There are many different types of hospitals, just as there are many different types of jobs one can have in a hospital. While some hospitals are specialized ones for particular illnesses, there are many hospitals that give short term care to patients before releasing them. Another type of hospital may combine long term stays with short term stays. No matter what type of hospitals one goes to, there will be doctors and nurses. Other jobs such as administrative, cafeteria work, and janitors also exist in hospitals. Many people find that a career in medicine is gratifying, no matter what job is done. There are different types of nurses that work in hospitals. One type of nurse is a Licensed Practical Nurse, also known as a LPN. Another kind of nurse is a Registered Nurse, or an RN. One can find both types of nurses in any hospital although they have different responsibilities.

• The position of LPN was created during World War II. Military hospitals were running low on RNs, and it was taking too long to train them. Becoming an RN generally takes four years, while becoming an LPN usually only takes two. LPNs are not licensed to have as many responsibilities as RNs, but LPNs are allowed to do many of the things they do. There are exceptions to this rule. While both LPNs and RNs can find employment in many places, one can often find them working in hospitals. Working in a hospital is generally also the first job for a RN or an LPN upon graduation from school. Many areas have several hospitals, leaving them with a wide range of options.

• Individuals who work in hospitals know that they may have to put in overtime. An efficiently running facility that handles medical emergencies, like a hospital, requires a staff to be flexible. That means that different hospital shifts may be required of the staff. Most hospital shifts may last for 12 or more hours, although some hospitals do have a regular shift schedule. An LPN who works in a hospital works an average of 50 to 60 hours a week. For the most part, an LPN who works in a hospital will be scheduled to work four shifts a week that are each 12 hours long. Two of those hospital shifts will probably be overnight shifts. Barring any exceptional circumstances, a LPN’s shift at a hospital will usually go the same each day. An LPN working in a hospital has a schedule that they will normally abide by.

• The first thing that an LPN does when they arrive to start their hospital shift is check in at the nurses station. All hospitals have nursing stations, which serve as a type of nursing headquarters. At the nursing station, the LPN will get the task list for the shift. This list will include all the hospital patients that the LPN will be taking care of on that shift. LPNs have a wide variety of jobs when they provide care for the hospital patients. In fact, LPNs associate more with patients than both RNs and doctors. Once of the jobs is to monitor each patients vital signs. The LPN must monitor the vital signs of their hospital patients for their entire shift. Vital signs include blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, and respiratory rate. While vital signs do vary by age, patients in hospitals will always have to get their vitals checked, no matter how old they are. This is done on a routine basis.

• Another job of an LPN working at a hospital is to bathe, feed and clothe hospital patients who are not able to complete those tasks themselves, usually the elderly. While the hospital meals are not delivered to each room by a LPN, the LPN might have to help a patient eat by helping them to sit up and even spoon feeding them. Other jobs of LPNs at hospitals are more medical in nature. LPNs are able to dress wounds, take blood samples and make sure that catheters are in place. An LPN can also give injections or shots, as well as administering enemas to hospital patients that need them. While a hospital LPN is able to administer injections, they are not allowed to give hospital patients intravenous medications. They are allowed to help women deliver and care for babies in hospitals, although doctors and RNs will also be present.

• LPNs are sometimes required to do administrative work. In hospitals, this includes filling out insurance forms for hospital patients. An LPN is also required to follow instructions from physicians as long as they are certified to do it. This could mean emptying wastebaskets as well as a host of other unskilled tasks. Besides having a busy schedule, LPNs sometimes have to deal with issues on their daily rounds at the hospital. Some patients will be mean, forgetful or stubborn and it is the job of an LPN to try and make each hospital patient comfortable. LPNs are not allowed to tell other staff members what to do, unless there are special circumstances. RNs and doctors are allowed to tell an LPN what duties they should be performing. Unless they are legally unable to perform the task in the hospital, the LPN must listen.

• The salary of an LPN varies. LPNs that work in hospitals tend to make a different amount of money than LPNs who work in nursing homes. LPNs can generalize: unlike RNs they generally do not specialize in any type of patient care. The salary of an LPN also depends on years of experience. However, the average hourly pay of an LPN, whether working in a hospital or not ranges from $14 to $19, with time and a half for overtime. Since many LPNs will be required to work ten to 20 hours of overtime each week, they may be able to nearly double their normal paycheck. Many times, an LPN will go back to school to get the training it takes to become an RN. A RN earns an average of $20 to $30 an hour. As with most jobs, the pay depends on the hospitals location and the type of work that is performed, along with experience.

An RN is step above an LPN and has some authority over them. The training to become and RN generally takes four years, and can lead to other opportunities. There are several places that a RN can work, and many of them choose to work in hospitals. Other places besides hospital work are nursing homes, home health center or personal nurse. An RN can also choose to specialize in a particular area of nursing. RNs can choose to specialize as a nurse for the emergency room, children, adults, the mentally unstable and the disabled. They can also just be general RNs who work in most areas of the hospital. There are many hospitals that provide care for all of those things. Therefore, a nurse can choose to work in a hospital no matter what specialization she picks.

• On a regular hospital shift, a RN will be responsible for higher medical levels of patient care then LPNs. Although they will not have to bathe or feed the hospital patients, they are required to make sure that the patients are eating, showering, using the bathroom and if possible, getting some light exercise. Some of these tasks may be very difficult. Patients who are in a hospital because of particular injuries or surgeries will be required by hospital regulations to do so. For other patients, these activities may be impossible. In those cases RNs, like LPNs are still required to make sure the patient’s vital signs are normal.

• Hospital RNs are given a number of patients each day that they are responsible for. RNs will often tell LPNs to do some of the easier jobs such as monitoring vital signs. While LPNs work very closely with hospital patients, RNs work closer with the doctors. They are also the ones who take urine and blood samples to be tested, although they are not the ones who test them. There are several jobs that a RN can do that a LPN is not allowed to. At hospitals, RNs can give oral medications to hospital patients and check to make sure that the correct amount of medication is given. Since RN is able to do every job that an LPN can do in a hospital, they will often concentrate on the tasks that they are allowed to do that LPNs can not. While LPNs can check the status of a hospital patient’s catheter or intravenous, an RN can set up a patient’s intravenous and insert the catheter.

• Promotions for RN’s can include being an administrative nurse at the hospital or the nursing manager. The job of the nursing manager at a hospital is to direct the other RNs and LPNs. RNs can be promoted at hospitals without additional training. LPNs who work in hospitals have nothing to be promoted to unless they complete the training necessary to become an RN. RNs are also the only ones who are able to get into hospital programs for advanced practice nursing specialties, since they require a degree. There is especially room to advance if the RN has chose a specialization.

• One specialization that many RNs find particularly overwhelming is a specialization in emergency room care. One of the most important jobs of an RN is choosing which hospital emergency room patients should be seen by a doctor first. This is based on how bad the injury or illness is. Determining the order in which hospital patients will be seen first is just one of the difficult jobs that emergency room nurses have. Emergency room RN’s must be able to move quickly and under pressure as they follow a doctor’s orders. The emergencies that doctors deal with might make them shout orders at all the RNs around them. The RNs must know what they are doing at all times. This includes knowing what the hospital policies, rules and procedures are. Different hospitals may have different policies.

• While doctors are busy performing emergency procedures, emergency room nurses do their usual hospital tasks, on a quicker basis. They may be required to bandage a wound to stop a flow of blood loss, administer medication when a person is in extreme pain, or give injections. While hospitals are not relaxing places, a nurse’s general duties can be done at a steady pace. In the hospital emergency room, that pace is escalated. The slightest wrong move can hurt or kill a patient. It is one of the most high pressure jobs that exist. An LPN is not certified to do many of the tasks that are performed in a hospitals emergency room.

• RNs are also required to speak with the family of the person in the hospital emergency room. Although they are not responsible for telling the family the final outcome of a patient’s procedure, they are supposed to keep them updated with reports of how the person is doing. In a hospital emergency room, this may be impossible at times. Dealing with the emotions of the families, as well as the hospitals patients can be incredibly difficult. Both RNs and LPNs will be in the vicinity of the hospital waiting room at times. Families of the patients may panic. If the outcome is not good, they might do even worse. Some family members may even attack the nurses or doctors. An RN working in a hospital emergency room should be aware of all these possible problems.

RNs and LPNs do have similar jobs when they work in hospitals. Although RNs are certified to perform more tasks, an LPN is able to fulfill many hospital duties. However, and RN is a job that has room for advancement, while the job of a LPN does not. An LPN may get a pay increase as they gain more experience, but they will not be able to advance to RN unless they get the training that qualifies them to do so.