Alaska Vocational Technical Center

Nursing Programs Offered

LPN Program Details

The Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.) program training is offered in the Anchorage area.

Licensed practical nurses provide care for people who are sick, injured, convalescing, and developmentally disabled, under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. Most LPN's provide basic bedside care. LPN's in nursing homes, in addition to providing routine bedside care, may also help evaluate residents' needs, develop care plans, and supervise nursing aides. In doctors' offices and clinics, including health maintenance organizations, they may also make appointments, keep records, and perform other clerical duties. LPN's who work in home health may also prepare meals and teach family members simple nursing tasks. They take vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. They also treat bedsores, prepare and give injections and enemas, apply dressings, give alcohol rubs and massages, apply ice packs and hot water bottles, and insert catheters. LPN's observe patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. They may collect samples from patients for testing and perform routine laboratory tests. They help patients with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene, feed them and record food and liquid intake and output, keep them comfortable, and care for their emotional needs. Some experienced LPN's supervise nursing assistants and aides.

AVTEC Allied Health StudentAlaska has added more than 600 nursing related workers to its wage and salary employment over 2003 & 2008. The number of people in nursing occupations is forecasted to continue to climb upward for the foreseeable future. Job prospects for LPN’s are expected to be excellent, as employment grows much faster than it has in the past. As in most other occupations, replacement needs will be the main source of job openings. Nursing homes will offer the most new jobs for LPN's as the number of aged and disabled persons in need of long-term care rises rapidly. In addition to caring for the aged, nursing homes may be called on to care for the increasing number of patients who have been released from the hospital and have not yet recovered enough to return home. Very rapid growth is also expected in residential care facilities such as assisted living homes, elderly housing, and group homes for the mentally challenged, as well as in home health care services.

LPN's should have a caring, sympathetic nature. They should be emotionally stable because work with the sick and injured can be stressful. As part of a health care team, they must be able to follow orders and work under close supervision.

As a prerequisite for graduation, students must pass a comprehensive preparatory examination with a score of 75% or higher. Upon completion of the Practical Nursing program you will receive an occupational certificate of completion. Students who successfully complete the AVTEC Practical Nursing program will be eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination for Practical Nursing. If students pass the exam, the State Division of Occupational Licensing will issue the student their License in Practical Nursing.

Earn University of Alaska Credit While Attending AVTEC

LPN graduates may earn college credit equivalent to the first year of the University of Alaska Associate of Applied Science Nursing Program.

Program Content

To achieve a Practical Nurse certificate, students must complete the following requirements. For a detailed description of each requirement, click on the link below.

Hours
Foundations of Nursing & Nursing in Health 354
Nursing Care of Adults in Acute Care 486
Parent-Child Nursing 186
Treatments 45
Legal/Ethical Issues, Trends, Professional Issues 45
Clinical Concentration 96

Foundations of Nursing & Nursing in Health

Understand growth and development and identify factors that can facilitate or interfere with normal growth and development; explain the communication process, verbal vs. nonverbal communication; documentation; culture; care continuum; nursing process; health; caring; role development; basic nursing skills.

Nursing Care of Adults in Acute Care

Understand Inflammation and infection; nursing care of adult disorders to include: immune, surgery, skin, connective tissue, traumatic musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, accessory organ, cardiovascular, hematological, urologic, respiratory, endocrine disorder, reproductive, special senses, neurological disorder, cancer, acute psychiatric disorder.

Parent-Child Nursing

Understand reproductive physiology, fertilization, prenatal development; nursing care during the antepartal period, intrapartum, postpartum neonate. Introduction to the nursing of children with a cardiovascular, hematologic or immunologic respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, endocrine, musculoskeletal, integumentary, neurological disorders, developmental disabilities and cancer.

Treatments

Mathematics of drug dosage; principles of pharmacology; drug classifications; wound care.

Legal/Ethical Issues, Trends, Professional Issues

Legal issues as they apply to nursing; negligence and malpractice; accountability, responsibility and ethics in nursing; mandatory continuing education for nursing; cultural diversity; membership in professional organizations; reasons a nursing license could be revoked by state board of nursing.

Clinical Concentration

24 hours per week with a nurse preceptor who directly monitors and supervises the student's clinical practice. Develop a workplace support system while having a mentor to ask questions regarding transition issues and "reality shock". Develop collegial relationships with health care staff. Provide direct care to a group of clients that is more realistic than a student experience.

Mission

To prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to practice in the modern health care world as a licensed practical nurse and to continue their education in nursing.

Length of Course

Length of Course: 1,212 clock hours, 176 training days
Enrollment: Mid-August and January
Training Hours: Monday through Friday:
8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., classroom
Clinical/Preceptor Hrs - Depends upon availability of clinical sight. Hours and days may vary.
Certificate Level: Practical Nurse

Prerequisites

Applicants must be currently certified as a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) in Alaska and maintain this certification while attending the LPN program. Applicants must have high school diploma or GED transcripts. Applicants TABE testing on reading and math must be a minimum of 12th grade level. Applicants must have current certification in Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers. Applicants must have current certification in Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers. Applicants must have completed college-level anatomy and physiology 1 & 2, human lifespan development, microbiology, nutrition, English composition and high school chemistry with a grade of C or better (or equivalent) in all courses before they can be accepted into the program. Applicants must have MMR 1 and 2 (Measles, Mumps & Rubella) and Hepatitis B series immunizations and current TB test. You will be required to provide a current background check from certification and licensing, Alaska Division of Public Health, due prior to first day of clinical training.

TABE tests scores for this program must be:
Reading - 609
Combined Math - 609

Physical requirements of the occupation are the ability to lift 50 lbs