What You'll Do

  • Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
  • Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
  • Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
  • Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
  • Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
  • Help patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, or standing and walking.
  • Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
  • Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
  • Record food and fluid intake and output.
  • Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.

Essential Skills

Service Orientation 4.12/5
Social Perceptiveness 4.0/5
Coordination 4.0/5
Active Listening 3.88/5
Speaking 3.88/5
Monitoring 3.88/5
Reading Comprehension 3.75/5
Critical Thinking 3.75/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.62/5
Time Management 3.62/5
Active Learning 3.38/5
Writing 3.25/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Cooperation, Concern for Others, Attention to Detail, Dependability, Integrity

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.0/5
Speech Clarity 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.75/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.75/5
Near Vision 3.75/5

Technologies & Tools

Diagnostic and procedural coding software eClinicalWorks EHR software Electronic medical record EMR software Epic Systems FaceTime Google Drive Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS Infusion management software Inventory tracking software Medical condition coding software Medical procedure coding software MedicWare EMR MEDITECH software Microsoft Excel Microsoft Exchange Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Windows Microsoft Word PointClickCare healthcare software

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.58/5)
  • Concern for Others (High importance: 4.54/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.51/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.51/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.49/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Charge Nurse Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN) Clinic Nurse Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Office Nurse Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse) Private Duty Licensed Practical Nurse (Private Duty LPN) Private Duty Nurse Radiation Oncology Nurse Triage LPN (Triage Licensed Practical Nurse)