25 Key Attributes Licensed Practical And Licensed Vocational Nurses Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Ava Rodriguez

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. They may also work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.

The core tasks that licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses are likely to carry out include:

Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
Sterilize equipment and supplies, using germicides, sterilizer, or autoclave.
Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for social work environments. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 97.8%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 97.4%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 97%

Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 96.2%

Being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 95.6%

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 92.2%

Being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 91.8%

Preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 91.6%

Accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 91.6%

A willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.8%

Developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 87.8%

Being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 87.2%

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 86.2%

Analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85.8%

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 85.4%

A willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85.4%

Establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.2%

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

Persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 80%