Licensed Practical Nurse Programs Keswick VA - LPN and LVN Schools Near You

How to Find the Right LPN Training near Keswick Virginia

Keswick VA LPN pediatric nurse holding infant There are essentially two scholastic credentials available that provide training to become an LPN near Keswick VA. The one that may be finished in the shortest amount of time, typically about one year, is the certificate or diploma course. The next option is to attain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma alternative and normally require 2 years to finish. The advantage of Associate Degrees, along with offering a higher credential and more comprehensive training, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. Regardless of the kind of credential you pursue, it needs to be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or some other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC warrants that the core curriculum properly prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that the majority of graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

What is an LPN?

Keswick VA Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurses have a number of functions that they complete in the Keswick VA healthcare facilities where they practice. As their titles indicate, they are required to be licensed in all states, including Virginia. Even though they may be responsible for monitoring Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves generally work under the direction of either an RN or a doctor. The health care facilities where they work are numerous and diverse, for example hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anyplace that you can encounter patients seeking medical assistance is their domain. Every state not only oversees their licensing, but also what duties an LPN can and can’t perform. So depending on the state, their daily job activities may include:

Checking vital signs
Administering medications
Setting up IV drips
Observing patients
Getting blood or urine samples
Taking care of patient records
Assisting physicians or Registered nurses with procedures

In addition to their job duties being controlled by each state, the medical facilities or other Keswick VA healthcare providers where LPNs work can further limit their job roles within those parameters. Additionally, they can work in various specialties of nursing, such as long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN Programs Online

female student attending LPN school online in Keswick VA Attending LPN schools online is becoming a more favored way to get training and acquire a nursing certificate or degree in Keswick VA. Many schools will require attendance on campus for a component of the training, and almost all programs require a certain number of clinical rotation hours carried out in a local healthcare facility. But since the remainder of the training can be accessed online, this alternative may be a more accommodating approach to finding the time to attend college for many students. Concerning tuition, a number of online degree programs are cheaper than other on campus alternatives. Even additional expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be reduced, helping to make education more affordable. And a large number of online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. So if your job and household responsibilities have left you with very little time to pursue your academic goals, maybe an online LPN program will make it easier to fit a degree into your hectic schedule.

LPN Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) was $45,030 in May 2017. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,970, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $61,030. Most licensed practical nurses near Keswick VA work full time, although about 1 in 5 worked part time in 2016. Many work nights, weekends, and holidays, because medical care takes place at all hours. They may be required to work shifts of longer than 8 hours. Employment of LPNs is projected to grow 12 percent from 2016 to 2026. Job prospects should be favorable for LPNs who are willing to work in rural and medically under served areas.

What to Ask LPN Programs

Questions to ask Keswick VA LPN programs Once you have decided on obtaining your LPN certificate, as well as if you will attend classes on campus or online, you can use the following guidelines to begin narrowing down your choices. As you no doubt are aware, there are numerous nursing schools and colleges near Keswick VA as well as within Virginia and throughout the United States. So it is necessary to reduce the number of schools to choose from to ensure that you will have a manageable list. As we already pointed out, the location of the school along with the cost of tuition are undoubtedly going to be the primary two things that you will consider. But as we also stressed, they should not be your only qualifiers. So prior to making your final choice, use the following questions to see how your pick measures up to the other programs.

Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the certificate program in addition to the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Aside from helping ensure that you get an excellent education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not offered for non-accredited schools near Keswick VA.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing prerequisites for LPNs vary from state to state. In all states, a passing score is needed on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) together with graduation from an accredited school. Many states require a certain number of clinical hours be performed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It’s important that the school you are enrolled in not only provides an exceptional education, but also prepares you to comply with the minimum licensing standards for Virginia or the state where you will be practicing.
Reputation. Check online rating services to see what the evaluations are for all of the LPN schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews too. In addition, contact the Virginia school licensing authority to check out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can speak with some nearby Keswick VA healthcare organizations you’re interested in working for after graduation and ask what their opinions are of the schools as well.
Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the LPN programs you are looking at what their graduation rates are as well as how long on average it takes students to finish their programs. A low graduation rate may be an indication that students were displeased with the program and dropped out. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only confirm that the school has a favorable reputation within the Keswick VA healthcare community, but that it also has the network of relationships to assist students gain a position.
Internship Programs. The most effective way to get experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical setting. Almost all nursing degree programs require a specified number of clinical hours be completed. Various states have minimum clinical hour requirements for licensing also. Ask if the schools have associations with local Keswick VA community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placing of students in internships.

Enrolling in an LPN Program near Keswick VA?

If you are considering enrolling in and attending an LPN school near Keswick VA, you may find the following information both interesting and useful when making your final decision.

Keswick, Virginia

Keswick has few businesses, and lacks a central business district. It is predominantly residential, with a mixture of large farms, estates, middle-income, and low-income housing. Since many of the parcels of land in Keswick are large, it is relatively undeveloped and retains its natural environment, which includes views of the Southwest Mountains. The drive through Keswick "has often been cited as one of the most scenic in America," writes the New York Times.[2] Many of the estates were plantations in the 18th century.[2] No major development took place in Keswick until the 1990s, and the development since then has been subject to strict scrutiny by Albemarle County officials.[2]

The town includes Keswick Hall, a club and estate which includes a golf course. The town is also home to Keswick Vineyards, a family owned and operated vineyard and winery. Oakland School, a special boarding and day school for children with learning disabilities, is in Keswick, as is the Little Keswick School, a boarding school for students with social skill and emotional struggles, not to be confused with a treatment center. A CSX freight rail line runs through the town. The Shackelford family, long prominent in Albemarle and Orange counties and in the Monticello Association,[3] has a family cemetery in Keswick.[4]

The postal delivery area by the name of Keswick is larger than Keswick itself, extending to the north nearly to Gordonsville and to the west to Stony Point, encompassing towns too small to have a post office, including Cash Corner, Cismont, Lindsay, Stony Point, Boyd Tavern, Cobham, Whitlock, and Rosena.

Choose the Right LPN School near Keswick VA

Keswick VA LPN geriatric nurse with patient Selecting the right Licensed Practical Nurse program is potentially the most crucial step to launching a new career in the health care industry. There are various aspects that you must take into account when picking a nursing school. These factors will be prioritized differently depending on your existing career objectives, obligations, and economic situation. As we have stressed within this article, it is important that you enroll in an LPN college and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have exceptional reputations within the health care community. You originally decided to visit this website because of an interest in Licensed Practical Nurse Programs. However, by using our checklist of qualifying questions, you will be able to produce a shortlist of schools to pick from so that you can make your final selection. And with the right degree and training, combined with your hard work and drive to succeed, you can become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Keswick VA.