Hiring guide
How to Hire a Licensed Practical Nurse
Hire a licensed practical nurse: NCLEX-PN licence checks, scope of practice by state, where to recruit, a medication pass scenario and red flags.
The short answer
Hiring a Licensed Practical Nurse comes down to verifying active lpn or lvn licence, having passed the nclex-pn, safe medication administration, including the rights of medication administration and mar documentation and recognising changes in condition and reporting them promptly to the rn or provider before you commit interview time. The process below runs 5 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Licence lapsed, restricted or with disciplinary action they did not mention
- Watch for: Describes tasks outside LPN scope in your state as routine
- Score on: Medication safety and accuracy in the scenario
- Score on: Recognition and escalation of changes in condition
Paste your Licensed Practical Nurse job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →To hire a licensed practical nurse, start with your state's LPN scope of practice and how the role will sit alongside RNs in your setting, whether that is long-term care, home health, a clinic or a hospital. Scope decides which tasks the nurse can take on, such as IV therapy or assessments, and what supervision you must provide. This guide covers licence checks, where to recruit, the skills to assess, a practical scenario and the red flags to watch.
Why this role matters
LPNs (called LVNs in California and Texas) deliver much of the hands-on care in long-term care, rehabilitation, home health and clinics. They pass medications, monitor patients, do treatments and wound care, and are often first to notice when a resident is getting worse. A strong LPN keeps a unit safe and running. A weak one makes medication errors, misses changes in condition or documents poorly, and the RN and the facility carry the consequences.
Where to find candidates
- Practical nursing programmes at community colleges and technical schools, contacted before graduation
- The National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service (NAPNES)
- Your state LPN or LVN association
- General healthcare job boards and local nursing job fairs
- Per diem and staffing agencies, which can convert reliable agency nurses to staff
- Your own certified nursing assistants who are completing LPN training
- Nurses holding a multistate licence under the Nurse Licensure Compact, if your state participates
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Licence lapsed, restricted or with disciplinary action they did not mention
- Describes tasks outside LPN scope in your state as routine
- Vague about how they handle a medication error or near miss
- Cannot explain when to escalate a change in a patient's condition
- Speaks dismissively about residents, families or nursing assistants
- A pattern of very short jobs with no clear reason
The interview process
- 1
Licence and exclusion screen
Verify the licence through Nursys or the state board, and check the HHS OIG exclusion list and any state-required background checks.
- 2
Interview with the director of nursing or unit manager
Ask about settings, patient loads, medication passes, and one time they spotted a resident getting worse. Look for specific actions and who they told.
- 3
Practical scenario
Walk through a medication pass for a few residents with real-world complications: a held medication because of a low heart rate, a resident refusing tablets and a new order that looks wrong. Ask what they do, document and report for each. A job simulation of the real work is one option for running this consistently.
- 4
Unit tour and team meeting
Show them the unit, medication cart and EHR, and let them meet the RNs and nursing assistants they would work with.
- 5
References
Ask previous supervisors about medication safety, reliability and how they work with the care team.
Cohesyve
Start the Licensed Practical Nurse interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Licensed Practical Nurse job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Medication safety and accuracy in the scenario
- Recognition and escalation of changes in condition
- Understanding of LPN scope in your state
- Documentation quality and timeliness
- Communication with RNs, providers, residents and families
- Reliability and attendance in references
Onboarding
- 1Give a written summary of LPN scope and supervision rules for your facility
- 2Orient them on the medication system, MAR, pharmacy processes and controlled substance counts
- 3Pair them with an experienced nurse for their first shifts
- 4Train on your EHR documentation and change-in-condition reporting
- 5Complete competency checks for treatments and devices on the unit
- 6Set a check-in after the first weeks to review medication passes and documentation
Common questions
What is the difference between an LPN and an RN?
LPNs complete a shorter practical nursing programme and pass the NCLEX-PN. RNs complete a diploma, associate or bachelor's programme and pass the NCLEX-RN. RNs have a broader scope, including comprehensive assessments and care planning, and LPNs usually work under RN or provider supervision.
Can an LPN start IVs?
It depends on state law. Some states allow LPNs to perform certain IV tasks after additional training or certification, and others restrict it. Check your state board of nursing's rules.
How do I verify an LPN licence?
Use Nursys, run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or your state board of nursing's lookup. Nursys also shows multistate licence status under the Nurse Licensure Compact.
Are there certifications for LPNs?
Yes, voluntary ones. NAPNES offers LPN certifications in IV therapy, long-term care and pharmacology, and some states require specific IV training for LPNs.
Cohesyve · Skill assessments for hiring
Hiring a Licensed Practical Nurse? Start with a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Licensed Practical Nurse job description, finds candidates, reaches out to them and runs an AI job simulation of the real work, then ranks them for you.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
From the blog