A LPN nurse is the first step towards a fully exposed professional nursing career. As the health care industry in USA is growing in a very fast pace with the ongoing scientific development in the field, the nursing profession in the present scenario of health care has become very demanding in respect of both job specialization and responsibility sharing. Though as a beginning step in the professional job responsibilities of nursing a LPN job is not entitled to do many important clinical practices, in accordance with the particular work place situation a LPN nurse may have to share many responsibilities with a registered nurse in practice. So, certain areas of nursing practices which are grossly defined as the LPN job responsibilities may vary in different job situations.
The Basic Responsibility of Care
The basic LPN job responsibilities revolves around the primary and very basic proposition of the nursing profession as such, that is, care. This basic responsibility includes, taking basic medical care for the sickness, injury, convalescence, disability, pregnancy, few psychic difficulties like emotional outburst, sudden pain or non responsive organ etc.
The Responsibility of Diagnosis
LPN job responsibilities include execution of many diagnostic procedures, like, diagnosing relevant physiological signs of the patient for the purpose of further treatment or more specialized diagnosis. Some of these responsibilities are, measuring temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiratory trouble, difficulty in eyesight, hearing difficulty, pain in particular body posture, heart palpitation, trouble in body movement etc.
The Responsibility of Primary Medication
Both in absence or presence of the physician a LPN nurse may be directed to perform some practices of medication by the established guidelines or particular directives from the physician. These sort LPN job responsibilities include preparing and giving injections and enemas, monitoring catheters, applying dressings, treating bedsores, applying alcohol massages etc.
The Responsibility of Assistance
This category of LPN job responsibilities mainly focuses on the role of a nurse in assisting the patient in going through the daily routine of living and also in assisting the doctor in the treatment of the patient. The first kind of assistance involves regular caring practices like keeping the patient comfortable, managing the moods and mental temperament of the patient in receiving required treatment, assistance with bathing, dressing, personal hygiene etc. The second kind of assistance involves regular monitoring practices like, collecting various physiological samples for testing, performing routine pathological testing, recording fluid intake and output, observing and recording various improving or derogatory syndromes etc.
Special Responsibilities
In some health care facilities in USA, with the permission of authorities the LPN nurse can perform a number of jobs which normally does not belong to his or her area of practice. These special LPN job responsibilities may include, administering medicines or starting intravenous fluids.
To conclude, though the above mentioned LPN job responsibilities are mainly clinical in nature, there are a few LPN nursing jobs outside of clinical practices, which are mainly in the area of community health program, missionary health initiatives and aid providing organizations. These non clinical LPN job responsibilities involve, supervising nursing practices and evaluating, planning as well as developing of health care and nursing practices in a macro level.