The nursing qualification ladder begins with the Licensed Practical Nurse or LPN. If you wish to qualify as an LPN you must complete a training course approved by the State Board of Nursing. The qualification program lasts approximately 18 months to two years. Some school courses may be as little as 12 months. In order to achieve full qualification prospective candidates who have completed the approved program must then pass an examination.

The name of the examination you must pass in order to get licensed is NCLEX-PN. It is essential for students to pass this examination if you actually want to practice as a nurse. As a licensed nurse you will be able to carry out a range of medical procedures from simple to complex. LPN’s are however required to be supervised by a Registered Nurse (RN) or a physician.

Prior to being admitted to an authorized training program a candidate usually has to show that as a minimum they have achieved a high school diploma. They must also demonstrate that they have not been prosecuted for any criminal activities. It is however increasingly possible, due mainly to increasing demand for the LPN qualification, to start the training course without the high school diploma. In fact, there are instances these days whereby a student can commence the LPN training process through vocational programs whilst they are still in high school.

As a prospective student you are spoilt for choice as there are a large number of approved training programs across the country. All these schools offer the necessary qualification programs.

In fact according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2006 the total number of state approved training courses exceeded 1,500 in practical nursing programs. Many more qualification programs have sprung up since 2006 many of which have been designed specifically for completion by online students.

There is a clinical aspect to all the qualification courses. This may be difficult to undertake on a distance learning basis. As a result it is not unlikely that students would be required to attend some form of organized clinical training events. This should not present a significant problem as there are many local vocation schools, technical programs and community colleges that offer complete courses or just specific aspects of the training regime.

Once a student has attained the LPN qualification they are capable of taking on a variety of different activities. The scope of these activities range from simple measurements, for instance temperature or blood pressure measurement, on to administering CPR on a patient who may be suffering a heart attack. Most normally the LPN’s role will be to administer good quality care to infirm, elderly or recuperating patients in a caring environment.