Practical Nursing Diploma Ridgeville SC - LPN and LVN Schools Near You

How to Find the Right LPN School near Ridgeville South Carolina

Ridgeville SC LPN pediatric nurse holding infant There are principally two academic credentials available that provide instruction to become an LPN near Ridgeville SC. The one that can be finished in the shortest period of time, generally about one year, is the certificate or diploma course. The second option is to earn 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, aside from providing a higher credential and more in-depth training, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. No matter the type of credential you pursue, it should be state approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or another national accrediting organization. The NLNAC warrants that the syllabus properly prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that most graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

What is an LPN?

Ridgeville SC Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurses have many different duties that they complete in the Ridgeville SC medical facilities where they work. As their titles indicate, they are required to be licensed in all states, including South Carolina. Even though they may be responsible for supervising Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), they themselves normally work under the oversight of either an RN or a doctor. The medical care facilities where they work are numerous and varied, for example hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anyplace that you can find patients seeking medical attention is their domain. Each state not only oversees their licensing, but also what duties an LPN can and can’t perform. So depending on the state, their daily work functions may include:

Checking vital signs
Providing medications
Setting up IV drips
Overseeing patients
Collecting blood or urine samples
Taking care of patient records
Supporting physicians or RNs with procedures

Along with their work duties being mandated by each state, the health facilities or other Ridgeville SC healthcare providers where LPNs work can additionally limit their job duties within those parameters. Additionally, they can work in numerous specialties of nursing, for example long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

LPN Programs Online

female student attending LPN school online in Ridgeville SC Enrolling in LPN programs online is growing into a more popular way to receive training and attain a nursing certificate or degree in Ridgeville SC. Certain schools will require attendance on campus for a component of the training, and almost all programs call for a certain amount of clinical rotation hours carried out in a local healthcare center. But since the remainder of the training may be accessed online, this alternative may be a more accommodating solution to finding the time to attend school for some students. Pertaining to tuition, a number of online degree programs are cheaper than other on campus choices. Even additional expenses such as for commuting and study materials can be reduced, helping to make education more easily affordable. And a large number of online programs are accredited by U.S. Department of Education recognized organizations. Therefore if your work and family commitments have left you with little time to work toward your academic goals, perhaps an online LPN program will make it more convenient 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 Ridgeville SC 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.

Things to Ask LPN Programs

Questions to ask Ridgeville SC LPN programs Once you have decided on obtaining your LPN certificate, as well as if you will attend classes on campus or online, you can use the following guidelines to begin narrowing down your choices. As you no doubt realize, there are many nursing schools and colleges near Ridgeville SC as well as within South Carolina and throughout the United States. So it is essential to decrease the number of schools to choose from so that you will have a manageable list. As we earlier mentioned, the location of the school as well as the cost of tuition are most likely going to be the initial two things that you will look at. But as we also emphasized, they should not be your only qualifiers. So prior to making your ultimate choice, use the following questions to evaluate how your pick measures up 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 recognized accrediting organization. In addition to helping confirm that you receive an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are oftentimes not available for non-accredited schools near Ridgeville SC.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing criteria 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. Many 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 provides an excellent education, but also readies you to satisfy the minimum licensing standards for South Carolina or the state where you will be practicing.
Reputation. Visit online rating services to see what the reviews are for all of the LPN schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. Additionally, contact the South Carolina school licensing authority to find out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can contact some local Ridgeville SC 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 programs you are looking at 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the Ridgeville SC medical community, but that it also has the network of contacts to help students obtain employment.
Internship Programs. The most effective way to acquire experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical environment. Essentially all nursing degree programs require a specific number of clinical hours be completed. A number of states have minimum clinical hour mandates for licensing also. Find out if the schools have associations with local Ridgeville SC community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placement of students in internships.

Enrolling in an LPN Program near Ridgeville SC?

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

Ridgeville, South Carolina

Ridgeville is a town in Dorchester County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,979 at the 2010 census,[3] up from 1,690 at the 2000 census. Ridgeville is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area.

Ridgeville is located near the center of Dorchester County at 33°5.6′N 80°18.8′W / 33.0933°N 80.3133°W / 33.0933; -80.3133 (33.0931, -80.3124).[5]South Carolina Highway 27 passes through the town, leading north 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to U.S. Route 78 and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to Exit 187 on Interstate 26.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), all of it land. The town limits extend east to include Lieber Correctional Institution, run by the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Enroll in the Right LPN School near Ridgeville SC

Ridgeville SC LPN geriatric nurse with patient Selecting the ideal Licensed Practical Nurse school is arguably the most crucial phase to launching a new career in the medical care industry. There are numerous variables that you should take into account when choosing a nursing school. These factors will be prioritized differently contingent on your existing career objectives, lifestyle, and economic situation. As we have stressed in this content, it is essential that you pick an LPN school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have exceptional reputations within the health care community. You originally decided to visit this website because of an interest in Practical Nursing Diploma. However, by utilizing our checklist of qualifying questions, you will be able to create a short list of schools to select from so that you can make your ultimate selection. And with the right degree and training, combined with your hard work and ambition to succeed, you can become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Ridgeville SC.