Student's Guide to Online LPN/LVN Programs

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), LPNs and LVNs earned a median annual salary of $59,730 as of May 2023. The top 10 percent of LPNs took home more than $77,870. Job openings for practical nurses are expected to grow by 5% from 2022 – 2032, which is in line with the average growth rate for all occupations.

To become a licensed practical nurse, students must complete an accredited higher education program. Shorter programs can take as little as nine months, while longer and more robust programs can run up to 18 months.

For students juggling multiple responsibilities, or who simply want more flexibility with their education, more and more schools have incorporated online learning into their practical nursing curricula. Online LPN programs use distance learning tools for their academic courses, and either host patient-facing opportunities or coordinate them with third-party facilities.

Does an online LPN program seem like a good fit? Read on to learn the ins and outs of LPN programs online, including key details of top schools, how the curriculum works, accreditation, and even how to pay for your program once you enroll.

Best Online LPN/LVN Programs

Dozens of colleges and universities have LPN programs, many of which offer online programs. But which schools have the best online LPN programs available, with quality instruction, affordable cost structures, and top-notch student and career support? We did the searching for you to help make your college-vetting process easier. Take a look at our rankings below to see who we named as this year’s top programs.

Explore Online LPN Programs in Your State

• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington

How Do LPN & LVN Programs Work Online?

The practical nursing field is predominantly hands-on. Online LPN and LVN programs reflect this reality, and thus will usually consist of both online and in-person curriculum requirements. Schools across the U.S. have therefore created LPN paths that include a heavy dose of online coursework, especially those in bigger cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City. Let’s look at how this all works.

Online vs. Hybrid

Before applying to a practical nursing program, it’s important to remember the nature of the work of LPNs – that most of it is very hands-on. Given that, any reputable program that prepares students for licensure and the NCLEX-PN will not be 100% online. It will contain several in-person clinical requirements, which help students put what they learned during their classes into action.

Most online programs are actually “partially online” or “hybrid” programs. This means that the vast majority of classroom-based courses – or perhaps all of them – will be entirely online, while the clinical work will be in-person. Though the student might not be required to complete clinicals at the school itself, they will be required to find an approved healthcare facility that is willing to work with the school to allow the student to complete clinicals there.

Online Coursework

Online courses allow LPN students to complete their classwork when it’s convenient for them. This might be early in the morning, late at night or on the weekends. Each program will have its own system of providing the curriculum online, most with varying degrees of asynchronous learning. Though there might be occasional “real time” meetings conducted online through video chat or discussion boards, students will not have to go to campus to attend class.

Regarding the specifics of a program’s online LPN curriculum, students can expect to take the following courses or something similar to them:

Class #1: Nursing Fundamentals – One of the first courses a practical nursing student will encounter, this is the course where they learn more about the role of nurses in the healthcare setting.

Class #2: Adult Nursing Care – Students learn the basics of providing healthcare to adult patients, which includes understanding and dealing with the variety of illnesses and issues that can affect those in their middle age.

Class #3: Practical Nurse Leadership – The ethical, moral and legal issues practical nurses may face are examined in this course.

Class #4: Pharmacology – This class goes over fundamental knowledge concerning administration of medications to patients.

Class #5: Geriatric Nursing Care – This class introduces students to special considerations and issues that arise when treating older patients, including those who need extensive medical interventions.

Face-to-Face Clinicals

Online LPN programs contain several in-person clinicals (sometimes referred to as a practicum) where students receive hands-on training under the supervision of a medical professional. Most schools will have special arrangements with healthcare facilities near the campus where students can obtain this necessary experience.

Clinicals are training opportunities that include both observational and hands-on components. These experiences provide an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom. Students are then assessed by their instructors as to their performance and must obtain certain scores before getting credit for completing the clinical.

As a student progresses through their clinicals, their training will become more advanced. The first clinicals will focus on basic healthcare techniques and skills, such as basic medicine delivery and patient education. Later clinicals will include more advanced training, such as situations where students must demonstrate effective problem solving and solid medical judgment in decision making. Students will also encounter patients with more serious medical conditions.

Online LPN Programs by Level

There’s more than one academic track to become an LPN. Each path has advantages and disadvantages. Your professional goals and personal resources will help determine which academic path is right for you. These options include the certificate, diploma and associate degree.

How Long Does an Online LPN Program Take?

Online LPN programs can take anywhere from just under one year to approximately two years. The exact length will depend on the specific program’s structure, whether you take a full-time or part-time course load and any prior academic college credit that might transfer into the program. There are three typical tracks for LPN students:

• Accelerated/fast-track: ~ 6 months – 1 year. Although six month programs are rare, they do exist for certain students. Usually it’s a completion program for students who have already earned related credits. Regular one-year programs require full-time status and year-round class and clinical attendance. Accelerated programs assume incoming students will have some general education or prerequisites already completed before enrollment in the practical nursing program. Alternatively, they will heavily overload each semester, requiring as many as 22 credit hours (including clinicals) in a single semester. Learn more about fast-track LPN programs online and campus.

• Standard: ~16 – 18 months: Standard practical nursing programs last about three semesters spanning across 18 months. Most curriculums allow two semesters for the practical nursing curriculum while the third semester is for completion of prerequisite courses, such as writing, psychology and a college level mathematics course.

• Extended: ~20 – 24 months: Students who need maximum flexibility will want to attend their program using the extended or part-academic track. This means the course load for each semester is cut roughly in half and may require one or two summer sessions. The exact length of these extended programs will depend on the pace in which students finish their online courses as well as how many prerequisites the student has already completed before entering the practical nursing program.

Are There Any Accredited Online LPN Programs?

Accreditation is one of the most important factors to keep in mind when choosing a program. Accreditation shows that a program or school meets minimum educational standards, giving students who graduate from it the same opportunities as those who graduate from similar programs at other colleges and universities. It’s also helpful for obtaining financial aid and. Many providers of LPN/LVN scholarships and other financial assistance, such as private organizations, state agencies and the federal government, typically award aid only to applicants who attend an accredited institution.

When it comes to finding a practical nursing program, there are two types of accreditation to consider. There’s regional accreditation that pertains to the school as a whole. Then there’s programmatic accreditation that deals with specific programs. In the case of practical nursing, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) is the accrediting body.

One thing to keep in mind is that attending an accredited LPN program is not always required to become a licensed practical nurse. Students who graduate from a program approved by their state licensing board may still be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN and become licensed in that state. However, one of the drawbacks of attending a board-approved versus an ACEN accredited program is that it may make it harder for graduates to become LPNs in states beyond where the school is located.

Preparing for the NCLEX-PN

To go from a practical nurse to a licensed practical nurse, passage of the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) is required. Every state requires the NCLEX-PN. It is administered by Pearson VUE for a current cost of $200.

Topics covered in the exam include coordinated care, safety and infection control, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity and physiological integrity. The NCLEX-PN is a computer-based, adaptive test, which means the difficulty of the questions will change depending on whether the test taker gets a question right or wrong. The test taker has five hours to complete the exam, which consists of between 85 and 205 questions, most of which are multiple choice.

Given the importance of passing the NCLEX-PN, any LPN program worth enrolling in will emphasize a curriculum that can fully prepare its students to pass this crucial examination. Therefore, one good way to choose a program is to examine the NCLEX-PN passage rates of its graduates.

LPN Bridge Programs Online: What to Know

LPN bridge programs can save time and money when earning additional academic credentials for professional advancement. By taking advantage of an LPN’s prior academic coursework and real world training, students can reduce their curriculum requirements when earning a subsequent degree, certificate or diploma. For additional time savings and convenience, many of these bridge programs are available online.