WHAT DOES A LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE DO?

Reviewed by Lam Nguyen under Editorial Standards

Published: Jan 23, 2026 - The Licensed Practical Nurse supports clinical safety by responding to medical emergencies, monitoring individuals with health risks, and documenting all relevant health information accurately. This role ensures continuity of care by maintaining complete medical files, assisting with annual assessments, and checking necessary nursing equipment. The nurse also promotes effective coordination by participating in program meetings and communicating with service providers, staff, and administrators.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Licensed Practical Nurse

1. Licensed Practical Nurse Duties

PACT Duties: Performs PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team) duties to include, but not limited to, intake, panel management, secure messages, medication administration, entering lab orders according to protocols and standing orders, telephone care, population management and clinical reminders.
Telehealth Services: Performs Telehealth services, Store and Forward, Clinical Video Teleconference, including Tele-retinal screening, Tele-dermatology, Tele-wound care and other Telehealth services as identified and referred by providers.
Care Organization: Organize and deliver care, recognizing and considering the emotional, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and age-related factors.
Medication Administration: Prepares and administers prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, and intramuscular).
Treatment Procedures: Performs treatments according to established policies/procedures.
Patient Observation: Observes for physical and/or emotional changes in the patient's condition from prescribed medications/treatments, promptly and accurately documenting noted changes, and reporting any deviations from normal to the RN and/or MD/DO.
Patient Follow-Up: Follows up with patients on appointments, lab results and medications, with physician and/or RN guidance.
Equipment Operation: Sets up, calibrates and maintains highly sophisticated and technologically advanced medical equipment, cameras, stethoscopes and video conferencing equipment.
Care Prioritization: Assists the RN and/or MD/DO with prioritizing overall patient care needs and adjusting plans for care delivery.

2. Licensed Practical Nurse Details

Order Completion: Complete provider orders per state and provider regulations.
Provider Assistance: Assists the provider with examinations, procedures, and other duties.
Clinical Intake: Responsible for screening and accurately documenting clinical intake of patients and updating medical records.
Medication Preparation: Prepare and administer all prescribed medications including IV medications and fluid administration, IM, SQ, PO, and intradermal medication administration at the direction of the medical provider (per applicable State regulations and MedExpress guidelines).
Care Coordination: Oversee and coordinate the daily patient care flow.
Patient Assistance: Assist patients with walking, transfer, specimen collection, exam preparation, etc.
Health Testing: Complete occupational health testing including such services as urine drug screens, breath alcohol testing, hair testing and physicals.
Patient Follow-Up: Complete patient referrals and patient callbacks daily.

3. Licensed Practical Nurse Responsibilities

Order Execution: Ensures proper execution of physician orders.
Physician Assistance: Assist the physician with physical exams, treatments and collect specimens for laboratory tests.
Medication Administration: Administers medication including controlled substances such as narcotics, tranquilizers and non-controlled medication, in oral, rectal, topical or injectable form.
Medication Instruction: Provides medication instructions to residents.
Record Maintenance: Maintains medication accountability records (e.g., charts residents' records, prepares and counts medications).
Condition Documentation: Observes, reports and documents residents' condition in the clinical software system (e.g., response to treatment, medication reactions, patient behavior and progress).
Report Preparation: Prepares and/or maintains related reports (e.g., progress notes, care plans, monthly summaries).
Nursing Support: Provides general nursing, direct care and/or programming assistance.
Resident Assistance: Assists with activities of daily living, takes vital signs, and feeds residents.
Mobility Support: Assists with grooming, ambulation, range of motion, bowel and bladder training and isolation techniques, independently or with assistance, turns, repositions, transfers, lifts, applies, releases, and restraints and ambulates residents.
Resident Escort: Escorts residents to medical appointments and assists with recreational activities.
Safety Compliance: Applies safety and infection control measures.
Aide Training: Provides assistance (i.e., work direction, orientation and training) to Hospital Aides (e.g., dressing, bathing, feeding).
Meeting Participation: Attends various meetings (e.g., Interdisciplinary Team Meetings, staff conferences, nursing meetings and in-services).

4. Licensed Practical Nurse Accountabilities

Patient Identification: Ensure proper identification of patient/resident per policy before administering care.
Team Support: Assist co-workers willingly without having to be asked, and present an attitude that promotes unified teamwork.
Care Collaboration: Function in collaboration with the registered nurse in identifying the needs of patients and carrying out assignments.
Patient Observation: Demonstrate keen observation skills with accurate reporting and recording of significant changes in patients' conditions and actions taken.
Admission Assistance: Assist the RN with the admission of a patient.
Primary Nursing: Function as a one-to-one nurse in Primary Care under the direct supervision of the NM/designee.
Instruction Communication: Recognize and communicate with NM/team leader and/or designee the need for additional instructions for self and those under their direct supervision.
Clinical Support: Assists in data gathering for patient education needs, suture removal, wound care/dressing, wound cultures, diagnostic skin testing and Unna boot application.
Room Maintenance: Treatment/exam room maintenance (infection control, supplies stocked, equipment operational).
Procedure Assistance: Assist with gynecological procedures as indicated, such as pap smear, colposcopy, transvaginal ultrasound, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), biopsies and minor surgical procedures.
Safety Practice: Practice safety precautions according to written procedure in performance of duties when working with patients and patients' personal care devices, medication administration and unit equipment.

5. Licensed Practical Nurse Functions

Vital Recording: Takes and records vital signs, including height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and prepares patients for provider visits.
Diagnostic Testing: Performs tympanometry, cardiography, and other tests.
Lab Assistance: Assists in laboratory functions.
Clinic Maintenance: Assists in clinic maintenance.
Room Preparation: Prepares examination rooms for patient visits.
Supply Stocking: Stock inventory maintains adequate supplies in the examination rooms.
Exam Assistance: Assist in exam rooms.
Medication Administration: Administers medications/immunizations as ordered.
Interpretation Support: Assists health center staff in interpretation during interviews, visits, and phone contacts.
Patient Education: Assists in patient education and health surveys.
Community Participation: Participates in health center outreach committees and community activities.
Confidentiality Practice: Maintains confidentiality of all health center information.
Family Planning: Ensure that clinical family planning services are available to all clients.

6. Licensed Practical Nurse Overview

Care Support: Provides patient care support and assists providers as instructed by the physician, provider or RN.
Therapy Administration: Administers therapies including medications, calling in provider-authorized prescriptions, scheduling follow-up visits (and prior authorization) or other support unique to a specialty provider.
Patient Preparation: Provides patient care pre/post encounter or procedure, preventative or other health information per the provider or RN.
Quality Collaboration: Collaborates with the Provider and team on improving and managing quality goals.
IV Management: Start, monitor and discontinue IVs (dependent on site needs and training).
Patient Rooming: Rooms patients, manages patient flow and obtains adequate patient medical information/data.
Vital Measurement: Performs rooming and accurately measures patients’ vital signs and other measurement indicators and records in the medical record.
Information Coordination: Coordinates the communication of medical information.

7. Licensed Practical Nurse Details and Accountabilities

Information Confirmation: Confirms information with the patient and documents per practice.
Exam Preparation: Assists patients in preparing for a physician exam, including providing psycho-emotional support.
Specimen Processing: Assists in the collection, labeling and processing of specimens in a timely/accurately.
Patient Positioning: Transfers and assists with patient positioning.
Procedure Assistance: Assists the physician with procedures including the preparation of medication.
Flow Organization: Organizes patient flow so the physician can move efficiently from one room to the next.
Patient Follow-Up: Provides outbound calls to patients to follow up as directed, which may include notifying patients of test results.
Record Charting: Accurately and completely charts information in the patient's medical record.

8. Licensed Practical Nurse Tasks

Visit Scheduling: Checkout and schedule follow-up visits with the provider or appropriate staff before the patient leaves.
Call Handling: Receive or initiate patient phone calls.
Phone Response: Answers phones cordially and professionally promptly.
Symptom Confirmation: Confirm or reiterate the patient's symptoms using the patient's own words.
Appointment Arrangement: Arrange for an appropriate appointment or forward to the RN or provider for review/recommendation.
Encounter Documentation: Documents all encounters and patient interactions accurately and completely in the electronic medical record.
Voicemail Retrieval: Retrieves voicemail messages and returns the patient's call with a provider recommendation.
Order Processing: Processes physician orders.

9. Licensed Practical Nurse Roles

Clinical Functions: Performs any clinical functions within the scope of the license as ordered by the physician.
Patient Response: Responds promptly to patient needs and requests.
Chart Review: Reviews patient charts before the visit to ensure that test results, therapy reports, etc., are available.
Patient Instruction: Provides appropriate instructions to the patient as directed by the physician.
Room Preparation: Cleans, prepares, organizes and re-stocks exam rooms.
Instrument Sterilization: Cleans and ensures the proper maintenance occurs for all exam rooms and sterilizes instruments as trained.
Supply Restocking: Ensures that required teaching supplies are restocked and readily available.
Room Stocking: Stocks and supplies exam rooms according to standards and patient needs.

10. Licensed Practical Nurse Additional Details

Emergency Response: Respond and assist in medical emergencies and take appropriate action.
Health Monitoring: Observe and monitor individuals with specific health problems and those at risk and report pertinent findings to the Nurse.
Health Documentation: Document all current health-related information in nurses’ notes and/or medical records.
Equipment Check: Check nursing equipment, as indicated.
Assessment Assistance: Assist the Nurse in the annual assessment of consumers in day programs.
File Maintenance: Keep medical files current and complete.
Meeting Participation: Attend nursing/program meetings, as scheduled.
Service Communication: Communicate with other service providers, program staff, administration, etc.

Job Role FAQs

What is a job role?

A job role refers to the duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with a specific position within an organization. It explains what tasks an employee performs, how they contribute to team objectives, and how their work supports the company’s overall goals.

What are the typical responsibilities of a job role?

Typical job role responsibilities include completing daily tasks, collaborating with team members, making decisions, and meeting performance targets. For example, a software developer may write code, fix bugs, review pull requests, and collaborate with product teams.

What is the difference between a job role and a job title?

A job title is the official name of a position, such as Marketing Manager or Software Engineer. A job role describes the actual duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with that position.

Why are clearly defined job roles important?

Clearly defined job roles help organizations improve productivity, reduce workplace confusion, and ensure accountability. When employees understand their responsibilities and expectations, teams can collaborate more effectively.

How do job roles support career development?

Understanding different job roles helps professionals identify career paths and the skills required for advancement. By learning the expectations of various roles, individuals can build relevant skills and plan long-term career growth.

Editorial Process

Lamwork content is developed through structured review of publicly available job postings and documented hiring trends.

Editorial operations are managed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor, with research direction and final oversight by Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead. Content is periodically reviewed to reflect observable labor market changes.