What Makes a Good LPN?

Nurses at all levels, from Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) to Nurse Practitioners (ARNP) need to have a great deal of people skills, because they interact with patients daily on an intimate level.  Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are no exception to that rule.  If you plan to become an LPN, you will shine in the role if you possess the following characteristics:

• You need to have compassion for the patients in your care, and be truly empathetic to their situation.

• You should be responsible and pay close attention to detail, so you can deliver proper treatment at the proper time
• You need to have good interpersonal skills in order to interact with patients and healthcare professionals
• It takes a special kind of person to deal with sick people and it can cause the ordinary person a lot of stress, therefore; a good LPN needs to have a lot of patience
• You will be talking to patients and other healthcare professionals on a daily basis, so you will need to have excellent communication skills
• Bending, standing, stooping and lifting are all activities that you will have to be able to perform every day, so you will need to have good physical stamina.
• If you plan to be a competent professional working in a healthcare environment, you want to make sure that you are free of unhealthy habits such as smoking and over consumption of alcohol.  As a side note to this particular characteristic, some healthcare facilities and health insurance agencies have begun making it a practice to not hire applicants who smoke - this is even a law in some states.