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Florida, FL | LPN to RN Nursing School Program

 

Why Enter a Florida LPN to RN Program

For Licensed Practical Nurses that wish to take their career further, the next logical step is to work towards licensure as a Registered Nurse—the largest group of health care practitioners in the United States, and a group that is expected to grow substantially in numbers in the coming years. The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Florida is around $60,000 a year, not including substantial benefits. Although this is below the national average, so is the cost of living. And clearly, nurses are in high demand in Florida—with only one more year of schooling required to become an RN once one is licensed as an LPN, the monetary benefits are obvious.

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Registered Nurses receive much more responsibility than LPNs in Florida. In fact, they oversee and manage Licensed Practical Nurses and lesser trained caregivers such as Certified Nursing Assistants, assess patient needs and create and modify a plan of care based on their assessments. While around 3 out of every 5 RNs works in a hospital, job opportunities from doctor’s offices to long term care facilities and public settings such as schools and community centers are also plentiful. In addition, RNs can be community educators with regards to public health. From occupational and mental health to anesthesia, radiology, rehabilitation, and beyond, the opportunity for specialization extends to all areas of health care.

Steps to Accomplish a LPN to RN Program in Florida

Available both online and in a classroom setting, an LPN to RN program takes around a year. Prerequisites include current certification as an LPN and often a year of experience working as an LPN. Required courses build upon those taken during LPN training and include math, chemistry, biology, English, communications, sociology, and, of course, a bulk of nursing specific course work. And, because LPN to RN training in Florida adds another year of specialized nurse courses as well, it is possible to receive an Associate Degree of Nursing.

Upon completion of the program, LPN to RN students take the RN version of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), for which The Florida Board of Nursing charges a $204 application fee in conjunction with the $200 test fee charged by Pearson Vue. Successful applicants are placed on the state nursing registry and eligible to practice as a Registered Nurse in Florida as soon as they receive their passing results.

An LPN to RN program in Florida is a great boost to a nurse’s earning potential and ability to pursue a specialized career of greater responsibility. But it is far from the end of the line—there is still a Bachelor of Science, Nursing available, and after that it is possible to enter graduate programs in both health and education, which lead to even more diverse careers in the education system, public health, and patient care and beyond.