How to hire licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts. • Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them. • Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary. • Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration. • 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. • Supervise nurses' aides or assistants. • Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Postsecondary nondegree award] • Strong active listening, monitoring, speaking, critical thinking, reading comprehension and active learning skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language, psychology and medicine and dentistry • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $30.96 an hour ($64,400 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses do
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- 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.
- Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
- Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +3% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 51,800 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Washington | $83,150 |
| Oregon | $80,470 |
| Massachusetts | $80,220 |
| Rhode Island | $80,090 |
| California | $79,750 |
| West Virginia | $55,360 |
| South Dakota | $52,750 |
| Mississippi | $50,220 |
See licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Registered Nurses
- Paramedics
- Nurse Practitioners
- Nursing Assistants
- Emergency Medical Technicians
- Medical Assistants
- Nurse Anesthetists
- Emergency Medicine Physicians
- Nurse Midwives
- Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.