North Carolina, NC | LPN Nursing Program Information

How to Become an LPN in North Carolina

Before application to a North Carolina LPN education program, students have to complete around a half-dozen prerequisites courses in topics like math, biology, psychology and physiology, and grades are very important in gaining acceptance into a college of nursing. After acceptance, nursing-focused course work takes around a year to complete and focuses upon direct patient care skills and knowledge in preparation for the National Counsel Licensing Examination-Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN). The licensure exam comes with a $200 test fee paid to administrators Pearson Vue and a $70 application fee to the North Carolina Board of Nursing . Almost ninety percent of LPN training program graduates passes the test first try in North Carolina, and once it is passed, a criminal background check is all that is required to begin working as an LPN in North Carolina.

North Carolina Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Duties and Wages

Licensed Practical Nurses in North Carolina usually work in hospitals, where they engage in direct patient care as part of a patient care team, keeping an eye on their health, administering medication and, in conjunction with nursing assistants, helping feed and bathe patients under their care. With these skills they may also find employment in nursing homes and doctor’s offices as well. Hospitals and nursing homes usually require around the clock attention for their patients and, as a result, LPNs in North Carolina sometimes work weekends, nights and holidays. Regardless of the setting, the average salary for a North Carolina LPN is close to $40,000 per year (according to BLS.gov) in urban areas like Charlotte, and a few thousand per year less in smaller towns.