LPN Schools in Washington State

LPN Schools in Washington State

Article by Csglobal

The practical nurses work under the direction of registered nurses and doctors providing the patients bedside care. They are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, rehabilitation centre, and doctor’s or physician’s offices. Their job duties include measurement of vitals, collection of samples, maintenance of medical equipments, reporting of health status of patients, preparation and modification of medication plans and providing basic care such as feeding, bathing, shaving, dressing and helping in movement.

Eligibility for LPN in Washington-The qualification required to join practical nurse course is high school diploma or GED. Certain pre-requite subjects such as human anatomy and physiology, psychology, biology, mathematics, English etc are also asked to be studied at undergraduate level. It takes around 30 credit hours or may be more of full time study to complete these pre-nursing curricula. The nursing schools grant admission based on the grade point average in the pre-nursing subjects and score in the Test of Essential academic Skills (TEAS). Every nursing school has its own guidelines and may have additional requirements. The applicant is expected to have a good character and must not have being involved in any criminal activity or have drugs or alcoholic addiction. The practical nurse position is only a first step in the nursing career; still, higher nursing education is wanted to secure successive designations.

How to Become an LPN in Washington-The student should have completed an approved LPN program. By the completion of the course, one has to apply for the licensure in the state nursing board and request a transfer of transcript from the nursing school to the board. There is a criminal history background check and drugs screening conducted via FBI fingerprint technology. Once allowed by the board, the applicant can register and take the National Counsel Licensing Examination – Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) exam. It is the national certification administered by the Pearson-Vue. The license to work as practical nurse is issued on passing the certification. If the applicant does not pass the exam in first chance, he/she can have additional attempts in waiting periods of 45 days until two years. The NCLEX-PN passing percentage is more than 85 percent, hence applicants are able to clear the certification in first try, and if not, in the second one. The licenses are renewed at two year frequency by receiving the continued education or presenting the proof of practice.

LPN Schools in Washington -Following is the list of nursing schools approved by the Washington Board of Nursing to provide LPN course:

Bates Technical CollegeAddress: 1101 S Yakima Tacoma, WA 98405Phone: (253) 680-7000

Green River Community CollegeAddress: 12401 SE 320th St. Auburn, WA 98092Phone: (253) 833-9111

South Puget Sound Community CollegeAddress: 2011 Mottman Rd. SE Olympia, WA 98512Phone: (360) 754-7711

Bellingham Technical CollegeAddress: 3028 Lindburgh Avenue Bellingham, WA 98225-1559Phone: (360) 752-7000

Heritage CollegeAddress: 3240 Fort Rd. Toppenish WA 98948Phone: (509) 865-8500

South Seattle Community CollegeAddress: 6000 16th Avenue SW Seattle WA 98106Phone 🙁 206)768-6414

Big Bend Community CollegeAddress: 7662 Chanute St. Moses Lake, WA 98837Phone: (509) 793-2222

Lake Washington Technical CollegeAddress: 11605 132nd Avenue NE Kirkland, WA 98034Phone: (425) 739-8100Satellite campus: Edmonds Community College

Spokane Community CollegeAddress: 1810 N Greene St. MS 2090 Spokane, WA 99217Phone: (509) 533-7000

Centralia CollegeAddress: 600 W Locust Centralia, WA 98531Phone: (360) 736-9391

Lower Columbia CollegeAddress: 1600 Maple Street Longview, WA 98632Phone: (360) 442-2860

Walla Walla Community CollegeAddress: 500 Tausick Way Walla Walla, WA 99362Phone 🙁 509) 527-4240

Clover Park Technical CollegeAddress: 4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW Tacoma, WA 98499Phone: (253) 589-5800

North Seattle Community CollegeAddress: 9600 College Way North Seattle, WA 98103Phone: (206) 587-4100

Wenatchee Valley CollegeAddress: 1300 5th Street Wenatchee, WA 98801Phone 🙁 509) 682-6800

Columbia Basin CollegeAddress: 2600 N 20th Ave. Pasco, WA 99301Phone: (509) 547-0511

Olympic CollegeAddress: 1600 Chester Ave. Bremerton, WA 98377-1699Phone: (360) 792-6050

Yakima Valley Community CollegeAddress: PO Box 22520 Yakima, WA 98907-2520Phone 🙁 509) 422-7800

Everett Community CollegeAddress: 2000 Tower St. Everett, WA 98201-1327Phone: (425) 388-9100

Renton Technical CollegeAddress: 3000 NE 4th Street Renton, WA 98056Phone: (425) 235-2352

Grays Harbor Community CollegeAddress: 1620 Edward P Smith Drive Aberdeen, WA 98520Phone: (360) 532-9020

Skagit Valley College -Whidbey IslandAddress: 1900 SE Pioneer Way Oak Harbor, WA 98277Phone: (360) 679-5323

Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission Contact Info-Address: Department of Health HPQA #6 310 Israel Rd. SE Tumwater, WA 98501-7864 Phone: (360) 236-4700Fax: (360) 236-4738Website: http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Professions/Nursing/default.htm

LPN Program Expenses in Washington-The course fees vary vastly from around 00 to more than ,000 in different nursing institutions. The fees may include the expenditure of books, supplies and equipments. The application processing fee for licensure is while the NCLEX-PN exam cost 0. The fee for renewal of licenses is . The application and renewal fees have additional surcharge of .

How to Choose Best Nursing School for LPN in Washington-The aspirants need to make choice of the schools, to where, apply for the admission. There are numerous factors which can be accounted while doing the selection such as location of the nursing school, tuition fees, percentage of NCLEX-PN passed candidates from the school in last years, clinical exposure, type of degree awarded, length of the program, financial aid, approval and accreditation, availability of seats, campus environment, placement assistance, guidance provided for the NCLEX-PN exam, reputation of the institution etc. The applicant should achieve high grades in pre-nursing subjects and reasonable TEAS score to back up their candidacy for admission.

LPN Salaries in Washington- The salary of the practical nurses averaged over the state is ,000 per year. It varies from ,000 to ,000 per year depending upon the facility, experience, job duties, geographic location, type of shift and locality. There are also, other benefits enjoyed by the PNs such as bonuses, medical facilities and 401(k) program. The salary is lower in beginning, but reaches the average or higher after relevant experience.

LPN Career Opportunities-The practical nurses have fair incomes considering the low fees and short duration of the course. Their current designation serves them a source of income, while further nursing education can be pursued along with the job. They have to work for 40 hours a week and it may be in some unusual schedules like night shifts, weekends or holidays. However, this flexibility in job helps in accommodating the educational goals. They are recommended to pursue some bachelor level degree in nursing like LPN-to-RN or BSN to advance at registered nurse position.

About the Author

Learn more about by other states LPN Programs Topics : LPN Programs in Marylandand LPN Programs in Washington.