LPN vs RN
Nursing is considered to be one of the noblest professions in the world that gives one an opportunity to be of help to those who need it most on account of ailments and infirmity. LPN and RN are two different degrees that qualify one as a nurse and pursue a career in healthcare industry as a nurse. If you are interested in joining healthcare industry as a nurse, it is better to be aware of the features of these two courses to make a better and informed choice. This article aims to highlight the differences in the two courses.
LPN stands for Licensed Practical/Professional Nurse, whereas RN refers to Registered Nurse. There are differences in the training of the two courses. Whereas RN is more focused on practical patient care and deals exclusively on patient nursing, LPN is known for providing basic nursing training along with administrative and management training. Thus RN nurses get a deeper and broader understanding of necessary topics including physiology, clinical practice, delivery systems and pharmacology. There are also differences in duration. RN is the longer of the two and takes 2 years to complete whereas LPN is a one year course. There is also a bachelor’s degree in RN which takes about 4 years to complete.
Degree of certification of RN is either an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree of science while that of LPN is a diploma or a certificate. After completing RN and LPN, students need to pass another qualifying examination to be eligible to join the healthcare industry. While RN candidates have to pass NCLEX-RN, LPN candidates need to pass LCLEX-PN. This is actually called a national licensing examination for practical nurses test. Those who become RN are given jobs with greater responsibilities than candidates who have passed LPN.
Nurses with RN certification have the liberty to take independent decisions in critical situations while LPN nurses do not have this authority. If one looks at organizational hierarchy, RN nurses are placed higher than LPN nurses and this is also reflected in their pay scales. The hourly wages of LPN nurses is around $12-$14 whereas hourly wages of RN nurses is around $18-$20.
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Difference Between LPN and RN • RN and LPN are two different paths to the same profession of nursing • RN is called registered nurse while LPN is called licensed practical nurse. • RN course is of longer duration and covers more practical aspects of patient care while LPN provides administrative and management training • RN can even be a bachelor’s degree whereas LPN is mostly a diploma or a certificate • RN are considered to be superior in an organizational hierarchy and receive higher salaries • More responsibilities are delegated to RN than LPN nurses. .
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