Tennessee, TN | LPN Nursing Program Information

Tennessee Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs, Wages and Hours

Licensed Practical Nurses in Tennessee LPNs are often employed by hospitals, as is the case for upwards of sixty percent of LPNs in the state. But there are some opportunities to work in nursing homes and doctor’s offices as well. No matter where they work, the primary duty of a Tennessee Licensed Practical Nurses is to directly care for patients by monitoring their health status, dispensing medicine, maintaining medical equipment, and even helping to feed and bathe their patients. They typically earn around $38,000 per year (according to BLS.gov) in cities like Memphis and Nashville, and closer to $35,000 per year in smaller towns. Their shift work is not limited to 9 to 5. Instead, because many patients need attention at all hours, night shifts and weekends can be the norm.

How to Become a LPN in Tennessee

To apply for an LPN program in Tennessee, one must have graduated high school or earned their GED. Usually, most schools also require a handful of prerequisite courses from biology, to English and Psychology—normally five courses, but it varies from school to school.

An LPN program lasts around a year and classes focus on providing the direct patient care skills required of a Licensed Practical Nurse. It prepares students to take the National Counsel Licensing Examination-Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN), for which Pearson Vue charges a $200 examination fee and the Tennessee Board of Nursing requires applicants to pass a criminal background check and pay a small application fee. Students can expect results within seven to ten business days, but rest assured that it is uncommon to fail the test—only about one in ten graduates winds up having to re-take the test.