Medical Professionals - Lpns: Where They Practice

The map shows the distribution of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) per 100,000 population across the nation in 1998. The national average that year was 249.3. The national ratio of LPNs employed for every 100 RNs that year was 32.

As we saw with registered nurses (RNs), there are severe shortages in states where the population is growing, especially in the West (California, Nevada, Alaska, and Idaho, for ex ample).

Nursing Program Graduates: LPNs

	1980	1985	1990	1995
LPN Grads	41,892	36,955	35,417	44,234

The role of LPN developed because of nursing shortages during World War II. Unlike registered nurses, who are awarded baccalaureate degrees, the licensed practical nurse receives one year of training, usually in a vocational or technical school.¹³ LPNs provide basic bedside care, including taking vital signs, treating bedsores, and administering enemas and injections. The job requirements: "Physical strength and stamina; compassion; self confidence; good judgment and decision-making skills" (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The salary range: $15,000 to $33,000 a year. The complaints: Low pay, too little time to spend on patient care, and too much paperwork.

In 2000 29% of LPNs were employed in nursing homes. Though the pay is better in hospitals, competition for hospital jobs is keen. LPN burnout is common, as described by Cyndi Drew, an LPN from Chesapeake employed in a nursing home. She wrote to the editor of the local newspaper: "UPS [United Parcel Service] workers get paid more and have better benefits than nurses in this area and they're not responsible for people's lifes. What person in their right mind would pay for a medical education, only to be paid less than someone who loads boxes on a truck and delivers them?" What person, indeed?

Sources: Map: National Center for Health Workforce Information and Analysis, State Health Workforce Profiles, http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/profiles/default.htm. Table: Health United States 2002, Table 104. National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses, http://www.nflpn.org/. Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos102.htm. "Nursing Homes Take Their Toll on Nurses, Too," (Letter to the Editor), The Virginian Pilot, April 14, 2002 pJ3. Information retrieved September 30, 2002.