Vocational Nurse Salary

The health care industry is an industry that keeps on going strong and you will find that this industry is growing more and more. There are tons of jobs out there for doctors, surgeons, nurses and vocational nurses. For those of you interested in becoming a vocational nurse you will find that this is a job that is great and will allow you the freedom to care for patients and really be there for them. If you feel as though caring for patients, making sure they are doing well and being well kept are important aspects of the job and that is what you love to do, then vocational nursing is perfect for you.  Vocational nursing is a job that focuses on basic patient care.  In this article I will discuss what vocational nursing is and what a vocational nurses salary typically is as well.

Vocational Nurse Duties

A vocational nurse is essentially a licensed practical nurse, the only difference between vocational nurses and licensed practical nurses is the job title. The vocational nurses main job is to focus on patient care.  Vocational nurses are given tasks and duties by both doctors and nurses and they carry them out to the best of their abilities. They will typically be supervised by either a registered nurse or a doctor for certain tasks and others they can do on their own.  As a vocational nurse you will find that they are given many responsibilities such as taking their vitals, making sure that they are eating the right foods, being cared for, giving baths, cleaning them up, getting them prepared for medical examinations, assisting the during tests, keeping record of everything that has happened in the day, informing doctors and registered nurses of what they have seen or found.  You will also find that vocational nurses may also administer prescribed medications, depending on what they are and if the doctor has approved it.  You will also find that a vocational nurse may also take care of the patients personal hygiene along with dressing their wounds.

Vocational Nurse Salary

Depending on the experience that a vocational nurse has and where he or she works will ultimately depend on how much he or she will bring in.  Just like any employer you will find that the medical field is even more interested in experience more so then any other profession. Since you will be dealing with patients and making sure that they are doing well and being cared for properly you will find that experience is a must. Many nurses will typically receive their training and experience while they are receiving their education.  This is why you will find that many nursing schools, medical schools and the medical profession as a whole will be surrounded with classes along with practical hands on experience.  What nurses and doctors will learn in their classes and during their clinical will help to give them the practical experience necessary to make it in this profession. You will find that vocational nurses who begin working with less then a year of experience will find that an average vocational nurses salary will be roughly around twenty seven to forty thousand dollars a year.  For vocational nurses with at least four years of experience they will find that they can bring in around twenty four to forty seven thousand dollars a year.  A vocational nurses salary goes up exponentially when he or she has five to nine years of experience, this will have them making roughly around thirty seven to fifty thousand a year. 

For vocational nurses who find that they have been working for over ten years can typically demand increases in his or her salary. Typically you will find that a vocational nurses salary will reach a cap of around fifty eight thousand dollars.  Now depending on where you live will also heavily influence the vocational nurses salary and you will find that in some places it will be higher then others. 

Just like any job depending on where it is located will also depend on how much the salary will be. Some places are more expensive then others and cost of living will be incorporated into the salary. Just because you see that one location my pay you a higher salary then another does not mean that you should work there. 

For instance if you look at the salary difference between California and Ohio you may be shocked. On average, a vocational nurses salary is roughly around five to ten thousand dollars less in Ohio compared to those in California. Some people will see this number and automatically want to move to California to become a vocational nurse.  The truth of the matter is that you must ask yourself how does cost of living come into play.  Cost of living is important because just because you get paid more in California does not mean that you will live better there.  Vocational nurses make the highest amount of money in California but the struggle more then any other nurses out there.  Some people become quite confused about that but the fact of the matter is that it is much more expensive in California therefore they must compensate with higher salaries but sometimes that is just not enough.  Making fifty thousand in California compared to Ohio is completely two differnt ways of life. You will find that Ohio is seventy percent cheaper to live in compared to California. Therefore, if you make around fifty thousand a year as a vocational nurse, that would be a ton of money out in Ohio and you could live rather nicely.  Therefore before you decide to look at a vocational nurse salary and make your decision based upon numbers alone, make sure to check cost of living and ensure you are making the right choice.