LPN Training Programs Sour Lake TX

How to Select the Right LPN School near Sour Lake Texas

Sour Lake TX LPN pediatric nurse holding infant There are principally two scholastic credentials available that provide education to become an LPN near Sour Lake TX. The one that may be concluded in the shortest amount of time, generally about twelve months, is the certificate or diploma program. The second option is to attain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are broader in nature than the diploma alternative and usually require 2 years to complete. The benefit of Associate Degrees, along with offering a higher credential and more comprehensive instruction, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. No matter 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 attests that the course of study 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?

Sour Lake TX Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurses have a number of duties that they carry out in the Sour Lake TX medical facilities where they practice. As their titles signify, they are required to be licensed in all states, including Texas. While they may be responsible for supervising Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves typically work under the guidance of either an RN or a doctor. The medical care facilities where they work are numerous and diverse, for example hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anyplace that you can find patients requiring medical attention is their domain. Each state not only oversees their licensing, but also what work activities an LPN can and can’t perform. So based on the state, their daily work activities might include:

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

Along with their work responsibilities being controlled by each state, the health care facilities or other Sour Lake TX healthcare providers where LPNs work can further limit their job duties within those parameters. Also, they can work in various specialties of nursing, which include long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

Online LPN Programs

female student attending LPN school online in Sour Lake TX Enrolling in LPN programs online is becoming a more favored way to obtain training and attain a nursing certificate or degree in Sour Lake TX. Certain schools will require attendance on campus for a component of the training, and nearly all programs call for a specified amount of clinical rotation hours carried out in a local healthcare center. But since the balance of the training can be accessed online, this option may be a more convenient answer to finding the time to attend school for many students. Pertaining to tuition, some online degree programs are less expensive than other on campus options. Even additional expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be minimized, helping to make education more easily affordable. And numerous online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. And so if your job and family commitments have left you with very little time to work toward your academic goals, perhaps an online LPN training program will make it more convenient to fit a degree into your active 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 Sour Lake TX 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.

Things to Ask LPN Programs

Questions to ask Sour Lake TX LPN programs Now that you have decided on obtaining your LPN certificate, and if you will attend classes on campus or online, you can use the following checklist to begin narrowing down your choices. As you no doubt are aware, there are a large number of nursing schools and colleges near Sour Lake TX as well as within Texas and throughout the United States. So it is essential to lower the number of schools to select from in order that you will have a manageable list. As we already discussed, the site of the school and the cost of tuition are most likely going to be the initial two things that you will look at. But as we also stressed, they should not be your sole qualifiers. So prior to making your ultimate decision, use the following questions to see how your pick measures up to the other schools.

Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the certificate program as well as the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to helping verify that you obtain a premium education, it may help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are oftentimes not provided for non-accredited schools near Sour Lake TX.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing prerequisites for LPNs are different from state to state. In all states, a passing score is required on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) along with graduation from an accredited school. Many states require a specified number of clinical hours be completed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It’s essential that the school you are attending not only provides an excellent education, but also preps you to meet the minimum licensing requirements for Texas or the state where you will be practicing.
Reputation. Visit online rating services to see what the evaluations are for each of the LPN schools you are looking into. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. In addition, check with the Texas school licensing authority to check out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can speak with some nearby Sour Lake TX healthcare organizations you’re interested in working for after graduation and ask what their assessments 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 dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only verify that the school has a favorable reputation within the Sour Lake TX medical community, but that it also has the network of relationships to help students obtain employment.
Internship Programs. The most effective way to obtain experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical environment. Essentially all nursing degree programs require a specified number of clinical hours be completed. Many states have minimum clinical hour requirements for licensing too. Check if the schools have a working relationship with local Sour Lake TX community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the positioning of students in internships.

Enrolling in an LPN Program near Sour Lake TX?

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

Sour Lake, Texas

Sour Lake is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2010 census.[4] It was originally named "Sour Lake Springs", after the sulphurous spring water that flowed into the nearby lake; the sulphur was a sign of the crude oil that lay in proximity to local groundwater.[5] The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sour Lake is the oldest surviving town in Hardin County.[5] It is called by some the "Gateway to the Big Thicket".[citation needed]

Sour Lake was first settled around 1835 when the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas granted Stephen Jackson one league of land covering 4,428 acres (17.92 km2) by land grant.[5]Sam Houston visited Sour Lake in his later years.[5] The town is home to one of the biggest sinkholes in Texas.[citation needed]

Sour Lake became a short-lived boomtown with the discovery of oil in 1901, shortly after oil was found at the nearby Spindletop salt dome.[5] It is known as the birthplace of Texaco.[5] Formed in 1903, the Texas Company (Texaco's former corporate name) is one of the three major oil companies that can trace its origins to the oil fields around Southeast Texas. The Sour Lake oilfield produced about 90,000,000 barrels (14,000,000 m3) of oil up to 1948, when it was producing about 3,500 barrels (560 m3) daily and new drilling was still underway.[5] Today the Sour Lake oilfield is the oldest continuously-producing oil field in the world.

Pick the Right LPN Program near Sour Lake TX

Sour Lake TX LPN geriatric nurse with patient Selecting the ideal Licensed Practical Nurse school is perhaps the most critical phase to beginning a new career in the medical care field. There are a number of factors that you must take into account when choosing a nursing school. These aspects will be prioritized differently depending on your current career goals, lifestyle, and economic situation. As we have stressed within this post, it is critical that you select an LPN school and a certificate or degree program that are each accredited and have exceptional reputations within the health care community. You originally decided to visit this website because of an interest in LPN Training Programs. However, by utilizing our checklist of qualifying questions, you will be able to produce a short list of schools to choose from so that you can make your final selection. And with the appropriate degree and training, combined with your hard work and desire to succeed, you can become an LPN in Sour Lake TX.