Can LPN programs in North Dakota help you launch a nursing career? Yes, they can! Many RNs and APRNs in the Peace Garden State went on to continue their nursing education after working for a few years as licensed practical nurses. Many LPN programs take one year or less to complete, which means you’ll be out there earning a salary of $53,080 a year and gaining valuable professional experience while your colleagues are still in school. If you decide to remain an LPN, rest assured that your skills will be in high demand and that demand will increase by more than 12 percent in 10 years. You’ll learn lots more with this guide to the 7 best LPN programs in North Dakota.
Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 7 best nursing schools for LPN programs in North Dakota.
Program Details: Lake Region State College’s LPN program in North Dakota consists of the first eleven months of the college’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. Applicants are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis so long as they’ve completed all prerequisites, which, in addition to course prerequisites, include the TEAS exam, current CPR certification, and proof of math and academic readiness. Lake Region State College offers its LPN certificate at its Devils Lake, Grand Forks, Mayville, and Jamestown campuses.
Coursework includes “Foundations of Nursing,” “Introduction to Maternal Child Nursing,” and “Practical Nursing I, II, & III.” You’ll also enroll in a three-part “Clinical Nursing” sequence where you’ll participate in nursing skills labs and supervised patient care experiences at healthcare facilities in Devils Lake and surrounding communities in Ramsey, Shoshone, and Traill Counties.
Why Choose This Program
• Lake Region State College’s five-year NCLEX-PN pass rate is 98 percent.Program Details: Bismarck State College’s 42-credit licensed practical nursing pathway is one of the LPN programs in North Dakota that’s offered under the auspices of the Dakota Nursing Program. The college’s LPN track comprises the first 11 months of its 20-month traditional ADN program. Core nursing courses include “Practical Nursing I, II, & III,” “Introduction to Pharmacology,” and “Clinical Practice I, II, & III.”
The program, which begins in the fall semester, is offered in person at the college’s campus in Bismarck as well as at satellite sites in Hazen, Harvey, Garrison, Ashley, and Hettinger using the Dakota Nursing Program’s Interactive Video Network system. Some classes are offered online. To enter this program, you must apply separately to Bismarck State College and its nursing program and have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher in all prerequisite courses. All applicants must take the ATI Comprehensive PN Predictor preadmission exam.
All program sites have laboratory areas with task trainers and medical equipment where you’ll learn the basic hands-on skills that will become second nature once you begin practicing as an LPN. Clinical rotations are scheduled in Bismarck and other college satellite site locations at medical facilities, including Sakakawea Medical Center, Knife River Care Center, and CHI St. Alexius Health Garrison.
Why Choose This Program
• Interested in leveling up your nursing skills? Bismarck State College offers licensed graduates of accredited LPN programs advanced placement into the second year of its traditional ADN program.Program Details: Williston State College participates in the Dakota Nursing Program consortium, which awards LPN certificates to students who’ve successfully completed the first two semesters of the consortium’s associate nursing degree pathway. This 43-credit LPN program in North Dakota requires the completion of courses like “Foundations of Nursing,” “Practical Nursing,” and Introduction to Maternal-Child Nursing.”
WSC’s high-tech nursing simulation lab at Trinity-St. Joseph's Hospital in Minot has cutting-edge medical equipment and programmable manikins, including an Advanced Life Support Patient Simulator paid for by a North Dakota state legislature grant. Once you’ve mastered basic hands-on skills like attaining vital signs and inserting nasogastric tubes and urinary catheters, you’ll participate in clinical experiences at CHI St. Alexius Health-Williston, Northwest Human Services Center, Upper Missouri District Health Unit, and other healthcare providers throughout Williston and northwestern North Dakota.
Why Choose This Program
• For four years in a row, 100 percent of Willison State College’s LPN graduates have passed the NCLEX-PN exam, making this one of the best LPN programs in North Dakota.Program Details: Like several other licensed practical nursing programs in North Dakota, Dakota College at Bottineau’s LPN pathway is provided under the aegis of the Dakota Nursing Program consortium. While some of the required courses taught at the Bottineau, Minot, and Valley City campuses are led by instructors associated with Dakota College at Bottineau, others are taught by instructors associated with the other consortium colleges and delivered to students using online technology. The curriculum consists of the first three semesters of the college’s associate nursing degree pathway with classes like “Foundations of Nursing,” “Practical Nursing I, II, & III,” and “Clinical Practice I, II, & III.”
You must apply separately to Dakota College at Bottineau and the Dakota Nursing Program. All applicants must take the TEAS exam and show academic and math readiness through ACT, SAT, or COMPASS scores. Students will learn basic nursing skills in the college’s well-equipped laboratory and participate in clinical rotations at North Dakota State Hospital and other healthcare agencies throughout northern North Dakota.
Why Choose This Program
• Interested in rural healthcare? Dakota College at Bottineau is the home of North Dakota’s newly inaugurated Center for Rural Health.Program Details: Graduates of Dickinson State University’s licensed practical nursing program in North Dakota earn an Associate in Applied Science in Practical Nursing degree. The 65-credit degree takes two years to complete—four semesters plus a one-month intensive course—and includes classes like “Basic Nursing Concepts I & II,” “Introduction to Pharmacology,” and “Intermediate Nursing Concepts I & II.” Theory is facilitated with practice by pairing lecture classes with clinical courses, so you’ll take “Intermediate Nursing Concepts I” and “Intermediate Nursing Concepts Clinical I” in the same semester.
Dickinson State University has a state-of-the-art simulation lab where you’ll learn the skills you need to succeed as an LPN by immersing yourself in lifelike situations created using cutting-edge technology. Clinical rotations are scheduled at extended care facilities, clinics, and other healthcare agencies in Dickinson and other communities in southwestern North Dakota.
Why Choose This Program
• Want to pursue RN licensure? Your AAS in Practical Nursing will qualify you for admission into Dickinson State University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.Program Details: North Dakota State College of Science offers its LPN certificate program at its campuses in Fargo and Wahpeton. Admission into this licensed practical nursing program in North Dakota is competitive: You must submit a resume, score well on the Kaplan Nursing Admissions Test, and have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. This program is only open to applicants who are certified nursing assistants.
The 42-credit curriculum includes 18 general education credits and 24 core nursing credits. You’ll take courses like “Fundamentals of Nursing,” “Adult Health Nursing,” and “Leadership in Practical Nursing.” Your final class in the core nursing sequence will be an NCLEX-PN review. NDSCS has a simulation lab where you’ll acquire basic hands-on skills that’s outfitted with hospital beds, hospital equipment, and high-tech manikins. You’ll begin clinical rotations your very first semester at long-term care facilities, hospitals, and other healthcare agencies in Fargo, Wahpeton, and other communities throughout southeastern North Dakota.
Why Choose This Program
• Is becoming an LVN just the first stop on your nursing journey? North Dakota College of Science has an LPN-to-RN program.Program Details: Sitting Bull College was founded by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. All applicants to its LPN program in North Dakota must show proof of Native American blood before they will be considered for admission. This is another one of the LPN programs in North Dakota that awards an associate degree rather than a technical certificate.
The 70-credit program utilizes a holistic nursing framework. Core nursing courses include “Introduction to the Nursing Profession,” “Holistic Health Assessment Across the Lifespan,” and “Fundamental Nursing Interventions.” The program culminates with a clinical capstone experience during which students work with healthcare professionals in a variety of practice settings.
Over the course of the program, students spend 136 hours in the college’s nursing skills lab and 434 hours participating in clinical experiences at nearby healthcare facilities. Sitting Bull College’s two nursing laboratories in Fort Yates, North Dakota, and Mobridge, South Dakota, are up-to-date facilities with sophisticated simulation paraphernalia, programmable manikins, and hospital equipment. You’ll participate in clinical rotations at healthcare facilities throughout Mandan, Bismarck, Fort Yates, and surrounding areas.
Why Choose This Program
• Sitting Bull College LPN grads have a five-year NCLEX-PN pass rate of 99 percent.S.No. | Accrediting Body |
1 | Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) |
Hourly | $23.61 | ||||
Weekly | $944 | ||||
Monthly | $4,090 | ||||
Annual | $49,100 | ||||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Hourly | $27.66 | ||||
Weekly | $1,106 | ||||
Monthly | $4,790 | ||||
Annual | $57,530 | ||||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Average North Dakota LPN Annual Salary | Average National LPN Annual Salary | Difference | |||
Number | % | ||||
$57,530 | $60,790 | -$3,260 | -5.36% | ||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Metro | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual | |
Bismarck | $28.10 | $1,124 | $4,870 | $58,450 | |
Fargo | $27.42 | $1,097 | $4,750 | $57,040 | |
Grand Forks | $27.06 | $1,082 | $4,690 | $56,280 | |
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Occupation | Employment | New Employment Growth (2020-2030) | |||
2020 | 2030 | Number | % | ||
LPN | 2,550 | 2,860 | +310 | +12.16% | |
(Source: Careeronestop.org) |
Occupation | New | Replacement | Annual Job Openings (New + Replacement) | ||
LPN | 31 | 209 | 240 | ||
(Source: Careeronestop.org) |