Most professions in the healthcare field require years of training, you could spend at least two years in a classroom before you start earning. But you can become a licensed vocational nurse in less than half the time through technical school courses in Austin. An LVN course is your ticket to a rewarding nursing career.
What Does a Licensed Vocational Nurse Do?
LVNs are an integral part of the healthcare team, providing patients with the care and support they need to achieve their wellness goals. Employed by hospitals, nursing facilities, private practices, and home health agencies, the job includes:
Hands-on Patient Care
LVNs provide individualized care to patients in acute and residential settings, ensuring their safety and assisting them with activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, and using the toilet, based on their physical abilities. You’ll support patients with cognitive and mobility challenges, promoting independence and quality of life.
Administering Medications
Vocational nurses give medications, focusing on safety with patients who can’t self-administer drugs due to physical or memory deficits. You might crush pills for patients who can’t swallow or give them through a feeding tube, monitoring the therapeutic and side effects.
Monitoring Intake and Output
LVNs monitor patients’ food intake, fluid consumption and elimination patterns to ensure they receive adequate nutrition and are not suffering from renal, urinary, or gastrointestinal disorders. You’ll help patients stay nourished, hydrated, and healthy.
Giving Tube Feedings
Tube feedings provide complete nutrition when patients can’t consume food orally. LVNs administer liquid formula and maintain the patency of stomach and nasogastric tubes while caring for the surrounding skin which is prone to irritation. You’ll learn to use feeding pumps and calculate nutritional requirements.
Assisting with Mobility
LVNs evaluate patients’ strength, balance, and range of motion, identifying mobility barriers and the need for assistive devices, such as crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs. You’ll provide hands-on assistance for post-surgical and immobile patients and collaborate with therapists to develop mobility plans that preserve ambulatory patients’ ability to move and remain independent.
Wound Care
Vocational nurses manage acute and chronic wounds. You’ll administer topical treatments, apply dressings, and monitor wounds for signs of infection while encouraging healing through good nutrition, mobility, and skin care measures.
Catheterization
Patients who can’t urinate due to medical conditions eliminate using a catheter, a thin hollow tube inserted into the bladder. LVNs are trained to place indwelling catheters, perform intermittent catheterizations, and monitor for common adverse effects, such as tube blockages and infections. You’ll also play an active role in teaching patients how to manage catheters at home.
Managing Medical Devices
LVNs operate medical equipment, from ventilators and IV pumps to nebulizers and oxygen concentrators, for dependent patients. You’ll also help independent people learn to manage and maintain these life-saving devices at home.
Providing Emotional Support
Nurses approach patient care holistically, addressing physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial needs. They provide a compassionate presence, actively listening to patients’ concerns while providing a therapeutic environment that fosters trust, empathy, and respect. You’ll help create support networks for those in need, encouraging social interaction and connecting patients with appropriate resources.
Patient Education
LVNs play a crucial role in educating patients and their families about self-care strategies, including nutrition, hygiene, mobility, medication safety, and symptom monitoring. You’ll help them better understand their health conditions and treatment goals. By informing patients, LVNs empower them to be full partners in their healthcare journey, promoting better health outcomes and improved quality of life.
Supervising Paraprofessional Staff
Nurse’s aides and other healthcare paraprofessionals work under the supervision of nurses, including LVNs. You’ll delegate responsibilities, monitor performance, correct problems, and provide positive feedback to motivate staff and boost morale. It’s important for both patients and staff to create a supportive environment that encourages cooperation, teamwork, and professional development.
Patient Advocacy
A nurse’s primary role is that of an advocate. LVNs collaborate with doctors, therapists, social workers, and family to ensure that patients get comprehensive care that aligns with their medical needs and personal preferences.
Emergency Care
Vocational nurses have a practical role, but they receive training in how to handle medical crises. You’ll learn CPR, first aid and other life-saving techniques, including oxygen and emergency medication administration.
Documentation and Administrative Duties
Accurate clinical notes are vital for maintaining continuity of care and facilitating effective communication among members of the healthcare team. Every shift, you’ll document patients’ conditions, the treatments you provided and patient responses. You’ll also be asked to participate in administrative functions, such as scheduling transportation for patients, communicating with families, and attending quality improvement meetings.
How Do You Become an LVN?
Becoming an LVN in Austin is a two-step process. Step one is to complete technical school courses, including class instructions and supervised clinical rotations. The curriculum covers anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, infection control and fundamental nursing practices. You’ll graduate with a diploma and ready for step two, the NCLEX-PN, the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses.
This nationally recognized exam is available to all technical school graduates. Courses cover the material found on the test, emphasizing test-taking skills. You’ll schedule a date at a nearby testing center as soon as you graduate. Get a passing score and you’re ready to work as an LVN.
How Long Are LVN Courses in Austin?
LVN courses in the Austin area take less than a year to complete. Programs are brief but intense and require full-time attendance. You’ll immerse yourself in learning and graduate before you know it. And technical schools offer career services, partnering with local healthcare providers to help you find your first job.
Final Thoughts
Don’t just dream about a nursing career, make it a reality with a phone call to CyberTex. Our lifestyle-friendly training courses will prepare you for a rewarding role and a secure future as a licensed vocational nurse.
Licensed Vocational Nurse
Classes for the Vocational Nursing program are conducted in a student-friendly atmosphere conveniently located in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the Licensed Vocational Nursing program, students can apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), become a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), and start their exciting new career immediately.
Contact us today to learn more about our CyberTex Austin campus.