What Does an LPN Do? (Responsibilities & LPN Duties)

Licensed practical nurse (LPN) and licensed vocational nurse (LVN) are the same role under different names, with LVN used only in Texas and California. The job runs from dressing wounds to feeding infants. Most LPNs train to work across all areas of healthcare, though some specialize.

Key takeaways

• LPN duties include taking vital signs, administering medications, and interviewing patients to gather medical information.
• Common workplaces include hospitals, physician offices, nursing facilities, and home health services.
• LPNs typically complete a one-year program, giving relatively quick entry into nursing.
• LPNs can specialize in areas like gerontology and long-term care, and pay varies with experience and location.

What an LPN does

The core of the job is providing basic nursing care under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or physician. LPNs work in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, nursing homes, and patients' homes. The role stays consistent, but duties shift with the setting. An LPN in a physician office may handle administrative tasks like scheduling, while an LPN in a hospital may take on more advanced nursing in an emergency room.

LPNs sit between CNAs and RNs. They carry more autonomy and skills than a certified nursing assistant but less responsibility and education than a registered nurse, and they cost facilities less to hire. Because the path takes about a year, it is a fast way to enter nursing and build experience before committing the time and money an RN license and BSN require.

LPN responsibilities and duties

Across nearly every setting, a few tasks fall to LPNs:

• Interviewing patients about their current condition and medical history, including medications, allergies, and family history.
• Taking vital signs: blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respirations, and sometimes weight.
• Reviewing and updating medical records with interview findings and the latest vitals.
• Administering medications and treatments, including wound care.
• Monitoring patients after treatments or medications, charting reactions, and reporting to an RN or physician.
• Giving immunizations and injections, including flu shots and, in some settings, TB tests.
• Drawing blood for labs, then labeling and sending samples for processing.
• Preparing and monitoring IVs, including the skin around the insertion site.
• Giving oxygen and breathing treatments such as nebulizer treatments.
• Taking inventory and reordering supplies.
• Handling phone calls and other administrative tasks.

Other duties depend on your workplace. LPNs in skilled nursing facilities often supervise CNAs, while hospital LPNs help prepare patients for discharge. Your state defines your scope of practice, which sets what you can do independently versus only under RN supervision. Your education program prepares you for the tasks within your state's scope.

Workplaces

LPNs have a range of settings to choose from. Hospitals are fast-paced, putting you alongside RNs and physicians in the emergency room, surgery, the maternity ward, and beyond, with room to take on advanced duties. Physician offices and clinics offer more regular hours and a slower pace, mixing patient care with administrative work. Nursing facilities are the most common employer of LPNs, providing long-term care, medications, treatments, and ongoing monitoring. Home health is a growing field where you help patients recover at home and teach them and their families to manage care. Travel nursing offers short assignments around the country, or abroad, usually with housing and expenses covered.

How an LPN differs from RNs and CNAs

The three roles look similar but differ in responsibilities, education required, where they can work, and how much autonomy they carry.

RNs hold a two-year ADN or four-year BSN. They assess patients, educate patients and families, perform treatments, and build care plans.

LPNs hold a one-year certification or degree. They interview patients, give medications, start IVs, give injections, and monitor patients.

CNAs complete a one- to four-month training program. They assist with patient care and daily activities like bathing and dressing, and take vital signs.

LPN specialties

Like RNs, LPNs can earn certifications in a specialty area. Popular options include wound care, IV therapy, gerontology, long-term care, rehabilitation, pharmacology, and hospice. The right fit depends on where you want to work and your career goals. If you are aiming for a skilled nursing facility, gerontology or long-term care makes sense. Certifications are available from the National Association of Licensed Professional Nurses (NALPN) Education Foundation or the National Association of Practical Nurse Education and Services (NAPNES).

Pay

The median annual wage for LPNs/LVNs was $62,340 in 2024, according to the BLS. Your earnings depend on experience, education, and location, and specialization or certification can raise them.

Education

LPN roles do not require a degree. Instead, you complete a formal program that runs about a year at a community college, vocational school, technical school, or trade school.

You may be able to take classroom courses online, but you will still need hands-on training. Most programs blend online or classroom instruction with clinical hours completed onsite. After graduating, you take the NCLEX and meet any other requirements your state board sets, which may include a criminal background check.

Attend an accredited school. Depending on your state, you may not be able to sit for the NCLEX if your program is not accredited, and your credits may not transfer if you later pursue an RN. If you do want to advance, an LPN-to-BSN bridge program builds on your existing skills, and many run part time so you can keep working while you study.