When Michael Lemaire left the army, he looked around for an occupation
that he might enjoy.
"I had seen nurses taking care of my grandmother when she was ill, and
I thought that was something that I would like to do myself," says Lemaire.
He enrolled in an LPN course at a trade school and took his licensing exams
a few months after graduation.
Lemaire's first job involved working in the emergency, labor and delivery
and medical surgical units of a rural hospital. Next came a 16-year stint
in the urology, gynecology and post-operative units of a hospital. He currently
works evening shifts on a medical surgical team.
"When I come in, I get reports from the outgoing shift. Then I am assigned
my patients. I do a 'patient assessment,' then give medications,
make rounds with the doctors and basically look after my patients' needs
for the next eight hours," he explains.
Although Lemaire finds the patient load of six to seven patients to be
high, he enjoys his work very much. "I enjoy the people I work with. I enjoy
meeting new people, and each day I am assigned new patients. I also find it
rewarding to see a person come in ill and leave well."
Some things can be amusing. Lemaire enjoys talking about a doctor who regularly
takes the wrong turn down the hallway during rounds, and then becomes upset
when no one tells him he is heading in the wrong direction.
"This is a rewarding career," says Lemaire. "Job opportunities are always
open. The pay is competitive, although that somewhat depends on the facility
where you are working."
Catherine M. Coakley is the coordinator of an LPN program. During the 14
years that Coakley worked as an LPN, she found the work to be very rewarding.
"I liked the patient contact the best," she says. "LPNs do more hands-on
work than RNs [registered nurses], and they have more direct patient contact.
It's stressful in the beginning when you are a student or newly graduated.
But once you gain experience, this type of work is no more stressful than
any other occupation."
One of Coakley's best memories is the case of a gentleman that she
nursed for nine months before he passed away. "The staff became very attached
to this man, and to his family as well. We helped both the patient and the
family with the healing process. It was a very unique relationship. I have
never forgotten it."
When Coakley registered for LPN school in 1975, she was the mother of nine
children, and the youngest was two years old. "At the time, I needed something
with a short training period. I had worked as a ward aide before, so I knew
I would like nursing. The LPN program was the right thing for me. I always
tell people that if I could manage this with my family responsibilities, then
anyone can do it," she says.
Coakley's first job after completing her LPN training was on the medical
surgical floor of a hospital. After four years, she went to work in a monastery,
where she remained for 10 years.
"There were 60 priests and brothers, and a doctor was in charge of the
medical care. LPNs performed nursing skills; we took care of the patients.
My work involved administering medication, assessing their conditions, [and]
planning for their needs. We developed a plan of care for a patient, and then
basically we carried out that plan of care."
Coakley points out that the U.S. is currently experiencing a nursing shortage.
"Practical nursing is the first step in the ladder to becoming an RN. Although
I enjoyed being an LPN, I have always had a thirst for knowledge. So when
the time was right, I sought out additional training and moved upwards."
Karen Buness is another LPN who decided to increase her nursing training
after working in the field for a couple of years.
"I had worked as a [nursing aide] at a chronic care hospital while I was
in high school. I helped the LPN by feeding the patient, things like that.
From seeing the LPNs working, I thought that I would like being a nurse, but
I wasn't totally sure.
"So when I graduated from high school, I took the LPN training because
it was short -- only one year. If I didn't like it, it wouldn't
be a huge amount of time. But partway through my training, I knew that I loved
it. I had not been a very good student in high school because I wasn't
very interested. I did much better at nursing because I was so interested,"
explains Buness.
Five days after receiving her registration, Buness found employment at
a hospital.
After two years, Buness realized that she wanted more responsibility and
more options, so she enrolled in a four-year RN degree program.
"My LPN experience is very helpful to me now. I am familiar with hospital
work. Plus, my LPN training counted for the first two semesters of my RN training.
And because I was already a nurse, I am able to apply for a bursary every
year to help cover my training expenses."
If you are thinking of being an LPN, Buness's advice is to do it for
the love of it. "It is hard physical work because you are on your feet all
day and you are turning and moving patients. It can also be emotionally draining
because you are working with sick people all the time.
"But it is very rewarding because you are working with people
in a very hands-on way. You get to know your patients and their families.
It is not glamorous work, so go into it because you have a love for it and
a big heart."