Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

State Civil Service Commission

Examinations

for

LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES

Pennsylvania Residency NOT Required

COMPLETING THE APPLICATION SUPPLEMENT IS THE TEST.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

When completing your application, please make sure you apply for all job titles for which you want to be tested.  You will NOT be permitted to add job titles after you test.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Approximately 385 filled LPN positions are located in the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s state mental retardation centers, mental health hospitals, and a restoration center; 316 positions in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ state correctional institutions; and 226 positions in the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ in veterans’ homes .

The Commonwealth typically hires 50 full-time Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) each year.  For the most recent information on job opportunities, contact the Human Resources offices listed below.  

To directly contact the facilities where you are interested in working, see the “State Government Offices” section of your local telephone directory for addresses and telephone numbers for each location.

The following is a list of agencies, types of facilities and counties where Licensed Practical Nurses are employed.  Use this information to indicate the counties where you will accept employment and the agency and type of facility on the LPN Facility Preference Checklist.  The counties of availability listed on your application and agencies/facilities you select must agree in order for you to be notified of job openings.

State Nurses' Facility Preference List
Facility Type	Hiring Agency	Description	Comments / Contact  Info
State Correctional Institutions Counties:  Allegheny, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Crawford, Cumberland, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Montgomery, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Somerset, Westmoreland, Wayne	Department of Corrections	Care to males or females confined in the adult correctional system	For information, contact Human Resources, Telephone:  (717) 975-4901
State Veterans' Homes/Centers Counties:  Allegheny, Blair, Chester, Erie, Lackawanna, Philadelphia	Department of Military and Veterans Affairs	Levels of care to veterans and their eligible spouses include domiciliary, personal, dementia, and nursing	For information, contact Human Resources, Telephone:  (717) 861-6993, TTY 1-800-645-8924
Restoration Center County:  Franklin	Department of Public Welfare	Care to patients in a long-term care setting	Few positions.  For information, contact Human Resources, Telephone:  (717) 787-5068 or toll free 1-800-346-4254
State Centers for Mental Retardation Counties:  Berks, Cambria, Luzerne, Snyder, Venango	Department of Public Welfare	Care for resident individuals with developmental disabilities	For information, contact Human Resources, Telephone:  (717) 787-5068 or toll free 1-800-346-4254
State Mental Health Hospitals Counties:  Berks, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Montgomery, Montour, Warren, Westmoreland	Department of Public Welfare	Care for individuals requiring psychiatric inpatient services	For information, contact Human Resources, Telephone:  (717) 787-5068 or toll free 1-800-346-4254
Youth Development Centers Counties:  Carbon, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lawrence, Montour, Perry	Department of Public Welfare	Care to adjudicated delinquent youth	For information, contact Human Resources, Telephone:  (717) 787-5068 or toll free 1-800-346-4254

NATURE OF WORK

You will perform practical nursing work in the direct care and treatment of individuals with physical injuries or illness, developmental disabilities, and /or mental illness in veterans’ homes, mental retardation centers, mental health hospitals, or state correctional institutions.  PRN (pro re nata) employees work “as needed” based upon shortages in daily staffing.

Work includes transcribing and verifying physicians’ orders; administering various medications and treatments; and assisting in administering diagnostic tests, emergency procedures, or special-treatment care.  Duties also include recording physical and behavioral status of patients and other information in progress notes, patient charts, and various administrative records and reports.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Please make sure you meet all requirements.  If after reading the requirements you are not sure you qualify, contact one of the Commission's offices listed at the end of this announcement.

You must be of good moral character and able to perform the essential functions of the job.  Pennsylvania residency is currently waived for these jobs. 

Some of the positions in these job titles come under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.  If you are a final candidate for one of these positions, you will have to provide reports on your background from such sources as the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.  If you are a final candidate and not a Pennsylvania resident, you must also obtain a report of Federal Criminal History Record Information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  If your background is unacceptable, you will be disqualified for employment in such positions.  You will receive information about these requirements and how to obtain the required reports at the time you are being considered for employment.

Some of the positions in these job titles come under the provisions of the Older Adults Protective Services Act.  If you are a final candidate for one of these positions, you will have to obtain a report of criminal record information from the Pennsylvania State Police or a statement that the State Police Central Repository contains no information relating to you.  If you are a final candidate and not currently a Pennsylvania resident, or if you are currently a Pennsylvania resident and a final candidate but have not been a resident for two years prior to the date that you received notification that you are a final candidate, you are also required to furnish a report of Federal Criminal History Record Information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  If your background is unacceptable, you will be disqualified for employment in such positions.  You will receive information about this requirement and how to obtain the required reports at the time you are being considered for employment.

After you receive a conditional offer of employment, you must undergo a medical examination.

After you are hired by the Department of Corrections, you must pass a background investigation.  After being hired, you must attend and complete a 3-week basic training program at the Department of Corrections' Central Training Academy in Elizabethtown, PA, which is located in Lancaster County.

Necessary Special Requirement (For Both Job Titles)

Possession of a current Pennsylvania license as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing; OR possession of a non-renewable temporary practice permit (TPP) issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Clarification of the Necessary Special Requirement

If you possess a license to practice as an LPN issued by a jurisdiction other than Pennsylvania (or as a licensed vocational nurse issued by California or Texas), you will be admitted to this examination program.  However, at the time of appointment, you must show proof of possession of a current, valid Pennsylvania temporary practice permit or Pennsylvania license to practice as an LPN.

Clarification of the Necessary Special Requirement (For Licensed Practical Nurse (30250) Only)  If you are within 1 month of graduating from a school of nursing approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, you will be eligible to take the examination for LPN.  However, you must provide proof of licensure or a temporary practice permit prior to employment.

Condition of Employment (For Both Job Titles)

Employees possessing non-renewable temporary practice permits must obtain licensure as a Pennsylvania LPN within the 1-year period defined by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Questions on licensure or temporary practice permits may be addressed to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 2649, Harrisburg, PA  17105-2649; Telephone:  (717) 783-7142; or Internet:  www.dos.state.pa.us – Select the following links – Professional Licensure – Health Related Boards – Nursing.

TESTING

You will be rated on your experience and training.  Your score will be based on information you report on your application and application supplement.

You must provide complete and accurate information.  Failure to do so may delay the processing of your application, or result in a lower-than-deserved score or disqualification.

If you take this test and want to take it again, you may be retested after 6 months from the date of your "Notice of Examination Results."  A new application and application supplement are required for a retest.

If your name is on an eligible list for these job titles and you take this test, your most recent examination result will be the only one counted.

TEST RESULTS

Employment and promotion lists will be established.  You will be notified in writing of your test results.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online at www.scsc.state.pa.us or submit your completed paper application, paper application supplement and LPN Facility Preference Checklist to:

State Civil Service Commission

ATTN:  Applications

P.O. Box 569

Harrisburg, PA  17108-0569

Applications, Application Supplement No. 2009-137-1 and further information can be obtained from:

For further information on testing, assistance for persons with disabilities, veterans' preference and other items, refer to the instructions provided with the "Application for Employment/Promotion."