What Do Licensed Practical Nurses Do?
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are health professionals who work under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or a physician and provide basic patient care. Their duties may include:
- Taking vital signs, monitoring patients’ health, and keeping records about patients’ health;
- Administering medications, changing bandages, and other basic nursing care;
- Carrying out prescribed medical and nursing treatments;
- Educating patients and listening to their concerns and discussing their health care;
- Supervising nursing aides in the delivery of patient services in some settings;
- Observing, documenting, and reporting patient condition and progress to RNs and physicians; and
- Providing emotional support to patients and their families.
For more information, go to: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm.
Where Do Licensed Practical Nurses Work?
LPNs work in nursing homes, private physician practices, hospitals, and a variety of other health care settings. Most LPNs work full time, and LPNs may work nights, weekends, and holidays depending on the health care setting they work in.
How Much Do Licensed Practical Nurses Earn?
In 2022, the average annual income reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the United States was $55,860. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) reports that, in 2023, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in New York earned a median annual salary of $59,889 (licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the 25th percentile made approximately $48,010 while those in the 75th percentile made approximately $65,656).
Supply and Demand
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of jobs for Licensed Practical Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses in the U.S. will increase by 6% between 2021 and 2031. The New York State Department of Labor projects that the number of jobs for Licensed Practical Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses in the state will increase by 19% between 2020 and 2030. As the population ages, growing demand for LPNs is expected to increase, especially in long-term care settings. Additionally, as technology advances allow more offices, clinics, and ambulatory settings to offer services that were once only available in hospitals, these settings may increase the use of LPNs.
For more information on projections of LPNs by New York labor regions, 2018-2028, click here.
Educational Requirements
LPNs must complete an accredited education program, which are typically about one year in length and include clinical practice in a hospital or other health care setting and classroom study that covers basic nursing content including:
- anatomy;
- physiology;
- medical-surgical nursing;
- pediatrics;
- obstetrics;
- psychiatric nursing;
- medication administration;
- nutrition; and
- first aid.
Some LPN educational programs are available to high school students, usually through a local BOCES. Most LPN programs are offered to adults as academic or continuing education courses through a BOCES, community or junior college, and some four-year colleges. The New York LPN to RN Articulation Model establishes a mechanism for an LPN to achieve educational mobility and expediency by eliminating barriers in nursing education programs.
Financial Support
Grants, scholarships, and awards for students entering the nursing field are available at local, state, and federal levels. For more information, click here.
New York Licensure Requirements
Graduates of LPN education programs must pass an exam, known as the NCLEX-PN, to get a license and work as an LPN in New York and in all U.S. states. For more information, go to: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/.
Education Programs in New York (subject to change)
To view the New York State Education Department list of all LPN programs in New York, click here.
The following list is derived from the same NYSED source.
Central Region
| Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES 31 Center Street 3rd floor Oneonta, NY 13820 (607) 286-7715 |
Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES The Center for Learning 12 Allen Street Auburn, NY 13021 (315) 253.4899 |
| Broome-Delaware-Tioga BOCES 435 Glenwood Road Binghamton, NY 13905 (607) 763-3300 |
Madison-Oneida BOCES 4937 Spring Road Verona, NY 13478 (315) 361-5500 |
| Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES Liverpool Campus 4500 Crown Road Liverpool, NY 13090 (315) 453-4455 or Cortland Campus 1710 State Route 13 Cortland, NY 13045 (607) 758-5111 |
Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES Chenango Campus 6678 County Route 32 Norwich, NY 11315-3554 (607) 335-1200 and Harrold Campus 270 Boces Drive Sidney Center, NY 13839-3105 (607) 865-2500. |
Genesee Valley Region
| SUNY Brockport Rochester Educational Opportunity Ctr. 161 Chestnut Street Rochester, NY 14604 (585) 232-2730 |
Genesee Valley BOCES (Genessee-Livingston-Steuben-Wyoming Counties) 80 Munson Street LeRoy, NY 14482 (585) 344-7788 LPN courses also available in Batavia, Greece, and Leicester, NY |
| Marion S. Whelan School of Practicing Nursing Finger Lakes Health Geneva General Hospital 196 North Street Geneva, NY 14456 (315) 787-4005 |
Greater Southern Tier BOCES Elmira Campus-Langdon Plaza 303 North Main Street Elmira, NY 14901 and Coopers Educational Center 9579 Vocational Drive Painted Post, NY 14870 (607) 739-8170 |
| Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES 131 Drumlin Court Newark, NY 14513 (315) 332-7400 |
Isabella Graham Hart School of Nursing Rochester Regional Health Learning Center 1630 Portland Ave Rochester, NY 14621 (585) 922-1400 |
Long Island Region
| Eastern Suffolk BOCES 350 Martha Avenue Bellport, NY 11713 (631) 286-6500 and Adult Education Center 100 Second Ave Brentwood, NY 11717 (631) 289-2200 |
VEEB Nassau County 30 E Cherry Street Hicksville, NY 11801 (516) 572-1704 |
| Western Suffolk BOCES Wilson Technologic Center 152 Laurel Hill Road Northport, NY 11768 (631) 261-3600 |
Hunter Business School 3601 Hempstead Turnpike Unit 19 Levittown, NY 11756 (516) 796-1000 |
| Suffolk County Community College Eastern Campus 121 Speonk-Riverhead Road Riverhead, NY 11901 (631) 548-2500 |
Metropolitan Region
| LaGuardia Community College 31-10 Thomson Ave. Long Island City, NY 11101 (718) 482-5248 or (718) 482-5774 |
Bronx Community College West 181st Street and University Avenue 2155 University Avenue Bronx, NY 10453 (718) 289-5100 |
| Hostos Community College 500 Grand Concourse Bronx, NY 10451 (718) 518-4444 |
Monroe College 2501 Jerome Avenue Bronx, NY 10468 (718) 933-6700 |
| AMG School of Licensed Practical Nursing 147 Prince Street, 2nd floor Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 596-5300 |
Clara Barton High School Career & Technical Education Center 901 Classon Ave Brooklyn, NY 11225 (718) 636-4900 |
| Curtis High School 105 Hamilton Avenue Staten Island, NY 10301 (718) 390-1800 or (718) 273-7380, ext.305 |
Mildred Elley School 25 Broadway, 16th floor New York, NY 10004 (866) 878-0041 (212) 380-9004 |
| Medgar Evers College 1650 Bedford Ave Brooklyn, NY 11225 (718) 270-4900 |
Transition Career Institute School of Nursing 30-50 Whitestone Expressway Suite 400 Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 362-9500 |
Mid-Hudson Region
| Dutchess BOCES 5 BOCES Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (845) 486-8045 |
Orange-Ulster BOCES 53 Gibson Road Goshen, NY 10924 Also at Middletown and Newburgh Campuses (845) 781-4642 |
| Rockland BOCES BOCES Educational Resource Center (BERC) 65 Parrott Rd West Nyack, NY 10994 (845) 627-4700 |
|
Northeast Region
| Capital Region BOCES 1015 Watervliet-Shaker Road Building A Albany, NY 12205 (518) 862-4709 |
Champlain Valley BOCES 1585 Military Turnpike Extension Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518) 561-0100 |
| HFM BOCES Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES 2755 State Highway 67 Johnstown, NY 12095 (518) 736-4681 |
Herkimer BOCES Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego 77 North Street Ilion, NY 13357 (315) 867-2000 |
| Maria College 700 New Scotland Avenue Albany, NY 12208 (518) 438-3111 |
Mildred Elley 855 Central Avenue Albany, NY 12206 (888) 290-3847 |
| WSWHE BOCES Washington-Saratoga-Warren- Hamilton-Essex Southern Adirondack Education Center 1051 Dix Ave Hudson Falls, NY 12839 (518) 746-3400 |
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing 1300 Massachusetts Ave Troy, NY 12180 (518) 268-5130 |
| SUNY Canton State University of New York 34 Cornell Drive Canton, NY 13617 (315) 386-7011 or (315) 379-3898 |
Northern Region
| Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES Charles Bohlen Jr Tech Center 20104 NYS Route 3 Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 779-7200 and Howard Sacket Tech Center 5836 State Route 12 Glenfield, NY 13343 (315)377-7300 |
North Country Community College 23 Santanoni Avenue Saranac Lake, NY 12983 (888) TRY-NCCC LPN program also available in Malone, NY and Ticonderoga, NY |
Western Region
| Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES 1825 Windfall Road Olean, NY 14760 (716) 376-8278 LPN courses available in Belmont, NY and Olean, NY |
Erie I BOCES Potter Career & Technical Center 705 Potters Rd West Seneca, NY 14224 (716) 821-7331 and Workforce Development Center 1526 Walden Ave, Ste 200 Cheektowaga, NY 14225 (716) 821-7500 |
| Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Hewes Education Center 2615 Maple Ave Ashville, NY 14710 (716) 664-4866 LPN also available in Cassadaga and Buffalo, NY |
Niagara County Community College-SUNY 3111 Saunders Settlement Road Sanborn, NY 14132 (716) 614-6222 |
| Orleans-Niagara BOCES Orleans Career and Technical Education Center 4232 Shelby Basin Road Medina, NY 14103 or Workforce Training Center 606 6th St Niagara Falls, NY 14301 (716) 731-6800, ext.4445 |
Trocaire College 360 Choate Avenue Buffalo, NY 14220 (716) 826-1200 |