Communication is an integral component of the profession of nursing. Without perfect communication skills, it would be quite tedious for an LPN to conduct work and perform duties.

As an LPN you will be required to engage in several kinds of communication including:-

• Communication with managers, administrators, and staff
• LPN to LPN communication
• LPN to Patient communication
• LPN to Medical Staff/Physician communication
• LPN to Patient’s Family communication, etc.

 

In order to fulfill the same in the best way possible, you can adopt the following ways that may help you in enhancing and maintaining good communication.

1) Listen Prominently

The first and foremost important way of improving communication begins with prominent Listening. You should always listen carefully to what a colleague or a patient is saying. You should always conduct an alert and responsive posture while communicating with others.

Let them know that you are listening attentively and then answer them respectively.

2) Adjust To Your Audience

Every person an LPN interacts with, discuss different topics and situations.

A patient and his/her family generally converse about the health and condition of the patient. On the other hand, physicians and medical team members talk about the health progress report and the prevailing health condition of a patient. An LPN needs to carefully adjust according to the kind of audience he/she is communicating with. He/she must talk in simpler terms with patients and can make use of medical jargon while communicating with the medical staff.

3) Ensure Proper LPN to LPN Communication While Patient Handoffs

During shift changes and patient handoffs, you must diligently and accurately update the other LPN about the current health scenario of a patient. Make the other LPN familiar with the patient’s situation, background, assessment and let him/her know if you have any recommendations.

Guide them properly with the stage of illness, patient summary, and all other information that might be necessary.

4) Dodge Interruptions

It is important to avoid interruptions while ensuring good communication with others. You must not interrupt and cut off when someone is speaking. Listen to him first completely and once he is done, respond accordingly. Do not cut off as it signals impatience and unprofessionalism. It is a part of active listening and must always be kept in mind.

5) Maintain Positive Attitude & Keep Your Emotions in Check

Throughout your whole career of nursing, you will come across several kinds of situations and conversations. Some might upset you and some may trigger anger. To deal with such situations, you will need to learn to maintain your calm and tackle everything positively.

No matter what always ensure courteous and professional behavior while communicating with others.

Apart from all of these ways of communication improvement, you should also keep a check on the following:-

• Ensure proper eye-contact
• Maintain good tone while speaking
• Consider all the complaints and concerns thoughtfully
• Always keep your word and do not break trust
• Handle every patient with dignity
• Smile often
• Show care and compassion

 

So if you are an LPN, you must always make sure to incorporate these tactics in improving your communication skills. Also, if you are an LPN student, you must start practicing these ways now as these will surely help and benefit you ahead in the long run.

Also, if you are considering to join licensed practical nurse programs or thinking of getting admission in LPN programs, you can get enrolled in the accredited practical nursing programs of Verve College.

The licensed practical nursing programs of our LPN schools will help you in shaping up a brilliant future in the noble and reputable profession of nursing.

Being in the shoes of a Licensed Practical Nurse gives the opportunity to play several roles at once. Due to the flexible and adaptable nature of the job, an LPN gets to witness various circumstances and thus molds into various roles accordingly.

An LPN usually works at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools, care centers, etc., wherein they get to work on multiple patients and where they execute their different roles accordingly.

Following are the 6 Roles Played By A Licensed Practical Nurse in his/her entire LPN Journey:-

1) Clinician

Being a Clinician is the primary role played by an LPN. As a clinician, a Licensed Practical Nurse performs all the basic tasks of nursing. He/She undertakes tasks like dressings, health monitoring & evaluation of patients, assisting in medication, helping the RNs and doctors, etc.

This primary role as a clinician acts as the essence of the other roles that an LPN plays.

2) Counselor

As a counselor, an LPN assists the patient and his family to understand and talk freely about the illness and the treatment required for healing the illness.

In this role, an LPN makes the patient believe that they are with them while battling against the disease. They act as a backbone for the patient and his family and support them throughout the treatment journey.

3) Educator

Proper patient education is a must when it comes to performing medication activities. In the role of an educator, an LPN teaches the patient about his ailment, his medical condition, how the medication is supposed to be done, how to handle a wound, etc. An LPN helps a patient understand his health issue and clarify his doubts about the ailment.

4) Collaborator

A patient is treated by a team of practicing Doctors, RNs, CNAs, Physicians, LPNs, etc. They work and collaborate while treating a patient. They share and exchange information about the patient and suggest the best possible ways of administering a patient’s illness. While working as a team, an LPN also collaborates & shares his/her opinions and suggestions that can help the patient combat the ailment he is going through.

5) Advocate

An LPN also plays the role of an advocate as well. He/she helps a patient understand his rights and suggest what is best for him. They also stand beside the patient when they feel difficult in accessing their rights. They act as a support pillar for the patient and backs them whenever needed.

6) Administrator

As an administrator or a manager, an LPN administers all the needs of a patient, ensure proper medication, provide timely nursing, etc. They also supervise the other medical assistants and suggest to them how to address a patient’s health issue and how to implement the care plan of the patient.

Thus, these were some of the prominent roles that a Licensed Practical Nurse essays throughout her career and performs them proficiently.

If you are someone who is intending to enter this remarkable field of nursing, get ready to play these varied roles. Also, if you are looking forward to joining medical assistant programs or licensed practical nursing programs, you can consider enrolling in Verve College.

We offer licensed practical nursing programs and anatomy and physiology classes that can help you embark on the journey of becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse. We provide accredited LPN programs and A&P Class that can help you learn about the fundamentals of nursing, human anatomy, how a human body works and responds, etc.

Become a part of a fulfilling arena of nursing by enrolling with Verve College.

Are you ready to start with your licensed practical nurse training? Have no doubt that it is going to be a challenging journey ahead, with all the studies and the tests. Not to mention you probably would also have other responsibilities to attend to in addition to attending the nursing school. You shouldn’t be worrying too much though about successfully completing your licensed practical nurse degree, because this is certainly achievable if you are organized and consistent with your efforts. Here are some study tips that you should heed to as you look forward to begin nursing school and become a practical nurse.

1. Be Regular With Your Studies

May sound like an age old advice but it still deserves an emphasis over and over. You will have a lot of study material at your disposal for perusal and you can’t rely on the last few weeks before your NCLEX-PN exam to cram it all up. It would be much easier if you took out a little time every day to study and learn. The pressure will ease off instead of building up.

2. Streamline Your Learning Process

If reading through huge texts of information seems tough for you, which is a part and parcel of licensed practical nurse programs, then there are ways to simplify this. Instead of going in too much detail and trying to memorize everything during the first read,  just roughly browse through the material to get a feel of what the topic is about. Find out the common exam questions related to the topic. This will give you an idea about the most important things within the topic that you need to study.

3. Make Your Study Smart and Interesting

Memorizing information can be made less cumbersome if you take help from useful learning tools like rough notes, flashcards, and diagrams. Keep these items handy so that you can carry them with you in your bag wherever you go. That way you can steal a glance at these during any free time and refresh your memory at any chance you get.

4. Take Your PN Classes Seriously

   

Treat all your licensed practical nurse classes with seriousness because there’s so much to learn in the classroom. Pay attention to the professors and jot down notes as best and in as much detail as you can. When the day is over, you should take some time to revise the key learning from the classes that day. Going over the things you learned once more on the same day will help you remember it better in the long run.

 

 

 

5. Collaborate With Your School Peers

Talking to and taking help from your friends at school is a wonderful opportunity to not just expand your own pool of knowledge but also to socialize and share with like-minded people. If study groups work for you, then go ahead and find friends with whom you can form a productive learning environment. You can ask your group mates doubts and queries about topics you don’t understand. You could all share notes with each other, give each other quick tests, give and take tips, etc.