Who Does the Hiring for LPN Jobs? Usually the Director of Nursing
Ad Call reads the live LPN and LVN ads in your market and hands back, for each nursing home, home health agency and clinic, the Director of Nursing, ADON or clinical manager most likely to own the req: name, title, email and the facility's office line, graded by confidence, with how long the ad has been up.
In a nursing home, the person who hires LPNs may be covering a med pass while you're on hold.
Find the licensed practical nurse hiring managers in my market — freeWho is the hiring manager for a licensed practical nurse job?
In long-term care, where the largest share of LPNs work, the Director of Nursing (DON) usually owns nurse hiring for the building, often with the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) or a unit manager doing interviews and scheduling. There's no nurse recruiting department in most single facilities; the administrator signs off on budget and the business office handles paperwork. In a hospital, an LPN reports to a unit's nurse manager, the same seat that hires RNs. In a clinic or physician practice, the clinical manager or practice manager hires.
- Nursing Supervisor / Charge NurseRuns the shift and knows who called off. Influences, rarely hires.
- Unit Manager / ADONInterviews, builds the schedule, and often makes the call in a large facility. Easier to reach than the DON.
- Director of Nursing (DON)usually owns the reqOwns nurse hiring for the building in skilled nursing and long-term care. Answers for staffing when inspectors arrive.
- Nurse Manager / Clinical ManagerThe hiring seat in hospitals (nurse manager) and clinics or home health branches (clinical manager).
- AdministratorApproves budget and agency spend. Call only about a multi-nurse staffing plan, not one candidate.
What Ad Call gives you for an LPN ad
For LPN ads Ad Call names the DON first and the ADON or unit manager second, since either can say yes in a nursing home. The office line is the facility's main number, which in a nursing home is staffed around the clock. Signals show how long the ad has run and whether the building is posting several nurse ads at once.
Ad CallDeskFollow-upsCompaniesGuide- Six weeks open on evenings means the DON is filling shifts with overtime or outside staff.
- Three nurse ads at once suggests a building-wide gap, so one call can place more than one nurse.
- The ADON builds the schedule; if the DON is on the floor, the ADON can still move your candidate forward.
Where LPNs work, and who hires in each setting
According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 37% of LPNs and LVNs work in nursing and residential care facilities, 16% in hospitals, 12% in home healthcare services and 11% in physicians' offices. Each setting has a different hiring seat and a different pitch.| Setting | Who hires | What drives urgency | Lead your pitch with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled nursing / long-term care | DON, with the ADON or unit manager | Open shifts, overtime, outside staffing costs, the next state inspection | Med pass on a full hall, the shift they'll actually work, long-term care experience |
| Home health | Clinical manager or director of clinical services at the branch | Patient referrals the agency has to turn away | Independent visits, documentation on a tablet, driving radius |
| Physician office / clinic | Clinical or practice manager | A provider running behind without rooming support | Specialty experience, injections, phone triage within scope |
| Hospital | Unit nurse manager | LPN role on the unit (many units have few) | Unit type and the tasks the hospital lets LPNs perform |
LPN hiring in a nursing home: why inspections set the clock
Skilled nursing facilities live on an inspection calendar most recruiters never think about. Under federal rules, the state survey agency must conduct a standard survey of each skilled nursing and nursing facility no later than 15 months after the previous one, and the statewide average interval must be 12 months or less (42 CFR 488.308). A DON who was last inspected ten or eleven months ago knows the window is open.
Staffing is also public. Nursing homes submit staffing data to CMS every quarter through the Payroll Based Journal, including agency and contract staff, and CMS posts it on its Care Compare site and uses it in the Five-Star rating (CMS: Payroll Based Journal). And starting September 8, 2026, CMS began a nationwide risk-based survey that gives higher-performing facilities a shorter, more focused inspection; higher staffing levels are among the qualifying factors, and CMS estimates about 12% of nursing homes will qualify (CMS memo QSO-26-14-NH).
Put together: a DON has reasons beyond tonight's schedule to want permanent nurses on the payroll. Your pitch can speak to that without scare tactics: "She's worked long-term care for six years and has been through several annual inspections on the hall."
A Tuesday on hold
A recruiter calls a 120-bed facility at 9:15 a.m. about its evening LPN ad. The receptionist pages the DON, who is on the second floor because a nurse called off and she is passing morning meds herself. Eight minutes on hold, then: "She'll call you back." She doesn't.
The recruiter tries again at 1:45 p.m. Lunch trays are cleared, the day shift is charting, and the evening shift hasn't started. The DON picks up. The recruiter has 90 seconds and uses them on three facts: evening availability, long-term care experience, and a start date inside two weeks. The DON asks for the resume by email and says, "Copy Luis; he does the schedule."
The lesson isn't persistence. It's knowing when a nursing home's leaders have their hands free, and that there are two people who can say yes. Ad Call lists both names in the results, so when the DON is on the floor you can ask for the ADON by name.
The call: front desk to the DON
Nursing home receptionists field calls from families, vendors and agencies all day. Be brief and specific, and make it easy to route you.Licensed practical nurse recruiter tips: scope and the agency objection
Scope of practice varies by state. The BLS notes that LPN and LVN duties depend on the state; in some states, LPNs with proper training may give medication or start IV drips. Before you pitch a candidate across a state line, or into a role that mentions IV therapy, confirm what that state's board allows and what certification the candidate holds. Pitching a skill the employer can't legally use wastes the DON's time and yours.
The objection: "We cover with agency staff." Many facilities do, and a DON who says this isn't lying. Ask how that's going: "Are the same agency nurses coming back, or is it different faces every week?" Rotating temporary nurses who don't know the residents are a real problem for a DON; a permanent nurse who stays is the answer. Don't disparage the staffing firm; just offer the other option. If the facility wants both, a permanent candidate and agency coverage can coexist.
Shifts matter more than titles. BLS notes that LPNs may work nights, weekends and holidays, and shifts longer than eight hours. Lead with the shift your candidate will work. Ad Call shows how long each ad has been up, which tells you which shifts are hardest to fill. Run your market free.
Questions recruiters ask about licensed practical nurse reqs
- Who does the hiring for LPN jobs in a nursing home?
The Director of Nursing usually owns nurse hiring for the building, with the ADON or a unit manager interviewing and scheduling. The administrator approves budget. There's rarely a separate recruiting department at a single facility.
- What is the best time to contact a licensed practical nurse hiring manager?
In a nursing home, early afternoon (roughly 1:30 to 3 p.m.) after lunch and before shift change, midweek. Avoid the morning med pass and the 3 p.m. handoff. In clinics, call before the first patients or at the end of the day.
- Do hospitals hire many LPNs?
Fewer than long-term care. BLS puts 16% of LPN and LVN jobs in hospitals, against 37% in nursing and residential care facilities. In a hospital, the unit's nurse manager hires.
- What should I say when a DON says they use agency staff?
Ask whether the same nurses come back, then offer a permanent nurse as the alternative to a revolving door. Don't criticize the agency; many facilities use both.