Choosing a Good LPN Program (LPN)

00:01 How do I choose a good LPN program? Here are some of the most important things you need to do when you compare the available LPN programs in your area.

00:12 Now, first things first, is to visit your state board's website.

00:17 You wanna look for the best NCLEX pass rates.

00:20 Now, the school's pass rate should be posted and they should be the same or higher than the national average.

00:28 Now if their past rate is lower than that national average for more than a year, this could be cause for concern.

00:36 The NCLEX PN is what you will need to pass to gain a license, so you can practice as a nurse.

00:44 Don't forget to make sure that the LPN program is accredited, this is so very important.

00:50 So let's take a moment to talk about that accreditation.

00:54 Now the main accrediting organization is the National League of Nursing Accrediting Agency, otherwise known as the NLNAC.

01:04 Now this accreditation status means that the school meets the standards for LPN set by the agency.

01:11 So this is important for you as a student because if you decide to pursue your RN degree and maybe get your bachelor's or master's in nursing later, they require that you were graduated from an accredited school.

01:25 You also want to see if they are online or in-person classes for the program.

01:30 Now, if you know you're not that person who's super disciplined with studying on their own, online can be very challenging.

01:38 And is the location of the program convenient for you? Where do they do clinicals? Some LPN schools have to go to sites that are more than an hour away, this could be a potential issue for you, so wanna take a look at that.

01:51 And importantly, what are the entrance requirements? Now, when you compare schools, if a school has very few requirements compared to maybe the others you looked at, it's maybe a red flag.

02:03 And, again, don't forget to check if it's accredited.

02:07 And what about the community reputation of the school? Have you heard friends, family, maybe just someone you know who went to the school; or someone or a colleague that goes there. Easy thing to do is to visit the site.

02:21 Do they have nice facilities? Can you do a tour? What's just the overall feeling of the place? You know, when you walk in somewhere and people greet you and they smile, that's a good thing, that's a good feeling.

02:32 Can you meet some of the faculty or program coordinators or maybe the directors. This is also a great sign.

02:38 Are they willing to talk to prospective students and answer questions? Now most of these questions, if they're a yes, this could be a great fit for you.

02:49 Now, lastly, let's talk about progression policies of the program.

02:53 What is the program's stance on the readmission of students? So if you have to wait for an entire year to get back in, if you're not successful on the course. This may not work for you, something to consider.

03:08 And if you aren't successful on the course, what's the policy? Now example of this, is that some institutions do not allow you to advance from one clinical rotation until you pass the other in the same course.

03:22 For example, you may have to pass the first part of the individual course in order to go on to the last part of the course. This will delay your progression through school.

03:34 So don't forget to compare and research LPN programs to sure it's the right fit for you.