6 Best LPN-to-RN Programs in Louisiana – (Online & Campus-Based)


Written By: Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA

Are you an LPN in Louisiana who’s looking for a way to hike your salary? Check out LPN-to-RN programs in Louisiana. Registered nurses earn $75,920 a year; that’s 60 percent higher than the $47,430 annual salary licensed professional nurses receive in the Bayou State. The patient assessment and nursing care plan preparation skills you’ll learn in an associate degree program will make you eligible for nursing specialties like dialysis, pediatrics, and critical care. Employment opportunities for ADN-educated RNs in Louisiana will rise by 2 percent in the next 10 years. Interested in learning more? This guide to the 6 best LPN-to-RN programs in Louisiana is an excellent resource.



WHAT ARE THE BEST LPN-TO-RN PROGRAMS IN LOUISIANA (ONLINE AND CAMPUS-BASED)?

Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 6 best campus-based and online LPN-to-RN programs in Louisiana.



1. Louisiana Delta Community College - Monroe


Program Details: One of the best LPN-to-RN programs in Louisiana is offered in the northeast region of the state at Louisiana Delta Community College. Licensed practical nurses with at least one year of work experience and an active, unencumbered license may apply to the program.

The program is designed to help students develop the ability to demonstrate critical thinking, accountability, and problem solving. Additionally, as a student in this program, you will learn to provide culturally competent, patient-centered care at an advanced level. The goals and expected student outcomes designated for the program participants shows the program is truly designed to help you get the most out of your education as you prepare to advance your career and become a registered nurse.

This LPN-to-RN program admits new cohorts each fall semester and is designed to be completed within four semesters. In addition to prerequisites and general education courses, LPN-to-RN candidates must take the LPN-to-RN Transition course and LPN-to-RN Transition Clinical before progressing to other nursing courses in the program.

The 70-credit curriculum is broken down into 37 credits of co-curriculum coursework and 33 nursing program credits. Louisiana Delta Community College follows the Louisiana Nursing Education Articulation Model to determine which credits are awarded for nursing courses you took in your LPN program. LPN credits are awarded and applied to your LPN-to-RN pathway requirement after taking and passing a relevant exam and performing a return skills demonstration.

Louisiana Delta Community College has clinical partnerships with excellent healthcare facilities, including St. Francis Medical Center, Glenwood Regional Medical Center, and Ochsner/LSU Health System-Monroe. Additionally, you will complete some clinicals in long-term care facilities, physicians’ offices, and community health centers. Program faculty assign clinical placement sites. Your clinicals are supervised by either clinical faculty or approved preceptors.


Why Choose This Program

• When you pursue the LPN-to-RN program at Louisiana Delta Community College, you will have opportunities to participate in clinicals at Ochsner/LSU Medical Center. This teaching hospital, where I worked many years ago, has a broad range of opportunities on its campus. From outpatient clinics that cater to patients of all ages, specialty clinics, and critical care to maternity and post-partum wards and medical-surgical patient care, there are endless learning opportunities at La. Delta to help you prepare to transition to your new role of being a registered nurse!
• Graduates of the LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana at Louisiana Delta Community College have outstanding NCLEX pass rates!


2. Louisiana State University of Alexandria - Alexandria


Program Details: Louisiana State University of Alexandria is home to another LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana. Applications are accepted for admission to the LPN-to-RN track for the Fall and Spring semesters of each academic year. The program includes one prerequisite semester and three to four clinical semesters. The number of semesters you must attend will be determined by your success in taking competency exams.

While some pre-requisite courses are offered online and others face-to-face, all nursing courses are in-person on campus. This program is a 72-credit pathway. Once you complete 28 prerequisite credits, you will take Introduction to Professional Role, which is a role development course designed to prepare you to transition from an LPN to an RN. After completing the transition course, you will be awarded up to seven credits toward the 36 required nursing credits for the program.

The LPN-to-RN program curriculum includes clinical courses with corresponding clinical practicums. Your clinical will include opportunities to provide care in specialized patient care settings where you will provide care to patients with acute, chronic, and complex health conditions. All clinicals are supervised by program faculty and/or approved clinical preceptors.


Why Choose This Program

• Louisiana State University of Alexandria boasts an excellent nursing faculty with many years of combined experience in the nursing profession. These dedicated instructors and clinical faculty will work with you to meet your academic needs and help pave the way for success for you in the program.
• LSU-A is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in several categories, including Regional Colleges South, Top Public Schools, Nursing, and Top Performers on Social Media!


3. Baton Rouge Community College - Baton Rouge


Program Details: The LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana at Baton Rouge Community College is an excellent option for licensed practical nurses ready to move to a registered nursing role. Admission to the program is competitive. You must complete all prerequisites before applying to the program. The program admits students once per year in the fall semester and takes three semesters to complete.

The program features a 72-credit curriculum, which includes prerequisite credits, prior learning credits, and nursing course and clinical credits. The school offers you the opportunity to take challenge exams for the classes Nursing Fundamentals and Adult Nursing I. If you pass the challenge exams, you will be awarded six credits per course toward the total required to earn the degree.

Theoretical instruction includes classes on campus, such as Adult Health Nursing, Pharmacology for the Transition Student and Maternal Child Nursing. Diverse clinical experiences help you prepare for your new role as a registered nurse and occur in acute care, outpatient, hospice, and home health settings in the Acadiana area.


Why Choose This Program

• Almost all graduates of the LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana at Baton Rouge College pass the NCLEX-RN on their first attempt. This is a strong indication that you will be prepared for success after completing the program!
• BRCC has a long history of educating associate-degree nursing students. The school was the first public institution in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana region, to offer an Associate of Science in Nursing degree program.


4. Bossier Parish Community College - Bossier City


Program Details: Bossier Parish Community College offers another of our featured LPN-to-RN programs in Louisiana. The LPN-to-RN pathway has two tracks: the LPN-to-RN Transition Track and the LPN-to-RN Apprenticeship. New cohorts begin in the spring and fall semesters for the Transition pathway and in the fall for the Apprenticeship.

The LPN-to-RN Transition Track requires on-campus attendance once per week and clinical rotations every other weekend. This pathway is designed to be completed on a part-time basis and spans four semesters, excluding summer sessions. The Transition Track is recommended for working LPNs who lack medical-surgical experience.

The LPN-to-RN Apprenticeship is conducted in collaboration with Willis-Knighten Healthcare. Candidates for this option must have one year of medical-surgical nursing experience and be employed full-time in medical-surgical nursing. In the Apprenticeship pathway, theoretical instruction is online. Clinical training hours for this option occur while you are working and under the supervision of Bossier Parish Community College faculty and RN preceptors. The LPN-to-RN Apprenticeship pathway takes three semesters to complete.

Both LPN-to-RN pathways feature a 72-credit curriculum. Of those credits, 27 are considered qualification courses or prerequisite courses. Additionally, the program includes 405 clinical hours , which are spread across each semester.


Why Choose This Program

• At Bossier Parish Community College, you can choose a pathway to earn your RN that fits your current situation. Whether you choose the LPN-to-RN Transition or Apprenticeship Track, you will be well-prepared to advance your career from being a licensed practical nurse to a registered nurse with confidence!
• Bossier Parish Community College has articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities where you can transition and earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing after completing the LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana at Bossier Parish CC.


5. Delgado Community College - New Orleans


Program Details: The LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana at Delgado Community College admits cohorts three times per year in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. The LPN-RN Transition pathway can be completed in just three semesters. At DCC, you will learn from experienced staff who incorporate innovative teaching strategies in a classroom setting as well as develop and hone essential skills in the school’s state-of-the-art simulation center.

Admission to the program is highly competitive. Candidates who are accepted must take a four-credit transition course. Additionally, you can earn life experience credit for up to 17 credits of the required nursing course credits.

The curriculum for the Associate Degree in Nursing program requires you to complete 72 credits, which include 32 general education credits and 40 credits for nursing courses and clinicals. The program includes a total of 642 clinical skills labs and practicum hours. Of the required clinical hours, 45 hours are earned through the Transitions in Nursing (Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse) coursework. Clinical practicums are completed at a variety of clinical sites within the Greater New Orleans area.


Why Choose This Program

• If you earned your LPN degree at Delgado Community College, you are guaranteed admission into the LPN-to-RN pathway once you meet program requirements.
• Delgado Community College partnered with Ochsner Health to open the state-of-the-art Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health. This Center is designed to give you a place to learn and hone essential skills as you begin to transition to your new role as a registered nurse. According to an article published in New Orleans City Business, the schools report the center will be utilized to “meet critical workforce demands, provide more opportunities for local graduates in high-wage careers, and proactively pursue the career development of minority and disadvantaged students.”
• Delgado Community College offers one of the largest and oldest nursing programs in Louisiana and graduates more than 200 new nurses each year.


6. Southern University Shreveport Louisiana - Shreveport


Program Details: The LPN-to-RN program in Louisiana at Southern University in Shreveport is another outstanding option for LPNs ready to transition their careers to the next level in nursing! The program is formatted as a four-semester pathway, with the first semester dedicated to prerequisite coursework. Therefore, if you have completed most or all of your prerequisites, you can earn the degree in as little as three semesters. Classes are presented in-person on campus to facilitate better student/faculty interaction and enhanced learning opportunities.

At Southern University Shreveport, Louisiana, you must complete a total of 72 credits to earn the Associate Degree in Nursing. The total credits required include 33 general education credits and 39 nursing credits. Of the 39 nursing credits, 14 are given by award for being an LPN. Some of the classes you will take include Issues and Trends in Nursing Practice, Principles of Pharmacology, and Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family. Additionally, the curriculum includes three clinical nursing courses that have corresponding clinical practicum requirements. Practicum experiences are completed on-site at designated clinical facilities.


Why Choose This Program

• At Southern University Shreveport, Louisiana, there are numerous options for financial aid, which make it easier for you to earn your degree without the stress of financial strain. A financial aid advisor will work with you to ensure you have information for all relevant state and federal financial assistance and provide you with information about private scholarships and awards, including the Thelma Fisher Patterson Memorial Scholarship and John Garner Memorial Scholarship.
• With a diverse faculty population, you will learn from culturally competent, experienced nurses whose priority is your success in the LPN-to-RN program and in your career after graduation.


VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED


1. Starting LPN VS. RN Salary In Louisiana: How Much More Can You Earn As An RN?


RN Average Starting
Annual Salary
LPN Average Starting
Annual Salary
Difference
Number%
$60,720$39,200+$21,520+54.90%
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


2. Experience-Wise LPN VS. RN Salary In Louisiana: How Much More Can You Earn As An RN?


Level of ExperienceRNLPNDifference
Number%
Entry-Level$60,720$39,200+$21,520+54.90%
1-4 Years of Experience$65,310$45,980+$19,330+42.04%
5-9 Years of Experience$76,650$50,000+$26,650+53.30%
10-19 Years of Experience$87,420$57,600+$29,820+51.77%
20 Years or More Experience$101,650$61,840+$39,810+64.38%
Average Salary$80,760$51,700+$29,060+56.21%
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


3. Metro Wise LPN VS. RN Salary In Louisiana: How Much More Can You Earn As An RN?


MetroRN Average
Annual Salary
LPN Average
Annual Salary
Difference
Number%
Alexandria$75,580$51,280+$24,300+47.39%
Baton Rouge$77,440$53,670+$23,770+44.29%
Hammond$76,730$50,380+$26,350+52.30%
Houma-Thibodaux$75,200$50,180+$25,020+49.86%
Lafayette$78,120$46,340+$31,780+68.58%
Lake Charles$73,050$49,410+$23,640+47.84%
Monroe$75,710$53,320+$22,390+41.99%
New Orleans-Metairie$86,470$56,730+$29,740+52.42%
Shreveport-Bossier City$87,870$53,030+$34,840+65.70%
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


4. LPN VS. RN Job Outlook In Louisiana: Is The Job Outlook For RN Better Than LPN?


OccupationEmploymentNew Employment
Growth (2020-2030)
20202030Number%
RN41,94042,690+750+1.79%
LPN18,97019,320+350+1.85%
Difference+22,970+23,370+400-0.06%
(Source: Careeronestop.org)


5. LPN VS. RN Job Openings In Louisiana: Are There More Job Openings For RN Compared To LPN?


OccupationNewReplacementAnnual Job Openings
(New + Replacement)
RN752,1952,270
LPN351,4451,480
Difference+40+750+790
(Source: Careeronestop.org)


6. Average LPN-to-RN Salary In Louisiana VS. Average LPN-to-RN Salary In The Nation: Who Earns More?


Average Louisiana
LPN-to-RN Annual Salary
Average National
LPN-to-RN Annual Salary
Difference
Number%
$87,220$94,480-$7,260-7.68%
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)


Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Her work history includes clinical experience in pediatrics, mental health, addiction and behavioral disorders, geriatrics, wound management, and communicable disease. Darby has worked in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health and hospice agencies. Darby also has experience as a nursing and allied health educator at both community college and university levels. Her love for nursing and nursing education led to her becoming a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach.



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