Care for ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled persons in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.

• Nurse, Licensed Practical

• Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, and note times and amounts on patients' charts.
• Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
• Apply compresses, ice bags, and hot water bottles.
• Assemble and use equipment such as catheters, tracheotomy tubes, and oxygen suppliers.
• Assist in delivery, care, and feeding of infants.
• Clean rooms and make beds.
• Collect samples such as blood, urine and sputum from patients, and perform routine laboratory tests on samples.
• Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other health care team members as necessary.
• Help patients with bathing, dressing, maintaining personal hygiene, moving in bed, or standing and walking.
• Inventory and requisition supplies and instruments.
• Make appointments, keep records and perform other clerical duties in doctors' offices and clinics.
• Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration.
• Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
• Prepare food trays and examine them for conformance to prescribed diet.
• Prepare patients for examinations, tests or treatments and explain procedures.
• Provide basic patient care and treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
• Provide medical treatment and personal care to patients in private home settings, such as cooking, keeping rooms orderly, seeing that patients are comfortable and in good spirits, and instructing family members in simple nursing tasks.
• Record food and fluid intake and output.
• Set up equipment and prepare medical treatment rooms.
• Sterilize equipment and supplies, using germicides, sterilizer, or autoclave.
• Supervise nurses' aides and assistants.
• Wash and dress bodies of deceased persons.
• Work as part of a health care team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care and implement interventions.

• administer enemas, irrigations, or douches to patients
• administer injections
• administer medications or treatments
• analyze medical data
• apply appropriate physical restraint
• assist in examining or treating dental or medical patients
• care for mentally ill patients
• collect clinical data
• collect specimens from patients
• communicate technical information
• draw blood
• follow infectious materials procedures
• follow institutional care procedures
• follow patient care procedures
• follow patient observation procedures
• identify body response variations
• inventory medical supplies or instruments
• lift or transport ill or injured patients
• maintain dental or medical records
• observe patient condition
• obtain information from clients, customers, or patients
• prepare medical treatment room
• prepare patient reports
• prepare patients for tests, therapy, or treatments
• record medical history or data
• retrieve files or charts
• set up patient care equipment
• take vital signs
• train family members to provide bedside care
• understand properties or composition of drugs
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use behavior modification techniques
• use clinical sterilizing technique
• use emergency medical procedures
• use first aid procedures
• use hazardous materials information
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use knowledge of medical terminology
• use knowledge of nursing terminology
• use medical lab techniques
• use nursing practices or procedures
• use personal care procedures
• use sanitation practices in health care settings
• weigh patients
• work with persons with mental disabilities or illnesses