What to Look For in a Traditional LPN School
Nursing is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States. With dozens of schools
and programs offering training to those who wish to become licensed professional nurses, or LPNs, it's not
difficult to find an LPN school. The challenge for
aspiring nurses lies in finding the right source of education for their interests and career goals.
Choosing an LPN School
Selecting the right school for your LPN studies is the first big, important step toward
launching your nursing career. After you’ve gathered all of the relevant information by asking questions and
doing the necessary research, you should be adequately prepared to choose the LPN school that’s best for
you.
The choice of a school is more involved than simply finding a college with a solid reputation
and good hiring results. It's a personal decision that will depend on many factors, including how long you're
willing to study, what areas of specialty you're interested in, and whether you'd like to work concurrently with
your LPN education.
Although the quality of education is important, many nursing candidates choose a school based
on more personal criteria, including:
- Location
- Prerequisites and past education
- Tuition and availability of financial aid
- Flexibility of class schedules
- Nursing specializations offered
Some programs offer the option of expedited LPN training, allowing students to enter the
workforce more quickly and repay student loans faster, or more slowly, to accommodate those who are working
part-time to fund their educations. Some programs offer the option for students to work as nurse's aides or
nursing assistants during their training, which can provide valuable hands-on training during their studies.
Although these programs are great for some, they’re not for everyone, so take the time to thoroughly consider
what kind of educational program is the best fit for you.
Finding a Good LPN School
Personal considerations aside, there are a few objective criteria that are useful in choosing
a good nursing school:
- The school's accreditation. Nursing schools
abound, but not every education is equal. Schools that have been accredited by the National League for
Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing and Education meet the
standards of these organizations and will generally offer a better education than schools that bear neither
accreditation.
- NCLEX examination pass rates. The NCLEX exam
is required by nurses to achieve full accreditation (as an LPN or an RN) and will be separate from the
school's curriculum. Pass rates for this test for the previous 5 or 10 years are usually available, and can
tell you a lot about the quality of education offered by an institution.
- Job prospects. The percentage of new LPN
graduates that get hired during their first six months out of school can tell you whether the school equips
its students to find good jobs in the real world.
- Class size. Smaller class sizes will ensure
more student-to-faculty contact and, in most cases, a better education. Class sizes are most important in
clinical rotations and specialized nursing courses.
- Clinical rotation time. The number of hours
spent in clinical rotation is important in determining how useful your training will be once you're out of
the classroom and in the real world, where competence and working skills can save or lose lives. The best
way to find out about clinical rotations in advance is by speaking with current students about their actual
experiences.
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