LPN Programs – A General Overview
The profession of licensed practical nurses is respected and rewarded. You can expect to get a very good salary and standard working hours. In addition, you have a lot of options for advancing in your career. In order to become a licensed practical nurse, you need to sign up for one of the available LPN programs first.
LPN programs are available from vocational and technical schools and colleges as well as from community and career colleges. Some universities and liberal arts colleges offer such courses as well. It is now possible for you to study for becoming LPN online. The internet courses have become quite popular at present, given the flexibility they offer to working individuals.
Most LPN programs have duration of 1 year. Still, you can also find 9-month courses, but they are much more intensive. The popularity of the 18 and 24-month programs is growing, since they are often more suitable for students with jobs and kids to take care of.
Each LPN training program has two main parts – class study and clinical practice. You will be taught theory first. Subjects usually include anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and nutrition. It is also possible for you to take lpn classes for specialization like obstetric nursing and medical-surgical nursing.
You can expect to have your clinical practice in a hospital or a clinic. You will work with real patients. At the end of the training, you will have to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for practical nurses (NCLEX-PN) in order to obtain your license.
The costs of the different LPN programs vary, depending on various factors. These include type of school offering the course, school facilities, student class number, teaching quality and training duration. You can expect your tuition costs to be between $5,000 and $12,000, even though you will be able to find cheaper and more expensive courses as well.
