Kentucky is probably most well-known for the Kentucky Derby, an annual horse race that draws large crowds of people to watch horses, gamble, and socialize. The actual race only takes a few seconds, but it generates quite a lot of revenue during the event happenings. Perhaps you have never watched the Kentucky Derby, but you are a Kentuckian and curious about learning more about being an LPN in Kentucky, LPN programs in Kentucky, and the various things that the state of Kentucky requires of people who want to be licensed as Practical Nurse. This page will furnish some of that information for you in several sections. The first and second sections describe LPN courses and programs in Kentucky and general job functions for LPNs in Kentucky. The third section discusses some requirements for Kentucky LPN licensing, and the section at the very bottom of the page lists various schools where LPN schooling programs might be available.
General Information About LPN Schooling
LPN students in Kentucky may attend a program that consists of various elements like gen-ed courses (English, math, etc.) as well as nursing-specific courses; clinicals and lab work may also be a a part of schooling. They may be required to complete a certain amount of general education credit hours, as well as a number of nursing credit hours in medical subjects like dosages, and nutrition. If the nursing classes teach certain practical skills, labs may be provided to accompany the class and allow students to practice those skills under supervision of a teacher. Other students or mannequins may be the recipients of the students’ practice. LPN students usually have the opportunity to take part in clinicals and bring those skills they learned in the classroom and labs into the real world.
What Do LPNs Do?
LPNs in Kentucky tend to perform many of the same job functions, such as caring for patients’ hygiene, administering medication, and helping to bridge communication between patient and doctor. LPNs typically work in various medical settings, like hospitals, clinics, and even in-home care settings. Some job duties may vary according to location, such as feeding infants with bottles in a hospital’s NICU and transferring elderly patients from a sitting position (such as a wheelchair) up and onto a bed in a nursing home. Job duties for LPNs can be categorized into several different categories: tasks requiring special schooling, bedside care, and patient health status monitoring. If an LPN has special schooling, he or she may be able to help with dialysis, work with IVs, or perform special procedures with catheters. Bedside care can include tasks like changing bandages, cleaning wounds, bathing patients, and dressing patients. And taking and recording vital signs like blood pressure, blood sugar, height, weight, and temperature can be considered part of patient health status monitoring. Other tasks that LPNs may do include supervising aides and assistants, administering medication orally or via injection, and completing paperwork, like billing insurance companies.
General Information about Kentucky LPN Licensing
There are several requirements in place to become an LPN in Kentucky. You can find out more about the requirements and application process, as well as fee amounts, at the Kentucky Board of Nursing website at kbn.ky.gov.
Applicants for LPN licensing in Kentucky must have graduated from an approved LPN program and then fill out an application, pay the application fee, and have a criminal background report done. In order to do the criminal background report, a fingerprint card and fee must be sent to the Kentucky State Police (not the Kentucky Board of Nursing). Kentucky applicants must also complete the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam. Finally, applicants must also pass the National Council Licensure Exam.
The National Council Licensure Exam, or NCLEX, for Practical Nursing, is a computerized exam that allots questions to examinees based on their answer to the previous questions. Each examinee may be asked more than 200 or less than 100 questions, depending on how they answer questions. They are then graded as they proceed through the exam, based on a preexisting standard. The exam is not graded on a percentage scale or on a minimum amount of correct answers. Applicants are allotted up to six hours of time to pass the exam.
For additional details about requirements and more comprehensive information regarding LPN licensing in Kentucky, visit the KBN website at http://www.kbn.ky.gov/default.htm. Information regarding special situations, such as out-of-state applicants and foreign applicants, as well as information about renewals and reinstated licensing, can be found at that website, as well.
Kentucky Community Colleges, Technical Colleges and Schools
The schools listed below may have programs for people interested in studying to become an LPN.
Ashland Community and Technical College
1400 College Dr, Ashland, KY 41101
(606) 326-2000
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
470 Cooper Dr, Lexington, KY 40502
(859) 246-6200
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
600 College Street Rd, Elizabethtown, KY 42701
(270) 769-2371
Gateway Community and Technical College
500 Technology Way, Florence, KY 41042
(859) 441-4500
Hazard Community and Technical College
1 Community College Dr, Hazard, KY 41701
(606) 436-5721
Henderson Community College
2660 S. Green Street, Henderson, KY 42420
(270) 827-1867
Hopkinsville Community College
720 North Dr, Hopkinsville, KY 42241
(270) 707-3700
Jefferson Community and Techincal College
109 East Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 213-5333
Maysville Community and Technical College
1755 U.S. Highway 68, Maysville, KY 41056
(606) 759-7141
Owensboro Community and Technical College
4800 New Hartford Rd, Owensboro, KY 42303
(270) 686-4400
Somerset Community College
808 Monticello St, Somerset, KY 42501
(606) 679-8501
Southcentral Community and Technical College
1845 Loop Dr. Bowling Green, KY 42101
(270) 901-1000
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
4810 Alben Barkley Dr, Paducah, KY 42001
(270) 554-9200
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