In the field of medicine and health care, the job profile of a LVN, that is to say, a Licensed Vocational Nurse, and a Psychiatric Technician are often used in relation with one another. However, the two professions vary greatly and each of them entails entirely disparate job qualifications, responsibilities and expectations.

In general, Licensed Vocational Nurses are also referred to as Licensed Practical Nurses or LPNs. The job profile and the term used for a Licensed Vocational Nurse often vary from region to region, depending upon country specific criterion. For example, while the term is Licensed Vocational Nurse in California and Texas, the term used in Australia and New Zealand is Enrolled Nurse.

On an average, a Licensed Vocational Nurse can be expected to undertake simple as well as intricate medical responsibilities, but these can be performed only under the specific supervision of a physician or a registered nurse. All Licensed Vocational Nurses can register medicine dosages, and in some regions they can be expected to fulfill other responsibilities as well. These responsibilities range from having to initiate IV medications and administering the IV push medications, administering wound and injury care, to maintaining records of patients. A Licensed Vocational Nurse is also expected to collect blood and urine samples when these are needed for lab testing.

Also, a Licensed Vocational Nurse can be asked to perform straightforward lab diagnostic and analysis practices such as urine- analysis as well. The work of Licensed Vocational Nurses is not limited to only hospitals. They can work in hospitals and clinics under the express supervision of physicians, and they can also work in long- term health care facilities where they sometimes might be assigned the responsibility of over- seeing the work of orderlies and nursing assistants. Another responsibility of a Licensed Vocational Nurse is to monitor the patient’s vital signs such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation.

Psychiatric Technicians are involved in the process of working with people who suffer from psychological ailments such as dementia, depression and psychosis, when these conditions are causing visible and palpable mental distress as well as emotional duress to the patient. It is important for those looking to take up the profession of a Psychiatric Technician to have studied pharmacology for Psychiatric Technicians are expected to be educated in the field of administering and understanding medication in terms of drug standards, dosages requires and the effects of different medicines in contexts of different psychological issues.