Oregon$56,287$27
    6California$55,195$27
    7Michigan$51,972$25
    8New Mexico$51,181$25
    9Florida$50,948$24
    10Indiana$50,549$24
    11Minnesota$50,237$24
    12Colorado$49,767$24
    13Alabama$49,701$24
    14Tennessee$49,211$24
    15Missouri$49,193$24

    Average senior licensed practical nurse salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1PeaceHealth$61,514$29.5760
    2LifePoint Health$59,428$28.57309
    3American Senior Benefits$57,270$27.53133
    4Prime Healthcare$56,738$27.28201
    5PruittHealth$55,493$26.68288
    6Humana$55,339$26.61320
    7Goodwin Recruiting$54,342$26.131
    8LifeCare Inc$53,882$25.901
    9Sunrise Senior Living Management Inc$51,878$24.94186
    10Community Health Network$51,811$24.9160
    11Meridian Bank$51,591$24.80
    12Mission Regional Medical Center$51,008$24.52248
    13Ascension Michigan$50,549$24.30331
    14Beth Israel Lahey Health$50,447$24.25131
    15Lahey Health Behavioral Services$50,266$24.17
    16JEA Senior Living$50,218$24.1441
    17BrightStar Care$49,997$24.04214
    18Alliance Health$49,951$24.015
    19Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center$49,607$23.85
    20St. Bernard Hospital$49,562$23.83
  4. Writing a senior licensed practical nurse job description

    A job description for a senior 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 senior licensed practical nurse job description:

    Senior licensed practical nurse job description example

    • BAYADA offers a comprehensive benefits plan that includes the following: Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, vision, dental and medical health plans, employer paid life insurance, 401k with company match, direct deposit and employee assistance program
    • To learn more about BAYADA Benefits, click here
    • Enjoy being part of a team that cares and a company that believes in leading with our values.
    • Feel confident, safe, and supported with PPE supplies, comprehensive infection prevention protocol, daily pre-screens, and close monitoring of the COVID-19 outbreak.
    • Develop your skills with training and scholarship opportunities.
    • Advance your career with specially designed career tracks.
    • Be recognized and rewarded for your compassion, excellence, and reliability.
    • Benefits may include medical, dental, and life insurance; mileage reimbursement; paid time off; weekly pay and direct deposit; scholarship opportunities; one-on-one training; recognition programs; referral bonuses; 401(k) with company match; and opportunities for career advancement.

    Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Responsibilities:

    • Making home visits to clients living in designated territories.
    • Performing assigned duties, including administration of medication, wound care, treatments, and procedures.
    • Monitoring clients' conditions; reporting changes to Clinical Manager and Client Services Manager.
    • Following up with, executing, and properly documenting doctors' orders.
    • Performing client assessments as necessary.
    • Case management and coordination.
    • Accurately document observations, interventions, and evaluations pertaining to client care management and services provided, utilizing electronic medical records on a state-of-the-art touch pad tablet.

    Qualifications of a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN):

    • A current license as a Licensed Practice Nurse in the state of North Carolina.
    • A minimum of one year of recent, verifiable experience as an LPN.
    • Graduation from an accredited and approved nursing program, as indicated by school transcript or diploma.
    • Prior home care experience strongly preferred, but not required.
    • Ability to work independently and manage time effectively.
    • Strong interpersonal skills.
    • Solid computer skills; prior experience with electronic medical records (EMR) preferred.
    • Ability to travel to cases as assigned.

    BAYADA recognizes and rewards our LPNs who set and maintain the highest standards of excellence. Join our caring team today!

    As an accredited, regulated, certified, and licensed home health care provider, BAYADA complies with all state/local mandates.

    BAYADA Home Health Care, Inc., and its associated entities and joint venture partners, are Equal Opportunity Employers. All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, military status, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

  5. Post your job

    To find the right senior 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 senior licensed practical nurses they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior 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.
    To find senior licensed practical nurse candidates, you can consider the following options:
    • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
    • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
    • Post your job on free job posting websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with senior licensed practical nurse candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    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 senior licensed practical nurse

    Once you've found the senior 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior licensed practical nurse. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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 senior licensed practical nurse?

Before you start to hire senior licensed practical nurses, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire senior licensed practical nurses pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

The median annual salary for senior licensed practical nurses is $51,806 in the US. However, the cost of senior licensed practical nurse hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a senior licensed practical nurse for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $17 and $34 an hour.

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