Free LPN Job Description Templates
Free LPN job description templates: clinic, long-term care, home health, and a short universal version. Licensing built in. Download as DOCX.
LPN Job Description Templates
4 free templates by care setting. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
Hiring a licensed practical nurse (LPN) is different from hiring almost any other role at a small business, because the posting carries legal weight before the first interview. The templates below are written with that weight in mind, and my advice to any owner using them is to get two lines right before anything else: the license requirement and the scope of practice.
The license must be active and verified, the duties must match your state's scope of practice, and the onboarding that follows is governed by HIPAA privacy rules and OSHA safety standards rather than preference. Most LPN templates online are written for hospitals and staffing agencies.
A small clinic, a 40-bed assisted living community, or a home health agency hires differently, and the posting should sound like it. At FirstHR, we build for small businesses that hire without an HR department, and small healthcare employers (physician offices, senior care, home health) are exactly where the practice manager writes the posting personally.
The four templates below cover the settings where small employers actually hire LPNs: clinic, long-term care, home health, and a short universal version. Each has the licensing requirements and scope-of-practice language built in. Fill in the bracketed fields, check the duties against your state board, and post.
What Is an LPN?
A licensed practical nurse (LPN) provides direct patient care under the direction of physicians and registered nurses (RNs): vital signs, medications and treatments within scope, monitoring, documentation, and patient education. The path into the role is the shortest in licensed nursing: a state-approved practical nursing program that typically takes about a year, followed by the NCLEX-PN licensing exam administered through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
California and Texas use a different title for the same role, licensed vocational nurse (LVN); the duties are nearly identical and the exam is the same. For an employer, the defining fact about LPNs is that the scope of practice is set by each state's board of nursing, not by the job posting.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics profile of the occupation lists duties from checking vital signs to changing bandages. It also notes that LPN duties depend on the state: in some states, LPNs with proper training may give medication or start intravenous (IV) drips. That is why every template on this page frames duties with "within scope of practice" language and an explicit reporting line to the physician or RN.
LPN Duties and Responsibilities
LPN duties and responsibilities center on four areas: direct patient care, medication and treatment administration, documentation and reporting to the supervising RN or physician, and coordination. Coordination includes supervising certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in facility settings and educating families everywhere. The weight between these areas shifts by setting, which is what the four templates capture. Here are the duties, grouped the way the templates use them.
A good posting picks 6 to 10 setting-specific duties from these areas: room patients and document in the electronic health record (EHR) for a clinic, run the medication pass per the medication administration record (MAR) for long-term care, and deliver skilled visits under the RN care plan for home health. Generic duty lists attract generic applications.
LPN vs RN: What Goes in the Job Description
Posting the wrong nursing level is an expensive mistake in both directions: an RN posting for LPN-level work overpays and fills more slowly, while an LPN posting that quietly contains RN duties violates scope rules. The distinction is set by education, licensure, and state scope; the education and pay rows below follow the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) profiles of registered nurses and LPNs.
| Factor | LPN / LVN | RN |
|---|---|---|
| Education | State-approved program, about 1 year | Bachelor's or associate's degree, or a diploma; 2-4 years |
| Licensing exam | NCLEX-PN | NCLEX-RN |
| Scope | Direct care under RN/physician direction | Assessment, care planning, supervision |
| Median pay (BLS, May 2025) | About $64,400 per year | About $97,550 per year |
| Typical small-employer roles | Clinic nurse, med pass, home health visits | Case manager, DON, complex care |
The practical test for a small employer: if the role is hands-on care, medications, and documentation under a physician's or RN's direction, it is LPN work, and posting it that way hires faster and costs roughly $33,000 less per year at the median.
If the role requires independent assessment, care planning, or supervising licensed nurses, it is RN work; the nurse job description templates cover that posting. And if the role is primarily assistance with daily living rather than licensed nursing tasks, the CNA templates fit better.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template that matches your care setting. The licensing core is identical across all four, but the duties, schedule language, and pay structure differ enough that the setting-specific version always reads more credibly to candidates. Use this guide to choose.
4 Free LPN Job Description Templates
Download all four as separate Word files in one ZIP, or copy individual templates. Each one covers the job summary, key responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, compensation, and how to apply, and each states that the license will be verified. The Clinic template also adds an employer overview. Fill in the brackets and check duties against your state board before you post.
Template 1: Clinic / Physician Office LPN
For outpatient practices: rooming, vitals, injections, EHR documentation, and patient calls, with regular weekday hours stated as the advantage they are.
Template 2: Long-Term Care / Assisted Living LPN
For residential facilities: the medication pass, resident assessments, CNA supervision, survey-ready documentation, and shift differential fields.
Template 3: Home Health LPN
For agencies: skilled visits under an RN case manager's care plan, independent judgment on the road, driving and insurance requirements, and per-visit pay options.
Template 4: Generic / Short LPN (Any Setting)
The compact universal version with the licensing essentials built in, for when the position needs to be posted today.
LPN Licensing, Certifications, and Qualifications
LPN qualifications start with three non-negotiables: an active, unencumbered license in your state; graduation from a state-approved practical nursing program; and a passed NCLEX-PN, which the license itself attests. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some employers also require or prefer CPR or basic life support (BLS) certification. All four templates require it. Everything beyond that is setting-specific, and the posting should say so precisely.
| Weak requirement | Strong requirement |
|---|---|
| Must be an LPN | Active, unencumbered LPN license in [state]; license number required, verified with the state board |
| Nursing education | Graduation from a state-approved practical nursing program (typically about 1 year) |
| CPR certified | Current BLS certification through an accredited provider |
| IV skills a plus | IV therapy certification preferred, where permitted by [state] scope of practice |
| Computer skills | Accurate, timely documentation in [your EHR/eMAR system] |
Two cautions for small employers. First, do not list duties or certifications outside your state's LPN scope; it creates liability and signals an employer who does not know the rules. Second, keep non-clinical requirements job-related and neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics. Physical requirements like lifting and standing are legitimate when they reflect the genuine demands of patient care.
How to Write an LPN Job Description
A strong LPN posting takes about 20 minutes once you know the setting and the rate, because the structure is standard and the templates carry the compliance language. The SHRM job description guide says a job description outlines the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a position and gives employees and managers a clear reference for expectations.
In licensed healthcare hiring, a job description written in plain language does a second job: it shows careful nurses that your practice runs carefully. Here is the process.
LPN Salary
Set your rate from federal data as a baseline, then adjust for setting, shift, and state. LPN pay clusters around $31 per hour nationally, with long-term care and home health typically paying above clinic rates, and differentials adding meaningfully for nights and weekends.
With about 51,800 openings a year, an experienced LPN reading your posting has alternatives, and for a clinic most of them pay more. A small practice competes by publishing the range honestly and pricing the non-salary side explicitly.
Clinic postings that state no nights, weekends, or holidays convert facility-weary LPNs at rates a dollar-an-hour bump never will. Long-term care postings win on named differentials and predictable rotations rather than vague competitive pay.
Hiring an LPN Without an HR Department
Hospital systems hire LPNs with credentialing departments, nurse recruiters, and compliance teams. A small practice has the office manager or the owner doing all three jobs at once, so the posting and the process have to carry that weight. Here is how.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one, and in healthcare the steps after it are regulated. Once a candidate accepts, the onboarding sequence runs: license verification documented in the personnel file, HIPAA training (best scheduled before any patient contact), OSHA and infection control orientation, EHR access and training, and a supervised ramp on your protocols and medication workflows.
Two federal rules set the training floor. For a HIPAA covered entity, the Privacy Rule requires training every new workforce member on its policies and procedures for protected health information within a reasonable period after the person joins (45 CFR 164.530(b)).
The OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard requires training at the time of initial assignment to tasks with occupational exposure, then at least annually (29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)). Skipping any step in the onboarding sequence creates audit exposure, and small practices carry the same obligations as hospital systems with none of the staff.
With FirstHR, the offer and each acknowledgment are e-signed, license and certification documents stay on the employee profile, and training modules and the onboarding workflow run in the same system.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an LPN do?
An LPN, or licensed practical nurse, delivers hands-on patient care while working under a physician or registered nurse. Typical tasks include checking vital signs, giving the medications and treatments that their state's scope of practice allows, watching and recording changes in a patient's condition, handling basic procedures such as wound care, and teaching patients and their families. The care setting changes what a normal shift looks like. In a clinic, the LPN rooms patients, gives injections, and charts in the EHR. In long-term care, the LPN runs the medication pass, assesses residents, and supervises CNAs. In home health, the LPN makes visits under a care plan that an RN case manager sets. A good job description describes your setting's version of the role, which is why this page offers four.
What are the main duties and responsibilities of an LPN?
LPN duties fall into four areas. Direct patient care: vital signs, monitoring, basic care, and assisting with procedures. Medications and treatments: administering medications as ordered, running the med pass against the MAR in facilities, and wound care within scope and certifications. Documentation and reporting: charting in the EHR or eMAR, reporting condition changes to the RN or physician in charge, and keeping records accurate. Coordination and education: supervising CNAs where assigned, teaching patients and family caregivers, and communicating with providers and families. Each state's board of nursing sets the exact scope, so build the duty list in your posting from your state's rules.
What is the difference between an LPN and an RN for hiring?
An RN completes a longer education path (a bachelor's or associate's degree in nursing, or a diploma from an approved program), holds a broader scope of practice that includes assessing patients and setting up care plans, and may oversee LPNs and nursing assistants. An LPN completes a state-approved practical nursing program in about a year, passes the NCLEX-PN, and provides direct care under the direction of an RN or physician. The pay gap is large: the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the May 2025 RN median at $97,550 a year, against $64,400 for LPNs. For a small practice, the practical question is what the role actually requires; many clinic and facility positions are squarely LPN work, and posting it as such hires faster and costs less.
Is an LPN the same as an LVN?
Yes, LPN and LVN are two titles for the same role, and the state decides which one applies. California and Texas license the role as licensed vocational nurse (LVN), while every other state uses licensed practical nurse (LPN). Training, the NCLEX-PN exam, and the general scope of the role are the same, with state-by-state variation in specific permitted tasks set by each board of nursing. If your practice is in California or Texas, post the role as LVN so local candidates find it; everywhere else, LPN is the title applicants search. The templates on this page work for both: change the title line and verify scope details with your state board.
What qualifications should an LPN job description require?
Three items are non-negotiable: an active, unencumbered LPN license in your state, verified with the state board of nursing before hire; completion of a state-approved practical nursing program, which the federal Occupational Outlook Handbook notes typically takes about one year; and passage of the NCLEX-PN, the national licensing exam, which the active license itself attests. All four templates here also require current BLS (CPR) certification; the same handbook notes that some employers require or prefer it. Beyond that, keep requirements setting-specific: EHR experience for clinics, MAR accuracy and supervision ability for long-term care, a driver's license and insurance for home health, and certification-dependent skills like IV therapy listed as preferred where your state scope allows them.
How much does an LPN make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses was $64,400 a year in May 2025, or $30.96 an hour. Pay spreads widely around that midpoint: the lowest-paid tenth earned under $49,740 and the highest-paid tenth over $83,440. Setting and state change the picture a lot. Long-term care and home health often outpay clinics, night and weekend shifts carry differentials, and high-cost states sit well above the median. Federal projections put openings at about 51,800 a year, so experienced LPNs can choose where they work. Post an honest pay range and lead with what you offer beyond the wage; at a clinic, regular weekday hours often matter more to candidates than an extra dollar an hour.
How do I write an LPN job description for a small practice?
Start with the template that fits your care setting, then spell out three things. The first is the license: make an active, unencumbered LPN license a requirement, have applicants include their license number, and say up front that you check it with the board. The second is scope: keep every duty inside what your state allows an LPN to do, and label any duty that depends on an added certification, like IV therapy. The third is what you offer. A small practice rarely beats a hospital on the hourly rate, yet regular weekday hours, no holiday rotations, and a close team carry real weight with candidates; state them plainly in the posting. Finish with an honest hourly range and a clear line on whether the LPN reports to a physician or an RN, and you have a posting that competes.
What happens after I hire an LPN?
Once the candidate says yes, the job description becomes the basis for the offer letter and for onboarding, and in healthcare that onboarding has more mandatory steps than almost any other small business hire. Record the license verification in the new LPN's personnel file, schedule HIPAA training (ideally before the first patient contact), and cover OSHA and infection control at orientation. Set up EHR access with training, then give the nurse a supervised period to learn your protocols and medication workflows. Missing any of these steps creates audit exposure. FirstHR handles the offer letter, e-signed acknowledgments, credential document storage, training modules, and the onboarding workflow in one place, so a small practice can take an LPN from accepted offer to seeing patients without an HR department.