School for LPN Swansea SC - LPN and LVN Schools Near You

How to Choose the Right LPN School near Swansea South Carolina

Swansea SC LPN pediatric nurse holding infant There are generally two academic credentials available that provide training to become an LPN near Swansea SC. The one that may be concluded in the shortest time frame, normally about 1 year, is the certificate or diploma program. The other choice is to obtain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These LPN programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma alternative and normally require 2 years to complete. The advantage of Associate Degrees, in addition to providing a higher credential and more in-depth instruction, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. No matter the kind 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 guarantees that the syllabus adequately 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?

Swansea SC Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurses have a number of duties that they perform in the Swansea SC health care facilities where they practice. 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 typically work under the guidance of either an RN or a doctor. The health care facilities where they work are numerous and diverse, for instance hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and long-term care facilities. Anywhere that you can encounter 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 functions may include:

Taking vital signs
Administering medications
Initiating IV drips
Observing patients
Getting blood or urine samples
Keeping patient records
Helping doctors or Registered nurses with procedures

In addition to their occupational duties being controlled by each state, the medical facilities or other Swansea SC healthcare providers where LPNs work can additionally limit their job roles within those parameters. Additionally, they can work in different specialties of nursing, including long-term care, critical care, oncology and cardiology.

Online LPN Programs

female student attending LPN school online in Swansea SC Attending LPN schools online is emerging as a more favored way to get instruction and earn a nursing certificate or degree in Swansea SC. Many schools will require attending on campus for part of the training, and virtually all programs require a specified number of clinical rotation hours completed in a local healthcare center. But since the balance of the training can be accessed online, this option may be a more convenient approach to finding the time to attend college for many students. Concerning tuition, many online degree programs are less expensive than other on campus choices. Even other expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be lessened, 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 responsibilities have left you with very little time to work toward your academic goals, perhaps an online LPN school 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 Swansea 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.

Questions to Ask LPN Programs

Questions to ask Swansea SC LPN programs Now that you have decided on obtaining your LPN certificate, and if you will attend classes on campus or on the internet, you can use the following pointers to start narrowing down your options. As you no doubt realize, there are a large number of nursing schools and colleges near Swansea SC as well as within South Carolina and throughout the United States. So it is necessary to reduce the number of schools to select from so that you will have a manageable list. As we already pointed out, the location of the school along with the price of tuition are probably going to be the first two points that you will take into consideration. But as we also emphasized, they should not be your only qualifiers. So prior to making your ultimate decision, use the following questions to evaluate how your selection compares to the other programs.

Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the certificate program in addition to the school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. In addition to helping make sure that you receive a quality education, it may help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools near Swansea SC.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing prerequisites for LPNs vary from state to state. In all states, a passing score is required on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) along 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 essential that the school you are attending not only provides an excellent education, but also preps you to meet the minimum licensing requirements for South Carolina or the state where you will be practicing.
Reputation. Visit internet rating companies to see what the assessments are for all of the LPN schools you are looking into. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. In addition, check with the South Carolina school licensing authority to find out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can speak with some local Swansea 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 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 imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only confirm that the school has a superb reputation within the Swansea SC medical community, but that it also has the network of contacts to assist students attain a position.
Internship Programs. The best way to acquire experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse is to work in a clinical environment. Essentially all nursing degree programs require a certain number of clinical hours be completed. A number of states have minimum clinical hour prerequisites for licensing too. Ask if the schools have associations with local Swansea SC community hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placing of students in internships.

Enrolling in an LPN Program near Swansea SC?

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

Swansea, South Carolina

Swansea is located at 33°44′14″N 81°06′08″W / 33.737090°N 81.102244°W / 33.737090; -81.102244.[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), of which 1.1 square miles (2.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km2) (4.20%) is water. Two streams that flow through Swansea are Fourth Creek and Bull Swamp Creek (with neighboring communities Gaston and North).

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 533 people, 224 households, and 154 families residing in the town. The population density was 469.9 people per square mile (182.1/km2). There were 262 housing units at an average density of 231.0 per square mile (89.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 79.22% White, 12.15% African American, 0.75% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.

There were 224 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92.

Choose the Right LPN School near Swansea SC

Swansea SC LPN geriatric nurse with patient Selecting the right Licensed Practical Nurse school is probably the most critical first step to starting a new career in the healthcare industry. There are many aspects that you need to take into account when picking a nursing school. These aspects will be prioritized differently contingent on your existing career objectives, lifestyle, and economic situation. As we have pointed out in this post, it is critical that you select an LPN school and a certificate or degree program that are each accredited and have excellent reputations within the medical community. You originally decided to visit this website because of an interest in School for LPN. However, by using our list of qualifying questions, you will be able to produce a shortlist of schools to choose from so that you can make your final selection. And with the right degree and training, combined with your hard work and desire to succeed, you can become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Swansea SC.