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How to Pick the Right LPN College near Summit Kentucky

Summit KY LPN pediatric nurse holding infant There are generally two academic credentials available that provide instruction to become an LPN near Summit KY. The one that may be completed in the shortest amount of time, commonly about twelve months, is the certificate or diploma program. The 2nd choice is to obtain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma option and usually require 2 years to finish. The advantage of Associate Degrees, along with offering a higher credential and more comprehensive instruction, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. Regardless of the type of credential you pursue, it needs to be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or some other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC attests that the syllabus properly prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that the majority of graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

What is an LPN?

Summit KY Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurses have a number of tasks that they carry out in the Summit KY health care facilities where they practice. As their titles imply, they are mandated to be licensed in all states, including Kentucky. Although they may be accountable for supervising Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves usually work under the direction of either an RN or a doctor. The health care facilities where they work are numerous and varied, including hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anywhere that you can find patients seeking medical care is their domain. Every state not only regulates their licensing, but also what duties an LPN can and can’t perform. So depending on the state, their day-to-day job activities can include:

Checking vital signs
Providing medications
Setting up IV drips
Observing patients
Collecting blood or urine samples
Taking care of patient records
Assisting doctors or RNs with procedures

In addition to their occupational functions being controlled by each state, the health facilities or other Summit KY healthcare providers where LPNs work can further limit their job roles within those parameters. Also, they can practice in numerous specialties of nursing, which include long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

Online LPN Programs

female student attending LPN school online in Summit KY Enrolling in LPN schools online is growing into a more popular way to receive instruction and attain a nursing certificate or degree in Summit KY. Certain schools will require attendance on campus for part of the training, and almost all programs call for a specified number of clinical rotation hours conducted in a local healthcare facility. But since the rest of the training may be accessed online, this alternative may be a more accommodating approach to finding the free time to attend classes for some students. Pertaining to tuition, a number of online degree programs are less costly than other on campus alternatives. Even additional expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be minimized, helping to make education more affordable. And many online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. And so if your work and household obligations have left you with little time to work toward your academic goals, perhaps an online LPN school will make it easier to fit a degree into your hectic schedule.

LPN Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) was $45,030 in May 2017. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,970, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $61,030. Most licensed practical nurses near Summit KY work full time, although about 1 in 5 worked part time in 2016. Many work nights, weekends, and holidays, because medical care takes place at all hours. They may be required to work shifts of longer than 8 hours. Employment of LPNs is projected to grow 12 percent from 2016 to 2026. Job prospects should be favorable for LPNs who are willing to work in rural and medically under served areas.

Questions to Ask LPN Schools

Questions to ask Summit KY LPN programs Now that you have decided on obtaining your LPN certificate, as well as if you will attend classes on campus or on the web, you can utilize the following guidelines to begin narrowing down your options. As you probably realize, there are a large number of nursing schools and colleges near Summit KY as well as within Kentucky and throughout the United States. So it is important to lower the number of schools to choose from in order that you will have a manageable list. As we earlier pointed out, the site of the school along with the expense of tuition are undoubtedly going to be the primary two things that you will look at. But as we also stressed, they should not be your sole qualifiers. So prior to making your ultimate choice, use the following questions to see how your selection measures up to the other schools.

Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the certificate program along with the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to helping verify that you obtain a premium education, it may assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not provided for non-accredited schools near Summit KY.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing criteria for LPNs vary from state to state. In all states, a passing score is needed on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) in addition to graduation from an accredited school. Some states require a specified number of clinical hours be completed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It’s important that the school you are enrolled in not only delivers a top-notch education, but also prepares you to meet the minimum licensing requirements for Kentucky or the state where you will be working.
Reputation. Visit internet rating services to see what the evaluations are for all of the LPN schools you are looking into. Ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews too. In addition, contact the Kentucky school licensing authority to determine if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can speak with some local Summit KY healthcare organizations you’re interested in working for after graduation and ask what their assessments are of the schools as well.
Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the LPN schools you are considering what their graduation rates are as well as how long on average it takes students to finish their programs. A low graduation rate may be an indication that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only verify that the school has a favorable reputation within the Summit KY healthcare community, but that it also has the network of contacts to help students gain a position.
Internship Programs. The best way to acquire experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical environment. Almost all nursing degree programs require a specific number of clinical hours be completed. Many states have minimum clinical hour mandates for licensing also. Find out if the schools have associations with nearby Summit KY community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placing of students in internships.

Enrolling in an LPN Program near Summit KY?

If you are considering enrolling in and attending an LPN school near Summit KY, you may find the following information both interesting and useful when making your final decision.

Summit, Kentucky

Summit is an unincorporated community in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States on US 60 just west of Ashland. Summit serves as a suburb to the city of Ashland and shares the city's ZIP code. Summit is sometimes spelled with two "T's" at the end, although the most common spelling contains only one "T" but either variation is accepted as correct.

Summit is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. The Summit name was first applied to a 19th-century railroad passenger and freight station located at the site. Summit was selected as descriptive of the location's unique topographical features including a flat terrain on a higher elevation than other parts of the surrounding area. Unusual for the region, this terrain was created by the ancient Teay's River and the associated Glacial Lake Tight. The Lexington, Elizabethtown, and Big Sandy Railroad opened a station here in the late 19th century after the railroad was constructed through Summit. It served the residents of what was then a sparsely populated farming community until the station was closed due to its close proximity to Ashland made it no longer necessary. Now a populated suburban area, Summit's development was slow until the Federal Correctional Institution was located at the heart of Summit on Kentucky Route 716. This and the upgrading of U.S. Route 60, made transportation easier for residents to commute to and from Ashland.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland in Summit,[1][2] 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Ashland.[3] There is also an adjacent federal prison camp, which in 2006 was listed as one of the best places to go to prison by Forbes magazine.[4]

Enroll in the Right LPN School near Summit KY

Summit KY LPN geriatric nurse with patient Enrolling in the right Licensed Practical Nurse program is arguably the most critical phase to starting a new career in the health care field. There are numerous factors that you must consider when picking a nursing school. These variables will be prioritized differently contingent on your existing career objectives, obligations, and financial status. As we have pointed out in this article, it is critical that you choose an LPN school and a certificate or degree program that are each accredited and have excellent reputations within the healthcare community. You originally decided to visit this website because of an interest in Licensed Vocational Nurse Training. However, by using our checklist of qualifying questions, you will be able to create a short list of schools to pick from so that you can make your ultimate selection. And with the proper degree and training, combined with your hard work and ambition to succeed, you can become an LPN in Summit KY.