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After you become a certified nursing assistant, you can take up several courses to move ahead in your career. One such move is transforming from CNA to LVN or a Licensed Vocational Nurse. This career move is a very good because in the next step, you could consider becoming a RN or an LPN.

However, before you decide to become an LVN, you should know the basic difference between the two. As a nurse aide, you are used to answering calls of the patients, assisting them with their daily tasks like bathing, taking their vital signs, and transporting them. As an LVN you will assist the patients in their daily needs and also have to do some other duties like teaching them how to take care of their health, perform tests of the lab, administer medications and injections and also assess the health of the patients.

In order to become an LVN, you should have completed your high school diploma or an equivalent GED. You should also be be working as a nurse aide and have at least one year of experience. Some institutes might make it compulsory for students to get certification in CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Check here how a CNA can choose different career programs.

Some of the topics covered in the course would include the the skills taught to the nurse aides, anatomy and physiology; nursing for adults, and children; and nursing for mental health. After you complete your one year training course, you will be eligible to take the NCLEX-PN or the National Council Licensure Examination. After passing this exam, you will be certified as a LVN and get a job in a health care facility.

The average salary of LVNs in the country is much higher than that of the nursing assistants. Another advantage is that you just need a year's experience as a nurse aide to be eligible for this course. So if you want to get ahead in your career as a CNA and become a LVN, you need not wait for a very long time. 




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