Practical Nursing Degree Youngstown PA - LPN and LVN Schools Near You

How to Find the Right LPN School near Youngstown Pennsylvania

Youngstown PA LPN pediatric nurse holding infant There are basically two academic credentials available that provide training to become an LPN near Youngstown PA. The one that can be finished in the shortest time period, commonly about twelve months, is the certificate or diploma program. The other choice is to attain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are broader in nature than the diploma option and commonly require 2 years to finish. The benefit of Associate Degrees, aside from providing a higher credential and more extensive training, are that they furnish more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. No matter the kind of credential you seek, it should be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or another national accrediting organization. The NLNAC guarantees that the core curriculum adequately prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that most graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

What is an LPN?

Youngstown PA Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurses have many different tasks that they perform in the Youngstown PA medical facilities where they are employed. As their titles imply, they are required to be licensed in all states, including Pennsylvania. Although they may be responsible for supervising Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves normally work under the direction of either an RN or a doctor. The medical care facilities where they work are numerous and assorted, such as hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Virtually any place that you can encounter patients requiring medical assistance is their dominion. Each state not only regulates their licensing, but also what duties an LPN can and can’t perform. So depending on the state, their daily job functions may include:

Measuring vital signs
Giving medications
Initiating IV drips
Observing patients
Taking blood or urine samples
Managing patient records
Helping physicians or Registered nurses with procedures

In addition to their work duties being regulated by each state, the healthcare facilities or other Youngstown PA healthcare providers where LPNs work can additionally limit their job roles within those parameters. Also, they can practice in different specialties of nursing, for instance long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN Programs Online

female student attending LPN school online in Youngstown PA Attending LPN schools online is emerging as a more preferred way to obtain training and earn a nursing certificate or degree in Youngstown PA. Some schools will require attending on campus for part of the training, and virtually all programs require a specified amount of clinical rotation hours completed in a local healthcare facility. But since the remainder of the training may be accessed online, this option may be a more convenient answer to finding the free time to attend college for some students. Regarding tuition, some online degree programs are cheaper than other on campus alternatives. Even other expenses such as for commuting and study materials can be lessened, helping to make education more economical. And a large number of online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. Therefore if your work and household commitments have left you with very little time to pursue your academic goals, maybe an online LPN program 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 Youngstown PA 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.

What to Ask LPN Schools

Questions to ask Youngstown PA LPN programs Once you have decided on obtaining your LPN certificate, as well as if you will attend classes on campus or on the web, you can use the following pointers to begin narrowing down your choices. As you no doubt realize, there are numerous nursing schools and colleges near Youngstown PA as well as within Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. So it is necessary to decrease the number of schools to select from to ensure that you will have a workable list. As we earlier mentioned, the site of the school and the expense of tuition are probably going to be the primary two things that you will take into consideration. But as we also stressed, they should not be your only qualifiers. So before making your final choice, use the following questions to see how your selection compares to the other programs.

Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the certificate program as well as the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to helping confirm that you receive an excellent education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools near Youngstown PA.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing requirements for LPNs differ from state to state. In all states, a passing score is needed on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) together with graduation from an accredited school. Certain states require a certain 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 readies you to comply with the minimum licensing standards for Pennsylvania or the state where you will be working.
Reputation. Visit internet rating services to see what the reviews are for all of the LPN schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Also, get in touch with the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to determine if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can contact some nearby Youngstown PA healthcare organizations you’re interested in working for after graduation and ask what their judgements are of the schools as well.
Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the LPN programs you are looking at what their graduation rates are as well as how long on average it takes students to complete their programs. A low graduation rate may be an indication that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only verify that the school has a superb reputation within the Youngstown PA healthcare community, but that it also has the network of relationships to assist students gain employment.
Internship Programs. The best way to obtain experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical setting. Essentially all nursing degree programs require a certain number of clinical hours be completed. Various states have minimum clinical hour requirements for licensing too. Find out if the schools have associations with nearby Youngstown PA community hospitals, clinics or labs and assist with the placement of students in internships.

Enrolling in an LPN Program near Youngstown PA?

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

Mahoning Valley

The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman metropolitan area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley or the Steel Valley, is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio in the United States, with the city of Youngstown, Ohio, at its center. According to the US Census Bureau, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Mercer county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 565,773.[citation needed]

This area also has a strong commuter interchange with Cleveland and Pittsburgh and their metropolitan areas. It is located at the geographic center of the Rust Belt of the United States which stretches from Minneapolis in the west to Johnstown and Altoona in the east.

Although steel has been produced in the Mahoning Valley since the mid-1800s, after the Civil War, the valley was primarily known for its iron production. Conversion to steel manufacturing began during the economic depression of the 1890s.[1] The Mahoning Valley is suitable for steel manufacture because of "its proximity to the Lake Erie ports that receive iron ore…the coal fields of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia; and to limestone deposits."[2] The "25-mile stretch of steel mills and related industries" along the Mahoning River is similar to the Ruhr Valley in Germany."[2] Historically, it was the largest steel producing region in the world (including all of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania).[citation needed]

Select the Right LPN Program near Youngstown PA

Youngstown PA LPN geriatric nurse with patient Selecting the ideal Licensed Practical Nurse program is potentially the most crucial phase to beginning a new career in the healthcare industry. There are many factors that you need to think about when deciding on a nursing school. These factors will be prioritized differently contingent on your existing career goals, lifestyle, and economic situation. As we have pointed out within this content, it is critical that you pick an LPN college and a certificate or degree program that are each accredited and have outstanding reputations within the healthcare community. You originally decided to visit this website because of an interest in Practical Nursing Degree. However, by using our list of qualifying questions, you will be able to develop a short list of schools to choose from so that you can make your final selection. And with the appropriate degree and training, combined with your hard work and drive to succeed, you can become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Youngstown PA.