LPNs Make a Real Impact in Healthcare
Posted On July 28,2025
Choosing a career can be challenging, whether you are right out of high school and deciding your path, or if you’ve been out of school for a while but are ready to make a switch. No one wants to feel stuck in a dead-end job that doesn’t mean anything. If you want a job that makes a real impact and allows you to help people with meaningful day-to-day work, the healthcare field may just be a perfect fit. As a healthcare professional, you’ll have meaningful work every day, and you’ll know you are helping to improve the lives of your patients and make a real difference. Now the question is – where to start? Becoming a doctor or an RN can take years of school and a significant financial investment, but there are other ways to enter the healthcare field. If you want a satisfying career that you can achieve with fast and affordable training, Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) can be the perfect choice.
What LPNs Really Do—and Why It Matters
So, what do LPNs do and how do they differ from RNs? Essentially, they are two parts of the nursing care team. LPNs work under the direction of an RN, carrying out some of the more routine tasks. Although some of the duties vary depending on where you work and how much experience you have, as an LPN, you’ll perform tasks such as taking vital signs, changing dressings, taking patient histories, collecting lab samples, monitoring patients, administering medication, and handling IV and catheter insertions. LPNs can also act as supervisors for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). RNs, because of their increased training and licensing, have a wider range of patient care tasks they can handle, including performing procedures and coordinating treatment plans with the rest of the team. LPNs are there to support the RNs and physicians as part of the full medical team.
The Heart of Patient Care Starts Here
Although LPNs perform many medical tasks, where LPNs can make a real difference is with their involvement in patient care. Although every medical facility has different levels of staffing and expectations from their nurses, it’s often the LPNs who spend more time with their patients as they help patients with bathing and dressing, discuss care with patients and their families, and work to get patients ready for discharge. LPNs will also help facilitate communication between the patient and the rest of the medical staff, reporting patient concerns to the RNs and physicians, and making sure the patient understands their instructions from the doctors. In a residential care facility or rehab center, LPNs will be involved in the daily care of their patients.
Healing Starts with Human Connection
Because LPNs are so focused on patient care, they can form genuine bonds with their patients. In an environment such as a residential care facility, hospital, or rehab center, you may have the same patients for a long stretch, allowing you to really get to know each patient as you care for them. This consistency is so helpful in getting patients to trust both you and the rest of the medical team. LPNs are known for their compassionate care, assisting patients in their toughest and most vulnerable moments. When patients trust their LPN, their presence can have a tangible impact on the recovery and healing process.
Where Compassion Meets Coordination
Patient care works best when every member of the medical team is working together, and LPNs are an essential part of this team. Collaboration is essential for LPNs. As an LPN, you’ll be working closely with CNAs, RNs, physicians, and other healthcare professionals to do what is best for every patient. As LPNs have the opportunity to bond with their patients, their input is important. LPNs help ensure that patient care is efficient, effective, compassionate and personalized.
Grow Your Career Without Starting Over
You can have a long and fulfilling career as an LPN. You’ll have excellent job security, plenty of options to choose the healthcare facility that works best for you, a competitive salary, and incredible job satisfaction. However, one of the great things about choosing to begin your healthcare career is that if and when you want and are ready, there is plenty of room to grow. You can choose to take additional classes and pick up certifications in specializations that will allow you to perform more tasks, you can become a mentor, instructor, or supervisor for new LPNs, and you can even take on a bridge program that will allow you to become an RN far more quickly than you would if you were to start your nursing degree from square one.
A Smarter Path to a Rewarding Career
An excellent education doesn’t mean a four-year degree from a prestigious university. While there are many benefits to taking the traditional university path right after high school, there are plenty of students who aren’t interested or can’t afford to start their careers this way. Vocational schools offer adults who are ready for a new career a great place to acquire the education and practical experience they need to succeed quickly. When you choose an accredited program for your LPN, you can begin your new career in under two years – and sometimes even more quickly.
Becoming an LPN isn’t just a stepping stone towards becoming an RN. Although that door can be open for you, becoming an LPN can lead to a fulfilling and satisfying career on its own. As an LPN, you can feel proud that you make a real difference in the lives of your patients.
Ready to start making a difference? Athena Career Academy can help you take the first step toward a meaningful career in nursing. Contact us today to learn more about our accredited LPN program.