Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Licensed Practical And Licensed Vocational Nurses
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Miami Dade College, Galen, Palm Beach State College, and Santa Fe College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Galen.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Americare, Medvance Institute-West Palm, and Galen.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Miami Dade College, South Florida Community College, Palm Beach State College, and FSC Jacksonville.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Indian River State College, Medvance Institute-West Palm, Daytona State College, and FSC Jacksonville.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Gulf Coast Community College, Pensacola Junior College, Brevard Community College, and South Florida Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of South Florida Community College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Galen and Americare.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Central Florida Community College • Ocala, FL
Studying Nursing (completion in 2005)
• 9/17/2011
"I was very satisfied because I passed the state board. While taking the course I didn't feel I would be able to pass the board and that I wasn't learning enough, but I did."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, because there is a limit of available schools in the area. I don't really feel as if my school was any better than the others, though. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | There are only 3 schools within the area where one can obtain an LPN. Everyone applies to all 3 and take the first opening available. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The school has a hospital lab where you get actual practice on mannequins. |
| Instruction | 8 | Some of the instructors just told you to read and then we were tested. Others actually explained concepts and taught us. |
| How Difficult | 10 | There was a lot to learn. A&P was difficult. We also had to go to the hospitals the night before and learn about our patient as well as do reports and keep up with studying. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had a good mix of hands-on and book learning. Most of our hands-on work was done at local hospitals and nursing homes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There was no flexibility. You had to be there for class and clinicals or you had to make them up. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The facilities were great as they had a lab. No tutors for nursing, and the support groups were groups we put together ourselves. |
| Social Life | 5 | As an adult, I didn't chose to become involved in social events at the school. I had two children to raise and had to work while going to school. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I would say average just because I didn't use this service. I was hired at a hospital while in school. It was a hospital where I had previously worked and the nurse manager who hired me knew me. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | We really didn't have much support from the alumni. I felt as if we were on our own in that department. |
Pinellas Technical Education Centers (PTEC) • Clearwater, FL
Studying Nursing (completion in 1981)
• 9/29/2011
"The school provided me with all that I needed and the cost was well within my means."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I absolutely would recommend PTEC to anyone, especially because of the very devoted and caring instructors. I have a new daughter-in-law who I have encouraged to begin a nursing program at PTEC. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | PTEC has an excellent reputation for learning here in Clearwater. The school offers many great programs. |
| Program Quality | 10 | PTEC (my school) was close to home and convenient. The program fulfilled my need to get my license within a short period of time. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors were very interested in us succeeding in our nursing careers. I felt I learned everything I needed to give excellent patient care. |
| How Difficult | 2 | The program demanded daily studies/homework. It was fun working with other students to accomplish what we needed to learn. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had an excellent mix of hands on and book learning. The instructors were excellent with the hands on learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The class schedule was very flexible for me, although they did not have weekend classes or night classes. During my time in training I had a son who died and the school was extremely kind and generous with regards to my loss. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Many of the nursing instructors would give their own time after class to help us with our studies or hands on learning. Many of the students formed study groups which were extremely helpful. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was married so I did not participate in many social events/parties/athletics. I did observe that many of the younger students participated in athletics and school events. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I did not need the school's assistance in finding me a job as I already worked in a doctor's office. However, many of my classmates found jobs through the school's job placement program. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The alumni network was not a big part of the school support. School instructors, though, were very supportive and patient. |
Academy For Practical Nursing And Health Occupations • West Palm Beach, FL
Studying LPN (completion in 2005)
• 11/2/2011
"I am very satisfied with the academy for I believe I got a great education. Upon leaving the school I felt confident that I could handle anything put before me. Also, I love the idea that I could enter a medical setting right after I graduated."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was the best and I am so glad that I enrolled. Yes, i would encourage friends to attend, and at the moment three of my friends have taken my advice and are students at the academy. The school has morning and night classes so everyone can find time to go. Additionally, it's centrally located in the county. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The school I attended has a very good reputation, especially within the medical community. Several organizations have contributed grants to the school to provide students with financial aid to complete their studies. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school was very helpful, providing small class settings, tutoring, and financial aid. What I really enjoyed was how all the instructors made the students feel so comfortable with any questions or needs brought to them. |
| Instruction | 10 | One of our instructors was explaining just how dangerous diabetes is to a patient. Well, the book also pointed out these dangers with a list of associated complications. My instructor felt that the class really didn't get the whole picture so the next day we were presented with a young man with diabetes who was in a wheelchair due a left leg amputation. The young man explained that this was the result of poor medical care. Well, to make long story short, everyone in the class talked about the severe complications of diabetes all that day and even later. |
| How Difficult | 9 | We were given tests that weren't comprised of only multiple choice questions but also required answers in summaries. Diagrams were given where we had to understand and describe functions and outcomes. Challenging, but fun. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The academy made sure that you were given a book and hands on education. My instructors made sure that new skills we read about were also demonstrated. Tests were given in which we had to show we were proficient with equipment and skills. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school offers extremely flexible schedules for the working and non working student. Day and evening sessions are offered and students can also attend full or part time. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Great library full of medical books, journals,and magazines we could use. The school also had great instructors who were working nurses with master and doctorate degrees. |
| Social Life | 5 | I loved the discussion we had after we did clinicals where all the students sat and talked to our instructors and our patients about our experiences. We didn't have any athletics programs, but we enjoyed ourselves. |
| Placement Services | 10 | When I entered the school I was assigned to a hospital which was going to be my sponsor. Upon completion of my education I was informed that this would be my training and employment base. Presently I'm still employed at the same hospital. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The school encourages graduates and staff from each class, past and present, to keep in contact with one another. The school also encourages its graduates to post their job statuses for others to see. |
Miami Dade College • Miami, FL
Studying Practical Nursing (completion in 2011)
• 11/26/2011
"The college staff was very supportive and it was a great experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | This is not an easy program. You must take two entrance tests, and they only take 50 students per semester (300 applicants), so the program is competitive. You must do well on both tests, as this is how they select new students. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Miami Dade College is highly regarded as one of the best LPN schools in South Florida. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The LPN program at Miami Dade College was a great experience. Our professors all wanted us to be successful and made themselves available for extra help if needed. The school also prepared us for the NCLEX-PN test and provided "exit tests" before allowing us to take the exam. |
| Instruction | 10 | The professors truly cared about our success in the programs. The college had free tutoring to help those students that were struggling with course material. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I completed the program in 1 year, so there was a lot of material to cover in such a short period. Courses included Anatomy and Physiology, Pharm and Pharm Math, Critical Thinking, Communication and Ethics. In addition, our clinicals included, Med/Surg, Short/Long-Term Care, OB, Peds, Cardiac and Psych rotations. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program was 80% hands-on learning and 20% book learning. This program also includes helpful labs, where we learned many procedures that we would have to perform. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The LPN program was a night program; our clinicals were twice a week, from 4pm to 10pm or 11pm, which allows the student to work during the day. |
| Social Life | 10 | There was always something going on at the school, including job fairs, special speakers and social events. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I was able to get a job right after I passed my state exam. The career services assistant adviser helped me get a job at one of my clinical facilities. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Miami Dade College Medical Campus is small, so it is easy to get to know the advisers, financial aid and administrative staff, and they were always very helpful. |
University Of Central Florida • Orlando, FL
Studying Nursing (completion in 2009)
• 3/6/2012
"I loved going to this school. I would definitely recommend it to others."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this school and program to others. I believe they have the best nursing program around. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | UCF is a very well know school in Orlando. Both the school and the program have great reputations. |
| Program Quality | 10 | UCF has a great nursing program. They teach you everything you need to know for this career. |
| Instruction | 10 | I learned everything I needed to know to start working as an LPN. They prepared me for my career/dream job. |
| How Difficult | 5 | You have to pay attention, work hard, and study. If you put your all into it, you will do great. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | About half of the program is all book and studying. The other half is all hands on and also studying. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offer a variety of nursing options. They make sure to help fit schooling into your schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They offer a huge library with computers to help with classwork and studying. They also have advisors and professors who are available and usually easy to reach. |
| Social Life | 10 | School spirit is a huge part of going to this college. Social events are also big. I went to games but that was about it for social events. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They helped place me in the job I am currently at today. They worked quickly to place me, which was great! |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The school's alumni support is great. They are always there to help and support you. |
Pensacola State College • Pensacola, FL
Studying Nursing (completion in 2007)
• 3/5/2012
"Loved the experience, the teachers are amazing, and the offices were always open to us. I felt my instructors really wanted me to succeed."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Again, the teachers are concerned with your success. Classes are small. And the school has excellent connections with local hospitals which helps when looking for employment. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | PNS nursing has a great rep. Many times in clinical rotation I was told by my preceptors that they were happy when we were there because we knew more than people from other area schools. |
| Program Quality | 9 | We had small class sizes. Clinical rotations were well run and informative. |
| Instruction | 9 | Teachers were experienced nurses who taught exactly what we needed for the NCLEX. |
| How Difficult | 1 | LVN training is not very in depth like, an RN program. LNV is more technical and I am a technical person. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We spent a lot of time in the lab with computer simulations. We also had clinical rotations which helped greatly. The school's motto was "see one, do one, then teach one." | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There was no flexibility. If you were late, you went home. If you missed more than 2 days in a semester, you were out of the program. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We have a state of the art medical lab. I spent most of my time in the computer lab which was kept open 24/7. |
| Social Life | 2 | I did not really have time to be social - I worked full time. Most of the people I went to school with had jobs and kids and no time for partying. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Most of us went to work at hospitals that we had clinics in. The school had several recruiters come in near graduation offering sign on bonuses. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | We have no alumni network. PNS is a very small rural school and most of us left the area after passing boards. |
Hillsborough Community College • Tampa, FL
Studying LPN (completion in 2011)
• 3/12/2012
"I learned everything that I needed to learn to get my degree. And I had a great time."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | You will learn everything you need to learn, and you will get an amazing degree. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It is well known throughout Florida. Many graduates have found jobs. |
| Program Quality | 8 | They prepared me well, but I could have used more test study time. |
| Instruction | 7 | My teachers were smart. They prepared me well. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was pretty hard. There were lots of difficult tests. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We did everything by the book. I liked it this way. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Flexible enough to fit my needs, though more time slots should be available. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | There are many facilities, but some basic improvements are necessary. |
| Social Life | 3 | I met very few people. The ones that I did meet was due to me, not the school. |
| Placement Services | 9 | They are already preparing to help me find a job. They offer great services. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | Bellow average alumni network. I don't know many alumni. |
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