LVN Jobs: What is a Vocational Nurse’s Salary?

What Does LVN Mean in Healthcare?

LVN stands for licensed vocational nurse and is a term used in Texas and California. This term is equivalent to licensed practical nurse (LPN) in other states.

Overall, LVNs provide direct, hands-on patient care in various healthcare settings as part of nursing teams. LVNs provide care to a wide range of patients, depending on the type of facility in which they work.

Discover the advantages of PRN jobs for LVNs and pick up high-paying jobs near you today.

What Is an LVN, and What Responsibilities Do They Have?

LVNs perform hands-on, direct care tasks for the patient’s general wellbeing. They typically work under the direction of a registered nurse or a physician. The tasks they perform are similar from place to place and usually include the following:

Basic nursing tasks: LVNs provide primary nursing care to patients. For instance, they take vital signs, monitor patients’ progress, and are available for patients’ general needs.
Patient care: Caring for and treating patients are essential LVN duties. For example, LVNs might help with medical procedures, change bandages, provide emotional support, etc.
Patient information and progress: LVNs need to document patient information in order to have accurate records of patients’ progress.
Education: LVNs might need to educate their patients and patients’ families on preventing and managing health conditions.
Patient safety: LVNs participate in patient safety by maintaining a clean environment for patients, preventing falls, ensuring patients’ needs are covered, and more.
Emotional support: LVNs have the opportunity to connect on an intimate and emotional level with the patients they care for. Thus, emotional support might include addressing the patients’ concerns, actively listening to them, and answering questions.
Delegation: In some healthcare facilities, LVNs might need to delegate tasks to nursing assistants.

Although many LVN roles and responsibilities are standard, they may vary depending on the healthcare facility.

LPN vs. LVN

LPN stands for licensed practical nurse, while LVN stands for licensed vocational nurse. LPNs and LVNs have the same roles. The difference is that California and Texas use the term LVN instead of LPN.

Become an LVN in Your State

There are many advantages to being a licensed vocational nurse. The pay is relatively high considering the short investment. Additionally, LVNs have a projected job growth higher than other professions in the area. Plus, LVN salaries in California are among the highest in the country with an average hourly wage of $33.62. Consequently, more people are entering the profession and becoming LVNs.

To become an LVN nurse in Texas or California, an applicant needs to meet the following requirements:

Meet prerequisites: Applicants must have a high school diploma and be 17 years or older.
Complete an LVN program: For a list of state-board-accredited LVN programs in California, you can check with the Board of Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT). Likewise, in Texas, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approves LVN programs. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing also has a list of accredited programs for both states.
Take the NCLEX-PN: After finishing a state-approved LVN program, an aspiring LVN takes the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) and applies for a license in their state.
Apply for LVN jobs: As soon as they obtain their licenses, licensed vocational nurses can start looking for jobs. They can begin working in a wide range of healthcare facilities, and with their licenses, they can also apply for PRN or per diem jobs.

PRN stands for pro re nata, and in healthcare, it means LVNs can apply for jobs as independent contractors and pick up shifts as needed.

LVN Travel Jobs near Home

LVNs can find plenty of local travel nursing jobs or PRN shifts in their area with Nursa. PRN nursing jobs or local travel nursing jobs have many advantages for LVNs. For example, LVNs may enjoy working in different locations, traveling, and getting higher hourly pay.

PRN nursing offers flexibility: PRN nurses can pick up only the shifts that fit their schedules, needs, and interests. In other words, they don’t have to ask anyone permission to not work on their birthdays or take a week off. This flexibility is also made possible by the higher hourly pay. Furthermore, PRN shifts offer variety and independence.

Texas LVN Jobs

The average LVN wage in Texas is $52,850 annually, or $25.41 per hour. As mentioned, PRN shifts typically pay more than the typical LVN salary in Texas. Find high-paying PRN or per diem LVN nursing jobs in Texas in the following locations:

With PRN jobs, LVNs in Texas can enjoy multiple advantages, including excellent hourly pay.

California LVN Jobs

Like Texas, California has plenty of nursing job opportunities for LVNs and offers higher pay to vocational nurses. The following cities in California offer LVNs the chance to request high-paying PRN jobs:

How to Find Jobs near Me with a Healthcare Staffing App for LVNs

Finding per diem or PRN shifts is easy with Nursa, which connects LVNs with high-paying shifts in different areas of California and Texas. With all the advantages PRN jobs offer, many LVNs are starting to shift to working per diem.

One of the significant advantages of using a per diem shift app is the ease of finding shifts nearby through a mobile application. Furthermore, Nursa ensures clinicians’ skills match the demands of each job. Thus, healthcare facilities that need to fill shifts can get qualified nurses for the required role.

For nursing professionals looking for high-paying LVN jobs, click here and join Nursa. It’s free to log in and use, and you will have access to high-paying opportunities as an LVN once you verify your license.

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