Nursing (Practical)

Have an exciting, in-demand job, take care of others, and have a career upon graduation!

WNCC’s Practical Nursing program is designed to prepare you to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) capable of providing nursing care under the supervision of a licensed professional. Once you successfully complete the program, you’ll be eligible to take the national licensing exam to become an LPN.

Our program is located at all three WNCC campuses. The program will give you the knowledge, competency, and hands-on training you’ll need to graduate and take the NCLEX-PN exam. You will have classroom work and clinical rotations throughout the school year. Clinical rotations are usually during the day, but they may also occur evenings and weekends depending on the availability of clinical experiences.

Prior to enrolling in the two semesters of nursing courses, you will need to complete specific courses listed below. You will receive a diploma once you successfully complete the program.

Award Types

Diploma in Nursing (Practical)

About the Program

Program Outcomes

At the conclusion of the WNCC practical nursing program, the student:

Implements safe care practices to minimize the potential harm to patients, self, and the health care team.
Implements holistic patient-centered care.
Implements professional communication skills to facilitate shared decision making in provision of patient-centered care and in promoting effective team functioning.
Implements findings from current evidence-based practice in provision of patient-centered care and to improve clinical processes.
Demonstrates values and beliefs consistent with professional standards, ethics, and legal regulations in practice of nursing while adhering to established college and clinical agency policies and procedures

Getting Started

Practical Nursing Program Checklist

Admissions Criteria

Program Application

Program Letter of Intent

Curriculum

Career Opportunities

WNCC’s Practical Nursing program will prepare you to enter the healthcare field as an entry-level Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) upon passing your nursing licensure exam. As an LPN, you will work under a Registered Nurse (RN) to provide basic nursing care to patients in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, hospices, hospitals, and more. You’ll check patient vital signs, change catheters, discuss patient status with doctors, and help patients bathe and dress, among many other tasks.

This is a great place to begin your nursing career to start working in this field as soon as possible, and it allows you the option to advance your career once you’re ready. This is a “stackable credential,” meaning you can take this degree and use it as a foundation to achieve your Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and become an RN in the future.

For more information on any of these career options, contact Career Pathways & Advising at pathways@wncc.edu .

Accreditation and Approval Information

WNCC's Practical Nursing program is approved by the Nebraska State Board of Nursing.

The Practical Nursing program at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Sidney, NE is accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for the Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Practical Nursing program is Continuing Accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm

ACEN Seal

Nursing Program Student Handbook

Student Achievement Data

State Licensure Requirements

Per the Nebraska State Board of Nursing, “licensure follows nine months to one year of education and successful completion of the National Council Licensure Examination Practical Nurse (NCLEX-PN). The LPN provides direct patient care services.” “The Nebraska Board of Nursing approves pre-licensure nursing programs located in Nebraska.”
Nurse Licensing Information

Licensure Exam Application

Graduates passing the NCLEX-PN exam in Nebraska may also practice as a licensed practical nurse in any of the other compact States. Click on the following link to access more information regarding the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).
Nurse Licensure Compacts Information

Program Contact Information