Practical Nursing

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s) are an important component of the healthcare team. The nursing program stresses the importance of clinical experience by providing 480 clinical hours of actual supervised clinical. LPN’s work in a variety of clinical settings including acute care, long-term care, and office/clinic environments. The role of licensed practical nurses has expanded to include IV therapy and supervision in some settings. Upon successful completion of the program, nursing graduates take the NCLEX (National Certification Licensure Exam). Job placement for nursing program graduates is excellent for graduates in Rapid City, the Black Hills, and across South Dakota.

All accepted students in the Practical Nursing program are required to fulfill the prerequisite requirements listed in the WDT Academic Catalog.

Western Dakota Tech is located in Rapid City, South Dakota. More than 87 percent of Western Dakota Tech graduates live and work in our state.

Note: If you have been convicted, pled guilty or no contest to, or received a suspended imposition of sentence for a felony or other criminal offense (excluding minor traffic violations) you are advised that it may not be possible for you to participate in the internship or clinical portion of this nursing program. You may also be prevented from taking required licensure examinations and from gaining employment in this field.

This program is approved by the South Dakota Board of Nursing. For more information about approval, click here.

Note: If you are or have been convicted, pleaded guilty or no contest to, or received a suspended imposition of sentence for a felony or certain misdemeanors, you are advised that you may not be able to complete all course requirements for your chosen program, you may be prevented from taking required certification/licensure examinations in your chosen program field, and you may be prevented from gaining employment in your program field.

Students that sit out for a spring or fall semester or longer, will return under a new Catalog and may be required to repeat courses or successfully complete new or revised skills or competency assessments. Before readmittance, the program may need to determine if a student is eligible to continue in technical courses. Program sequencing and cohort size may prevent enrollment in technical courses.

Clinicals, practicums, and internships may include, but are not limited to, differential shifts (evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays) to meet industry expectations. This may require travel outside the Rapid City Area.

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A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is a member of the medical profession that does their duties taking care of patients while under the management of registered nurses or doctors.

The LPN does what is considered essential care, which means they help patients to eat, dress, walk, take a bath, comb their hair, etc. They may also give them their medicines, take their temperature or other vital signs, and do other similar duties.

They cannot do things like assist in surgery or help with anesthesia, but they are very vital in doing many common medical and personal things for patients and assisting the doctors and nurses do other functions. LPNs can work in places like hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities or private homes.

What Do LPNs Do?

LPNs take care of a variety of duties depending on their work setting and location. Typically, they do the following:

• Keep detailed, accurate records on patients' health
• Monitor the health of patients by taking blood pressure and checking other vital signs
• Report the status of patients to doctors and registered nurses
• Help patients with basic care and personal hygiene activities, like dressing or bathing
• Administer basic nursing care, such as inserting catheters, changing bandages or administering intravenous medications
• Discuss health care with patients, explain procedures and listen to their concerns
• Teaching families and caregivers how to care for injured or sick relatives
  

  Where do LPNs work?

  LPNs work in a variety of settings. In 2010, 29 percent of LPNS worked in nursing care facilities, 15 percent worked in hospitals offering general medical and surgical care, and 12 percent worked in physicians' offices. The remaining LPNs worked in community care facilities for elderly patients or in home health care services.

  
  

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