The Right School for Your Training as a Licensed Practical Nurse

Posted On April 29,2016

Practical nursing is one of the healthiest job markets in the country. If you are looking to join the millions of others have become practical nurses you will start your journey by enrolling in an accredited school. However, how can you find the right school for you? Here are a few tips to help you decide.

High percentage of successful NCLEX-PN exam takers

This is one of the best indicators of a good nursing program. Most schools post a list of the success rate of their exam-takers as a way of attracting other promising nursing candidates to their school. A detailed record of all such tests is kept on file with the board of nursing to keep te data readily available. If possible, choose the school with the highest number of successful test takers, percentage-wise. This illustrates that the students of the school in question have been taught well and thoroughly.

Make sure that the school is accredited

Nursing schools receive accreditation from the National League of Nursing Accrediting Agency (NLNAC). Schools so designated have met the standards set down by the agency for LPNs. If your career plans include moving on to obtain your bachelor or master’s degrees in nursing then you will definitely want an accredited school on your educational resume. It will also help you a great deal when looking for work, as accredited schools are more highly respected by far. It may be possible for you to get your degree from a non-accredited school, but why limit your future options by doing so?

Organizational structure of the school’s learning system

This is an important aspect of a given school’s teaching process that you should definitely take a look at, as you would want to enroll in a school whose learning system is conducive to your learning style. For example, do all of the courses’ resources come in paper form or online? Will you be using standard textbooks, or has the school transitioned to electronic devices like iPads or Kindle? On the surface this may seem trivial, but you may be surprised to find out just how conditioned you have become to a particular learning style. If you are called upon to use one that you are not familiar with you may have difficulty.

Program costs

The price of your LPN degree could cost you as little as $4,000 or as much as $20,000. Of course costs like these are not a problem for some, but for others it is a major concern. However, you should know that prices usually reflect quality, thus the disparity in pricing in the first place. So, be prepared to spend a little extra for quality. That being said, there are good nursing schools across the country that offer cheaper programs. Cost is a good indicator of a school’s confidence and level of prestige, but do not dismiss cheaper programs outright without considering that school’s reputation.

Clinical practice locations

Of course, a candidate’s performance in the classroom is an integral part of their journey to becoming a practical nurse. For you to be a well-rounded practical nurse you will be expected to have logged some training in the field. For this reason, every school that offers a LPN program also has a preferred provider. It is a way of giving students real-world experience before they are sent out into the field. So, if you plan on working in an emergency room then choose a school whose preferred provider offers emergency room rotations. You should know that the hospital in your area may not offer a rotation with the kind of training you desire. If this is an important factor in your choice of nursing programs, be sure to look into it before you make a final decision.

You may find any one of these tips more helpful in your decision making process than the others but, more than likely, you will benefit from using all, or a combination of some, to arrive at a prudent decision. Choosing the right nursing school for you is incredibly important if you want to have a role in the field. Be sure to consider these points carefully.