PRACTICAL NURSING (PN)
(Wallace and Sparks Campuses)

Program Description:
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) provide bedside patient care under the supervision of a registered nurse, physician, or dentist. While providing direct patient care, the LPN is in a strategic position to observe the patient response to treatment and care. As an effective and contributing member of the nursing team, the LPN assists in implementing the patient's care plan. In some settings, the LPN may be responsible for supervising nursing care delivery to a group of patients. The LPN may administer medications and treatments to assigned patients while supervising nursing assistants who perform basic nursing functions. After completing the Practical Nursing Program, graduates are eligible to make application for the NCLEX-PN exam.

At Wallace Community College the Practical Nursing curriculum is available at two locations--the Wallace Campus in Dothan and the Sparks Campus in Eufaula. With a credential award of a program certificate, the Practical Nursing Program is three terms in length. Program admission is competitive and applications are accepted twice each year for entry in Fall or Spring semesters. For specific guidance, contact Ms. Gwyn Galloway, Program Director or Ms. Debbie Holman , PN Secretary.

Career Opportunities:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of LPNs is projected to grow much faster than average. Overall job prospects are expected to be very good, but job outlook varies by industry. The best job opportunities will occur in nursing care facilities and home healthcare services. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses held about 753,600 jobs in 2008. About 25 percent of LPNs worked in hospitals, 28 percent in nursing care facilities, and another 12 percent in offices of physicians. Others worked for home healthcare services; employment services; residential care facilities; community care facilities for the elderly; outpatient care centers; and Federal, State, and local government agencies.  Employment of LPNs is expected to grow by 21 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations, in response to the long-term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general increase in demand for healthcare services.

Demand for LPNs will be driven by the increase in the share of the older population. Older persons have an increased incidence of injury and illness, which will increase their demand for healthcare services. In addition, with better medical technology, people are living longer, increasing the demand for long-term healthcare. Job growth will occur over all healthcare settings but especially those that service the geriatric population like nursing care facilities, community care facilities, and home healthcare services.
In order to contain healthcare costs, many procedures once performed only in hospitals are being performed in physicians' offices and in outpatient care centers, largely because of advances in technology. As a result, the number of LPNs should increase faster in these facilities than in hospitals. Nevertheless, hospitals will continue to demand the services of LPNs and will remain one of the largest employers of these workers.

Skills Needed:

• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Most licensed practical nurses work a 40-hour week. In many work settings patients need round-the-clock care and LPNs work nights, weekends, and holidays. About 18 percent of LPNs worked part-time in 2008. They often stand for long periods and help patients move in bed, stand, or walk.  LPNs may face hazards from caustic chemicals, radiation, and infectious diseases. They are subject to back injuries when moving patients. They often must deal with the stress of heavy workloads. In addition, the patients they care for may be confused, agitated, or uncooperative.

LPNs should have a caring, sympathetic nature. They should be emotionally stable because working with the sick and injured can be stressful. They also need to be observant, and to have good decision-making and communication skills. As part of a healthcare team, they must be able to follow orders and work under close supervision.  LPNs should enjoy learning because continuing education credits are required by some States and/or employers at regular intervals. Career-long learning is a distinct reality for LPNs.

Expected Earnings/Salary:

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2010 the median national salary for Licensed Practical Nurses was $40,380 ($19.42/hour). 
• The low 10% of the salary range was $29,680 ($14.27/hour) and the top 10% was $56,010 ($26.93/hour).  
• In the Dothan, Alabama area the median salary for Licensed Practical Nurses is $32,900 ($15.84/hour).
  

CATALOG INFORMATION (Course and Admission Requirements)(pdf)