Clinical Training: The Practical Part Of The LVN Course

Before being allowed to qualify as a licensed vocational nurse, you have to be able to apply all acquired knowledge in practice. Since this involves a wide spread of skills, a substantial amount of clinical training is part of the LVN course.

The reasons for clinical training include the following:

Maintaining the patient’s personal hygiene is the responsibility of the LVN. The training provides guidance and assistance on all factors involved.

Something that most training programs used to ignore is now being integrated into the curriculum: Patient behavior. Many patients, being in pain, disorientated or traumatized, behave irrationally, and can present a major challenge to the LVN responsible. The best preparation is actual experience under guidance.

Being responsible for recording vital patient statistics involve the use of medical instruments. Becoming familiar with the techniques used is a vital part of any LVN course.

Being responsible for applying dressings, administering injections, and treating bedsores, the LVN can face a health risk if any of these are not performed correctly, as well as causing the patient unwarranted discomfort.

In some states it is permitted for an LVN to administer intravenous injections. This seemingly simple process is actually critical, since a small increase in dosage could very well prove to be fatal to the patient. This requires training to the point of perfection.

Clinical training also prepares anyone taking the LVN course to deal with heavy workloads. Certain occasions and situations will bring a sudden influx of patients adding tremendous pressure. Nurses have to be able to cope with this, deal with unreasonable patients, and still be accurate in administering injections and medication.

Being an LVN also involves working with hazardous materials, and highly contagious diseases. If unprepared, a simple sneeze from a patient could pose a health risk, depending on the condition involved. Healthcare does involve an amount of risk, and an LVN has to be prepared on how to deal with it.

If your nursing school does not provide clinical training, they will usually be able to connect you with the most convenient local facility available, so you can complete your clinical portion of the LVN course. This will allow you to apply your acquired knowledge, and have a full grasp of everything involved in your responsibilities as a nurse.