Career progression from licensed practical nurse to registered nurse

¶ … Admission to Nursing Training

Thank you in advance for the opportunity to apply for admission to your program. I am a motivated, caring professional in the nursing field and I have powerful goals that push me forward towards a high level of competency and professionalism. My first big step was to become an LPN, and next is my objective to achieve my associate degree in nursing. I am excited at the prospect of obtaining more knowledge, more experience, and more credibility in my chosen field not just for my own career advancement but also that I may better serve patients.

How has the patient care I have provided influenced my career and my decision to continue my education?

I have been working full time as an LPN in a nursing home -- a geriatric setting -- for the past ten years. The experience that an LPN acquires after ten years of full time work is significant and important. I go to work each day with the thought that I will learn more about the people in my care, their needs, their psychological and emotional issues, and their life stories. Older people have some fascinating stories to tell about their lives and their families, and I have learned to become a very good listener because the duties and responsibilities of an LPN in a nursing home go well beyond hands-on healthcare procedures.

An important part of the job I have been doing is human-to-human interaction, getting to know older people and learning about their likes and dislikes, their appetites at certain times of the day, their aches and pains, their emotional needs and their desire to be loved and nurtured. I will delve into the person-to-person experiences a bit later in my essay.

My Licensed Practical Nurse Patient Care Experiences

My essential duties in the healthcare setting have become as familiar to me as turning on the light switch in the morning and pouring a cup of coffee. Aside from my own personal health and well-being (and the well-being of my family and loved ones), my work is the most important part of my day-to-day life. To start my workday after I arrive at the nursing home, I monitor the health of each patient; I check their blood pressure, change bandages, and help them bathe and keep clean clothes available, and keep accurate records on their physical well-being.

I of course report my findings to the RN on duty, and each time I do, I project ahead to the day when I, too, will be a respected RN and LPNs will be reporting to me. The RNs that work with me at the nursing home are very proficient and they conduct themselves with dignity and a calm sense of purpose. I see my future self in their smiles, their laughter, their crisp white apparel, their impeccable clipboard record-keeping and their professionalism.

Other typical duties at the nursing home include following the general therapeutic plan for our facility, logging in to the computer system for in-house communication and instructions, and meeting with the supervising RN to receive an update and review on the previous evening's activities. I also understand that my unspoken duty is to act as a role model for the ancillary staff that is on hand at the nursing home; there are "aides" and other staff on site that do not have the education or experience that I have had, and I can see from their expressions (and I can hear from their questions and conversations with me) that they probably would like to be in my shoes at some time in the future.

Our nursing home has a doctor who specializes in geriatrics; she visits four or five days a week. We also have a general practitioner who comes in on weekends. The doctors meet with the RN on duty and they review the charts and records for all the patients. After the RN and doctor have had their session, specific care instructions are given to me to carry out. One of my key duties is to report any significant changes in patients' mental or physical condition. I am responsible for good medical communication (written and verbalized) to my supervising RN when I detect any significant changes in any patient. I am invited to participate in nursing conferences in the community and I take part in staff development programs offered in our community.

Under the nursing home guidelines I am obliged to have conversations with our patients but I do far more than engage in small talk. Since I see them 5 days a week is should come as no surprise that I have become friends with several of the elderly people. Some of the patients look for my care to pull in and they greet me as I enter their floor. And when their families come to visit, they all know me and thank me for the quality of care that I help to provide for their family members. This gives me great satisfaction and is part of why I believe I am well-suited to become an RN and continue climbing the ladder of information and competency in the nursing field.

Care for those suffering from dementia

We have patients that are have lost many of their mental functions but they have not transitioned into full blown Alzheimer's. They suffer from some level of dementia. Some have mild forms of dementia and they are not totally confused and lost but they do have a tough time remembering names, certain words, and they can't be counted on to remember specific instructions or suggestions for the betterment of their health. Some of my patients with dementia have started to lose interest in the activities that they once were eager to take part in.

For example, Phillip, an 82-year-old patient used to be raring to go to play canasta with another patient -- they also played poker and Yachtzee -- but lately he seems sad and has lost interest in interaction with others. I am not an expert but I think the consensus around the nursing home is that he has a mild form of dementia. I cheer him up with a "knock-knock" joke or two (I get them online and print them out because patients like silly, simple jokes like that), and many days I can get him to get up and come into the recreation room with other patients.

How do I see myself contributing to the nursing profession?

We often have local school groups come in and perform for us (some school choirs come; other schools send students who act out a skit or a scene from a play). When those groups come, I make sure Phillip has a front row seat and it brings me great joy to see and hear the laughter on that man's face! Phillip is of course not the only patient I have paid special attention to because I love all my patients, even the ones who are indifferent or even unkind to me. But I have watched Phillip slide slowly into dementia and I feel like he is an old friend who needs nurturing.