LPNs education and training process usually lasting 12-18 months before being licensed. Then the LPNs are required to complete a state-approved practical nursing program and pass a licensing examination: the National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nurse (NCLEXPN).
LPN Training
LPN programs combine classroom study with clinical practice, the latter typically located in a hospital. The standard LPN curriculum includes basic nursing concepts and anatomy, physiology, medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, obstetrics, psychiatric nursing, the administration of drugs, nutrition and first aid.
Most states have additional educational requirements for LPN certification in advanced skills such as phlebotomy, IV infusion and IV medication administration. Even after being licensed, many state boards of nursing require LPNs to enroll in annual continuing education (CE) courses in order to maintain their licenses.Similarly, 24 state boards require LPNs to take a refresher course if they have an inactive license and wish to return to practice.
LPN training is available in about 1,100 state approved programs in vocational or technical schools, community colleges and in a few cases, high schools. Some of these programs are “stand-alone” LPN programs, where the LPN license is the goal. In other programs, a student may take the LPN exam and work as an LPN after completing the first year of an RN program. These programs are sometimes called
“ladder” programs.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of programs.
A ladder program will usually have the same prerequisites as an RN program, and these prerequisites can take up to a year to complete. A stand-alone program will usually have fewer prerequisites. This makes it easier to recruit candidates, but there may be problems transferring credits if the LPN wishes to become an RN at a later date
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