7 Best LPN Programs in Nebraska – (Online & Campus-Based)


Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

With a degree from one of the LPN programs in Nebraska, you’ll make $52,080 annually. Employment opportunities for licensed practical nurses in the Cornhusker State are projected to rise 8 percent within 10 years. You’ll be able to work in a wide variety of healthcare settings, including long-term care facilities, hospitals, and home healthcare agencies. LPN work is hands-on: You’ll take vital signs, administer medications, and assist infirm patients with activities like bathing, dressing, and walking. Many LPNs go on to become RNs and APRNs once their experience as licensed practical nurses has shown them how much they love nursing. For more information, review the guide below to the 7 best LPN programs in Nebraska.



WHAT ARE THE BEST LPN PROGRAMS IN NEBRASKA (ONLINE AND CAMPUS)?

Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 7 best nursing schools for LPN programs in Nebraska.


1. Metropolitan Community College - Omaha


State Fair Community College

Program Details: Metropolitan Community College’s 62-quarter-credit LPN program in Nebraska takes just one year to complete. You’ll take one-quarter of corequisites and three-quarters of core nursing courses like “Adult Nursing I, II, & III,” “Family Nursing,” and “Professional Roles.” Skills labs and clinical experiences are integrated into lecture courses.

You’ll be oriented to essential hands-on skills in nursing labs outfitted with medical technology, programable manikins, and immersive virtual reality equipment. Supervised patient care experiences at facilities affiliated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and other healthcare centers throughout Omaha will teach you critical thinking and clinical judgment.

Metropolitan Community College admits new students in the fall and spring. Fall students attend classes in the daytime, while spring students attend classes in the evening, making this one of the best LPN programs in Nebraska for students who are juggling work and personal responsibilities. Applicants must score 50 percent or higher on the TEAS entrance exam and complete all prerequisites before they apply. The LPN course is offered at the South Omaha campus.


Why Choose This Program

• Do you plan on becoming a registered nurse? Metropolitan Community College admits qualified licensed practical nurses into the second year of its traditional associate degree nursing program.
• Metropolitan Community College’s LPN grads have an impressive five-year NCLEX-PN pass rate of 99 percent.


2. Central Community College - Grand Island


State Fair Community College

Program Details: Central Community College offers its 35-credit licensed practical nursing program in Nebraska at its campuses in Columbus, Grand Island, and Kearney. The program accepts new students once a year in the fall semester (August.) The curriculum comprises the first year of its two-year associate nursing degree program. It consists of corequisites as well as the foundational nursing courses “Lifespan I & II,” “Pathopharmacology I & II,” and “Nursing Judgement I & II.”

With the recent addition of a programmable manikin powered entirely by AI technology, Central Community College’s simulation center has become the most technologically advanced in the state, and it’s here that you’ll learn essential hands-on skills. You’ll also participate in clinical rotations at Grand Island Regional Medical Center and other healthcare facilities throughout Grand Island and other communities in central Nebraska.

Applicants are admitted into this LPN program on a first-come, first-served basis if applicants meet eligibility requirements. All applicants must be nurse aides on the Nebraska State registry list. You must submit separate applications to the college and the nursing program and score 58.7 percent or higher on the ATI TEAS entrance exam.


Why Choose This Program

• Do you want to move up the professional nursing ladder? Central Community College’s LPN to ADN/Advanced Placement program lets eligible LPNs skip the first year of its traditional ADN program.
• Students who complete Central Community College’s licensed practical nursing program have a five-year NCLEX-PN average pass rate that exceeds 97 percent.


3. Northeast Community College - Norfolk


State Fair Community College

Program Details: Northeast Community College’s licensed practical nursing pathway is another one of the LPN programs in Nebraska that uses a stackable credential model. You’ll receive an LPN technical diploma at the end of your first two semesters that will allow you to sit for the NCLEX-PN licensing exam, but you can transfer seamlessly into the college’s associate nursing degree program if your grade point average is high enough.

This program admits new students once a year in the fall, and competition for acceptance can be challenging. All applicants must be listed on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry and score above the minimum required on the TEAS-7 entrance exam. This program is only offered on the college’s main campus in Norfolk.

You can enroll in NCC’s LPN pathway either full-time or part-time. The rigorous 41-credit curriculum consists of courses like “Nursing Process and Critical Thinking I & II,” “Pathophysiology of Disease Processes I & II,” and “Pharmacology and Nursing Practice I & II.” Skills labs and clinical experiences are integrated into lecture courses. Simulation labs are used to train students in essential bedside skills and introduce them to situations they might not have the opportunity to encounter during clinical rotations. You’ll also participate in supervised patient care experiences at long-term care facilities, skilled nursing centers, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare agencies in Norfolk and adjacent communities throughout northern Nebraska.


Why Choose This Program

• Interested in rural nursing? The University of Nebraska College of Nursing operates its rural nursing workforce development initiative out of the campus it maintains on Northeast Community College grounds. LPN students have ample opportunities to interact with this task force.
• Northeast Community College’s LPN graduates have a five-year NCLEX-PN pass rate greater than 98 percent.


4. Mid-Plains Community College - North Platte


State Fair Community College

Program Details: Mid-Plains Community College offers a standalone LPN program in Nebraska at its main campus in North Platte that begins each fall. This 39-credit program was designed to be completed in three semesters and consists of foundational nursing courses like “Health Concepts I & II,” “Professional Nursing,” and “Transition to LPN Practice.”

Like most other licensed practical nursing programs in Nebraska, this program is only open to applicants with active status on the Nebraska State Registry as nurse aides. Mid-Plains Community College accepts two entrance exams: the ACT (with a minimum composite score of at least 21) or the Accuplacer-NEXT-GEN (with minimum scores of Arithmetic 273, Reading 258, and Writing 258.)

A recent expansion of the North Platte campus’s Health and Science Center has allowed its nursing lab to add immersive virtual reality to the hospital equipment and high-tech manikins used to teach fledgling LPNs essential bedside skills. You’ll also take part in practicums and other patient care experiences at healthcare facilities in North Platte and other parts of west-central Nebraska.


Why Choose This Program

• With a five-year average NCLEX-PN pass rate of 95 percent, Mid-Plains Community College’s LPN grads score well above state and national NCLEX-PN pass rates.
• Want to become an RN? Mid-Plains Community College offers an LPN-to-RN Bridge program that involves an additional 570 nursing contact hours.


5. College of Saint Mary - Omaha


State Fair Community College

Program Details: College of Saint Mary’s LPN pathway is small, which means it offers a personalized educational experience. This licensed practical nursing program in Nebraska was designed to enable students to form one-on-one mentoring relationships with LPN instructors. The 42-credit program accepts a new cohort each May and takes 12 months to complete.

All applications must be submitted through the NursingCAS app. Applicants must possess an active nursing aide certification. While you don’t have to complete all prerequisites before you apply, you’ll be more competitive if you do.

Foundational nursing coursework entails classes like “Med-Surg Practical Nursing I & II,” “Psychosocial Concepts of Practical Nursing,” and “Integrating Practical Nursing Concepts.” Most lecture courses are matched with a course that covers the same subject area from a clinical perspective, so you’ll enroll in “Med-Surg Practical Nursing I” and “Med-Surg Practical Nursing I Clinical” in the same semester. College of Saint Mary has a sophisticated, state-of-the-art simulation where you’ll learn essential clinical competencies in a supportive and realistic setting. Practicums and other clinical experiences are scheduled at long-term care facilities, community healthcare agencies, hospitals, and clinics throughout the Omaha metro.


Why Choose This Program

• Each year, the College of Saint Mary awards 25 nursing students up to $29,000 apiece through the college’s Josie Harper Nursing Scholarship program.
• Is licensed practical nursing just a stop on your way to becoming a registered nurse? After completing your LPN certificate, you can progress immediately into College of Saint Mary’s LPN-to-BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program.


6. Western Nebraska Community College - Scottsbluff


State Fair Community College

Program Details: You can enroll in Western Nebraska Community College’s licensed practical nursing program in Nebraska on all three college campuses in Scottsbluff, Sidney, and Alliance. The 48- to 49.5-credit program comprises 16 to 17 general education requirements and 33.5 core nursing credits. A fresh cohort begins taking core nursing courses each fall.

Core nursing courses such as “Medical Surgical Nursing I & II,” “Care of the Family,” and “Strategies for LPN in Practice” use Tanner’s Model of Clinical Judgement and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a theoretical framework. Clinical experiences at Sidney Regional Medical Center and other healthcare facilities throughout Nebraska’s Great Plains Region begin during your first semester of the core nursing curriculum. You’ll also have the opportunity to build your resume of nursing skills in the college’s sophisticated skills labs, which are outfitted with task trainers, hospital equipment, and high-tech manikins.

All applicants must have basic nursing assistant or certified nurse aide status. Western Nebraska Community College requires you to carry your own liability insurance.


Why Choose This Program

• You may be able to attend this LPN program in Nebraska tuition-free if you agree to work for Sidney Regional Medical Center for two years after you graduate and pass your NCLEX-PN licensing examination.
• Ready to take on more responsibility in the nursing profession? Western Nebraska Community College has an LPN-to-RN Bridge that offers qualified LPNs advanced placement into the college’s traditional associate nursing degree program.


7. Southeast Community College - Lincoln


State Fair Community College

Program Details: What’s Southeast Community College’s licensed practical nursing program’s selling point? Flexibility! The college’s Lincoln and Beatrice campuses offer a full-time hybrid LPN pathway that starts in the fall with online coursework but in-person skills labs and clinical rotations, as well as a part-time LPN hybrid pathway that starts in the spring. These two campuses also offer more traditional face-to-face LPN pathways. The Milford and Falls City campuses offer a part-time hybrid LPN pathway that begins in the spring. All these options make this LPN program in Nebraska ideal for aspiring licensed practical nurses who must work while they’re pursuing their educational goals.

Acceptance is made on a first-come, first-served basis, providing your application meets all entrance requirements. This program is only open to applicants with an active status on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry.

Foundational nursing coursework consists of “Holistic Nursing I & II” and “Professional Nursing I & II.” The core curriculum also includes two nursing labs and two nursing clinicals. Southeast Community College’s nursing simulation lab is an up-to-date facility equipped with hospital fixtures and technology and a variety of manikins that can replicate labor and delivery, pediatric, and med-surg patients. Once you’re comfortable with hands-on skills, you’ll have the opportunity to use them in supervised patient care experiences at long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, physicians’ offices, and other healthcare practice settings throughout the greater Lincoln Metropolitan Region.


Why Choose This Program

• Is an LPN diploma just the beginning for you? Southeast Community College has an LPN-to-ADN Bridge program with full-time and part-time enrollment options.
• Southeast Community College’s most recent LPN graduating class had a 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX-PN examination.


VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY



Frequently Asked Questions Answered By Our Expert


1. Who Accredits LPN Programs In Nebraska?


S.No.Accrediting Body
1Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


2. What Is The Starting Salary For New Graduates Of These Programs In Nebraska?


Hourly$20.87
Weekly$835
Monthly$3,620
Annual$43,410
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


3. What Is The Average Salary For LPN Nurses In Nebraska?


Hourly$26.98
Weekly$1,079
Monthly$4,680
Annual$56,120
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


4. Average LPN Salary In Nebraska VS. Average LPN Salary In The Nation: Who Earns More?


Average Nebraska
LPN Annual Salary
Average National
LPN Annual Salary
Difference
Number%
$56,120$60,790-$4,670-7.68%
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


5. What Is The Metro-Wise Average LPN Salary In Nebraska?


MetroHourlyWeeklyMonthlyAnnual
Grand Island$26.67$1,067$4,620$55,480
Lincoln$27.06$1,083$4,690$56,290
Omaha-Council Bluffs$27.25$1,090$4,720$56,680
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


6. What Is The Job Outlook For LPN Graduates In Nebraska?


OccupationEmploymentNew Employment
Growth (2020-2030)
20202030Number%
LPN5,8406,290+450+7.71%
(Source: Careeronestop.org)


7. How Many Job Openings Are There For Graduates Of These Programs In Nebraska?


OccupationNewReplacementAnnual Job Openings
(New + Replacement)
LPN45455500
(Source: Careeronestop.org)


Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.




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