Licensed Practical Nurse

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Licensed Practical Nurse

O*NET-SOC: 29-2061.00

Healthcare

Provides basic nursing care under the supervision of registered nurses and physicians, including monitoring vital signs, administering medications, changing wound dressings, and assisting patients with daily activities.

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$62K

Median Salary

+5%

Stable

High School Diploma

Min. Education

Demanding

Work-Life Balance

About This Role Licensed practical nurses provide hands-on patient care under the direction of registered nurses and doctors, handling many of the day-to-day tasks that keep patients comfortable, safe, and on track with their treatment plans. A shift typically begins with a handoff from the outgoing nurse, where they learn about each patient's condition, medications, and any changes that happened overnight.

From there, the day is a steady cycle of checking vital signs, administering medications, changing wound dressings, helping patients with bathing and mobility, and documenting everything in the electronic health record.

A Day in the Life

6:30 AM

Shift report handoff

Meet with the outgoing nurse to review each patient's condition, new lab results, and any orders that came in overnight.

7:00 AM

Morning assessments

Check vital signs (blood pressure, temperature, pulse), do basic neurological checks, and weigh patients as needed.

8:30 AM

Medication round

Administer scheduled medications by mouth or injection, scanning each patient's wristband to verify the right drug and dose.

11:00 AM

Wound care

Assess and clean wounds, change dressings, and document how each wound is healing for the supervising nurse.

12:30 PM

Lunch and charting

Take a break, then record the morning's observations, fluid intake, and output in the electronic health record.

1:30 PM

IV and infusion care

Start or monitor intravenous medications such as antibiotics, flush IV lines, and check the insertion sites for problems.

3:30 PM

Patient education

Teach a patient how to use a blood sugar monitor at home or walk a family through discharge instructions.

6:30 PM

Handoff prep

Update the incoming shift on each patient's status, tidy up supply areas, and finish any remaining documentation.

Tools & Technologies

  • Medical & Health Records
  • eClinicalWorks

  • Epic Systems

  • MEDITECH
  • Electronic medical record EMR software

  • HCPCS

  • Video Conferencing

  • Zoom

  • FaceTime

  • Email

  • Microsoft Outlook

  • Microsoft Exchange

  • Spreadsheets

  • Microsoft Excel

  • Office Suites

  • Microsoft Office

  • Operating Systems

  • Microsoft Windows

Salary Details

Salary Distribution

Salary distribution for Licensed Practical Nurse: 10th percentile $48K, 25th $55K, median $62K, 75th $73K, 90th $81K Median $48K $55K $62K $73K $81K

Most professionals earn between $55K and $73K

Licensed Practical Nurse salary percentile distribution Percentile Salary 10th $48K 25th $55K 50th (Median) $62K 75th $73K 90th $81K

Salary by State

Licensed Practical Nurse salary by state map

Licensed Practical Nurse salary by state State Median Salary Salary Range Washington $80K $62K - $97K Rhode Island $78K $63K - $91K Alaska $78K $60K - $96K California $77K $62K - $100K Oregon $77K $63K - $95K Massachusetts $77K $63K - $90K New Hampshire $75K $55K - $94K Arizona $74K $58K - $83K Nevada $74K $59K - $85K New Jersey $71K $60K - $80K Maine $71K $51K - $100K District of Columbia $70K $59K - $81K Maryland $70K $59K - $86K Connecticut $69K $59K - $80K Colorado $67K $52K - $83K Delaware $66K $55K - $76K Illinois $66K $51K - $84K Hawaii $66K $54K - $81K Vermont $65K $50K - $99K New York $64K $51K - $80K Michigan $64K $53K - $77K Indiana $64K $50K - $75K Virginia $62K $48K - $77K Pennsylvania $62K $49K - $77K Wyoming $62K $48K - $74K Idaho $62K $28K - $76K Utah $62K $42K - $79K North Carolina $61K $49K - $76K Wisconsin $61K $51K - $75K Ohio $61K $48K - $74K Minnesota $61K $50K - $73K North Dakota $61K $49K - $73K New Mexico $61K $38K - $76K Nebraska $61K $47K - $74K Texas $60K $48K - $74K Florida $60K $49K - $73K Kansas $60K $49K - $73K Montana $60K $47K - $75K Iowa $59K $49K - $75K South Carolina $59K $48K - $70K Missouri $59K $46K - $75K Georgia $58K $45K - $73K Kentucky $58K $46K - $69K Oklahoma $56K $43K - $65K Tennessee $55K $39K - $65K Louisiana $54K $43K - $64K Arkansas $51K $39K - $63K Alabama $50K $36K - $63K West Virginia $50K $40K - $64K South Dakota $49K $39K - $61K Mississi

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