How to find the right LVN for your needs?

A Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) is vital in providing primary care for patients in facilities. LVNs directly interact with patients and provide them with full-time support and assistance while monitoring their condition. Hence, making an informed choice when you hire an LVN is crucial to ensure that you provide high-quality patient care at your facility. The challenge lies not only in the shortage of LVN talent but also in understanding their unique responsibilities and skills and in aligning these with the particular demands of your healthcare facility setting. This blog will guide you through some useful tips to attract and hire a Licensed Vocational Nurse so that you can enhance patient outcomes while increasing your facility’s overall satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Getting to know LVNs and their job outlook over the decade.

Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) perform specific medical duties, such as providing bedside assistance for patients who are ill or injured, administering medications, monitoring patient conditions, and performing various medical procedures as allowed by state regulations. They work under the supervision of Registered Nurses (RN) and Physicians. However, it depends on the state and the type of facility they work for. Unlike RNs, LVNs complete one-year vocational training in nursing. They should also pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. In most states in the USA, LVNs are referred to as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, an LVN earned $28.72 per hour, and the median annual pay was $59,730 in 2023. The job market for LVNs is very demanding since they play an essential role in delivering primary patient care. Moreover, the US government has also projected 34,900 job openings between 2022 and 2032, highlighting the critical need for effective LVN staffing to meet this demand.

What are the primary duties of LVNs?

It is important to note that the duties of an LVN can vary depending on the state, healthcare facility, and experience level. Some of the typical job roles of an LVN include:

• Continuous monitoring of patients for any vital signs and reporting them
• Wound care, including changing bandages and inserting catheters
• Administering medication and injections
• Collecting samples for laboratory assessments
• Providing patient education
• Preparing the patient for surgery
• Assisting with daily life activities
• Documenting health records

What are the types of LVNs you can hire?

Even though the job role of an LVN remains the same as mentioned above, LVNs are categorized based on the work settings. When you hire an LVN, ensure he/she is experienced enough to work in your facility’s setting. Some of the different types of LVNs based on their roles and specializations are:

• General LVN: They work in hospitals, primary care clinics, nursing homes, etc.
• Home Health LVN: They provide nursing care for chronic patients at their homes.
• Surgical LVN: They prepare patients for surgery and work in hospital operation rooms.
• Pediatric LVN: They provide care to infants and children and work in pediatric wards or home care settings.
• Geriatric LVN: They care for elderly patients having age-related issues. The work settings include retirement homes, long-term care centers, and home care facilities.
• Specialty LVN: These LVNs usually have additional certifications in certain specialties such as diabetes management, oncology, rehabilitation, etc.

To meet the increasing demand, effective LVN staffing is crucial for ensuring your facility is equipped with highly skilled professionals dedicated to delivering high-quality patient care.

10 Tips to Find the Right LVN that Meets Your Facility’s Requirements

1. To hire an LVN who is the perfect fit for your facility, you must first determine your specific needs, including the type of care and work setting, i.e., whether it is a specialty clinic or long-term care facility. This is essential to add to your job description.
2. You can also proactively determine the budget for hiring the professional.
3. If you have financial constraints, consider temporary LVNs instead of permanent ones. This work arrangement requires a careful examination of your current staff allocation and shifts.
4. When you hire an LVN, always make sure the candidate is licensed to work in your state and has the experience required for your facility’s job requirements.
5. A thorough background check, including educational qualifications and work history, can help avoid future regulatory issues.
6. If your facility is a specialty clinic, check for relevant certifications to know whether the candidate is proficient enough to work in those specialties.
7. Conduct detailed interviews to find out whether the candidate is the right fit for your facility.
8. Apart from the technical proficiency, assess the soft skills of the LVN you are planning to hire. Some essential interpersonal skills for an LVN include empathy, effective communication, flexibility, teamwork, etc.
9. In addition to your facility’s needs, check whether the candidate aligns with your facility’s values, including team dynamics, cultural diversity, etc.
10. To streamline the process while hiring an LVN, you can collaborate with an LVN staffing agency, which can source the right candidate based on your facility’s requirements.

Conclusion

For a healthcare facility, hiring the right candidate is a strategic investment in the long run. Given the demanding nature of the role and the extended shifts LVNs often work, ensure you employ all the wellness strategies for retention when you hire an LVN. The rising demand for LVN professionals and the availability of limited candidates make LVN staffing a challenging task. But here is an effective solution. Partner with an LVN staffing agency like MedSquirrels.com that can save you time by sourcing qualified clinicians from that limited talent pool for your contract & full-time openings. This will not only help you find the right LVN for your facility but also relieve you from the burdensome process of LVN staffing.

MedSquirrels is a healthcare staffing platform that integrates AI technology to attract, source, and hire top healthcare professionals. As an all-in-one staffing platform, MedSquirrels can help you with the end-to-end recruitment process from LVN profile screening, interviewing, credentialing, compliance check, onboarding, and payrolling. A standout feature is its transparency in terms of process as well as the cost associated with it. Compared with other LVN recruitment agencies that charge high markups, our platform charges payroll costs and a flat fee for hiring contract LVN staff. This will allow for significant savings in hiring costs and time. Simply sign up on our platform, select the hiring plan that fits your requirements, and enter your job description. To begin hiring or to know more, book a demo here!

FAQs

How would you determine the specific requirements for hiring an LVN?

First things first, assess your facility needs; knowing the type of care needed and the work setting could be a specialty clinic or long-term care facility. Attempt to associate with a reputable staffing platform like MedSquirrels and proceed to define specific requirements so that they can create a detailed job description that will attract the right candidates to your department. Seek to have clarity in what you expect from the LVN so that you hire a candidate whose skills and experience match your requirements.

What should I look for in an LVN candidate’s qualifications?

Mainly the staffing agencies will address the issues of qualification for the candidate but you have to ensure the LVN candidate is licensed to work in your state and has the experience that your facility needs for the position. You must make sure the staffing agency performs comprehensive background checks, including education and work record-to avoid any liability in the future due to unqualified individuals. Also, when you hire an LVN, additional certifications may be essential, especially for specialty clinics.

How do I assess the soft skills of a candidate in LVN?

In an interview process, you should provide queries that enable you to measure the candidate’s interpersonal skills in relation to sympathy, clear communication, flexibility, and teamwork. All of these traits make an LVN successful in terms of work interaction with a patient, as well as with other members of the team. Do not forget, however, that it goes beyond technical competency when it comes to LVN staffing, which means that you must also screen the applicants according to your facility’s culture or ethos.

Are there options to use temporary LVNs for my facility?

Yes, temporary LVNs are an option if you have budgetary concerns. You’ll need to assess your current staff and shifts. Temporary LVNs ensure you’re covered without the long-term costs that go along with hiring full-time LVNs, making it easier to maintain flexible yet cost-effective LVN staffing.

What does working with a direct-to-hire LVN staffing platform do for my hiring process?

Partnering with an LVN staffing platform like MedSquirrels can expedite your hiring process as qualified talent will come from a narrow pool. These platforms can manage everything in the recruitment process, profile screening to onboarding saving you precious time and making sure you get the right LVN for your facility’s need.