LPN Programs in New York

A state that has a continuous growing number of nursing opportunities is New York. In this state, alone, the LPNs comprise 21% of the total U.S. nurses’ population. Considering a career in practical nursing is a good decision to make especially when the LPN salary and other benefits are considered. 

New York Nursing Education 

There are various nursing colleges and universities that offer the Practical Nursing degree. The cities of Albany, Buffalo, New York, Rochester and Syracuse have been reported to have the most number of educational institutions and LPN job slots. 

Becoming an LPN is the quickest way to get into the nursing profession and to earn a degree in Practical Nursing means spending a year of theory and clinical study.

In this state, you are required to obtain the CPR card and to pass the NCLEX-PN examination as soon as you complete the PN course. 

Registered nurses that have at least a Bachelor’s Degree have better opportunities than nurses who haven’t. Also, all the advanced practice specialties such as nurse practitioner, nurse specialist, midwife and anesthetist are always going to be in high demand. 

For now, if you just need to become an LPN, you can consider any of the following schools – 

Maria College of Albany 

Though located in Albany which is a small city; the school can be considered a giant when it comes to the Associate’s Degree in Nursing program and Practical Nurse Certificate or PNC program that it offers. 

The PNC program, in particular, is a 48-credit certificate program which has transferable nursing credits of up to 32 for the ADN program. When the student successfully completes the required coursework, she becomes eligible to take the NCLEX-PN or the National council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses. Passing this exam means that student can then take an LPN position in the health care industry. 

The PNC program in Maria College is offered during weekends and is completed in just six semesters. The entire program comprises 47-48 credits (a total of 29 nursing credits and 18-19 liberal arts credits). It is highly recommended that the student must have at least 13-14 liberal arts credits before she takes the first nursing course. Priority during admissions is given to applicants who have already completed the science requirement. 

Accomplishing the Practical Nurse Certificate program means fulfilling the following requirements – 

• A completed high school diploma or its GED equivalent
• Passing the placement test
• Remedial coursework by those who failed to did not make it to the cutoff score
• Complete physical examination
• CPR and first aid certification prior to taking clinical courses
• A minimum grade of C in all of the PNC courses
• For readmission into the program, the candidate needs to get the approval of the Nursing Chairperson and the College Faculty; a written, skills and dosage examination. 

PNC courses are offered during weekends and comprises four semesters (about 15 months). PNC 101, the first PNC course, starts in May every year and has lecture and lab settings. There are two tracks in the PNC program which are – 

Track One – is where the student completes the certificate with a part-time schedule. It consists of 47 credits of which 22-25 will transfer into the ADN Program. This is designed specially for students who want to begin working as LPNs as soon as certificate completion. 

Track Two – this allows the student to complete the program on a part-time schedule during weekends and in 48 credits total. Of these, 32 will transfer to the ADN Program. 

Monroe College Main Campus 

Founded in 1933 and established by Mildred King, this campus was proudly named after the fifth U.S. President, James Monroe. The college has several other campuses in New York, New Rochelle and St. Lucia. 

The college offers the Practical Nurse Certificate program which trains students to become licensed practical nurses in health teams. Finishing this program is an excellent way to enter into the nursing career, with graduates qualifying for advanced degrees in the nursing education. The program has a total of 38 credits and probable two credits given to CNAs that are qualified for the program. 

Once the program is completed and as soon as the Michigan State of Board Nursing determines the student’s eligibility, she can then become a full-fledged, licensed practical nurse.