NAPNES ensures that there are comprehensive and nationally recognized standards for practical nursing education in the United States. NAPNES is made up of both licensed practical nurses and educators, and it creates standards that reflect the optimal programming for practical nursing education. The standards cover the following competency areas: professional behaviors, communication, assessment, planning, managing and caring interventions.
LPN programs cover applicable nursing skills as required by the national standards. LPN courses that cover nursing skills are typically called "Fundamentals of Nursing" or "Nursing Skills" and might be appended with a number that indicates a series of skills that increase in difficulty or skill. In nursing skills courses, students will learn to document patient histories, diagnoses and treatments; to interact as a health-care professional; to interface with registered nurses and doctors; to perform physical assessments; and any other pertinent practical nursing skills.
Science courses are an integral part of a practical nursing curriculum; they prepare the LPN to have a framework to develop nursing skills. Not only is it imperative that LPNs learn the principles of the human body, they must also learn the theories in social sciences and psychology. Courses that cover these areas include psychology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, human development and nutrition.
LPN courses also provide a concurrent clinical education to complement the theory of sciences and nursing. The clinical component provides LPN students an opportunity to practice their newly acquired skills; they apply their knowledge in a practical way. Clinicals typically take the form of a rotation, where students move from one speciality to another. Common LPN speciality courses include pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, maternal-child nursing and psychiatry.
Because graduate practical nurses are required to complete a nationally recognized licensure examination to become licensed in their state, many LPN programs have specific courses to prepare students to take the National Council of Licensure Examinations-Practical Nurse (NCLEX-PN). These LPN courses familiarize students with both the content and the style of the examination.