Practical Nursing (LPN)
2 Days of Class • 2 Days of Clinicals • 1 Year Program
So you’re thinking about becoming a nurse?
You’ve thought, “I want a career that’s rewarding…a job where I get to help people in a big way every day.”
Or maybe, “I’d love to make a good income in a career that people really respect. It would be amazing to have job security with employers approaching me instead of always having to scramble for a job or a raise.”
If any of this sounds familiar, you may be in the right place!
Nursing can be a highly rewarding career path for the right person.
Erin Mock, our Director of Nursing Education, put it perfectly. “Nursing is an exciting field that is continuing to grow—there is no limit to where your career in nursing may take you! In addition, according to a recent study, nurses lead as the most trusted individuals by the public. This is because nursing is the perfect blend of a science and an art. Nurses impact the lives of their patients in ways that are meaningful and profound, making it a challenging and rewarding profession.”
On top of giving you a job you can love, the industry is growing by leaps and bounds.
Kayla Holder, our LPN Coordinator, said, “I love working with the practical nursing program because we work hard in this fast-paced program, but we also have fun! Over the course of a year, these nurses acquire the knowledge and skill that it takes to care for people throughout the life span. It’s hard work, but there is an abundant sense of pride when graduation arrives and we can say ‘We did it!'”
It is typical for almost all of our students to have secured jobs even before they graduate!
There are not enough trained nurses to fill all of the open jobs, so nurses are in a great position to be able to be picky about where they want to work, in what specialty, and even negotiate pay.
There is so much variety in the field of nursing that it’s nearly impossible to get bored. You can tag team nursing with almost any other career.
- Do you enjoy traveling? You could be a travel or cruise ship nurse.
- Like being in leadership roles? Long term care Charge Nurse might be right for you.
- Enjoy kids or teaching? School nurse could be perfect.
The opportunities are almost limitless. You could opt for the fast-paced environment of the ER, a somewhat slower-paced long-term care facility, or anything from clinics to hospitals, nursing homes to home health.
A lot of our students choose the LPN program because they can complete the program in 1 year, begin working as a nurse, and maybe bridge later to the RN program while still working.
Additionally, our LPNs from BTC are IV certified, so when you graduate you can start IVs and administer IV fluids. This makes our graduates even more desirable to employers.
- avg starting hourly wage of 2021 LPN grads
- $21
- 2022 overall NCLEX-PN pass rate
- 100%
- hours spent in clinicals
- 430
What You’ll Learn
1st Semester:
You’ll be learning the basics, skills, and safety, with a refresher on how to study and succeed in school (great for students that have been out of school for a while):
- Basic nursing skills, communication, and safety then practicing them on computerized mannequins.
- Medical math, administering medication, electronic health records, and confidentiality.
- Most of your learning will take place in the classroom and skills/simulation lab where you’ll practice on mannequins. At the end of the semester, you’ll head to long-term care facilities to practice hands-on care tasks on patients with instructor supervision.
- NCLEX prep : We’ll focus on study habits, test-taking strategies, breaking down problems, and begin taking NCLEX-style tests.
2nd Semester:
You’ll dive into the body systems, illness, and medications and practice our new skills in more real-life, hands-on settings:
-
IV certification – learning to start IVs and administer IV fluids.
- Learn each body system and do a brief overview of healthcare concerns, tests and diagnostic assessments.
- Review groups of medications, their actions and uses, therapeutic response, and side effects.
- Conception to adulthood and the diseases, disorders and care needed for those ages.
- You’ll practice skills in a variety of locations such as Peds/OB Clinics, Labor and Delivery, Walk-In Clinics, ER, OR, ICU, Wound Care, Cancer Center, Dialysis and more.
- NCLEX prep : You will apply the test-taking strategies specific to disease, disorders, and medications.
3rd Semester:
In your final semester, you’ll continue learning the body systems in depth, preparing for the NCLEX, and preparing for entering the workforce :
- Diving deeper into each body system and the diseases, disorders, and treatment plans.
- Disorders related to mental health, treatment plans, assessments, and evaluations.
- Working on leadership, management, and entering the workforce with resume, interview, and job-related skills.
- You’ll job-shadow a nurse for 48 hours and work with them, so you can experience their specialty in-depth.
- You’ll demonstrate your skill knowledge and clinical judgement at hospitals and mental health facilities with more complex patient care and patient teaching.
- NCLEX prep : You’ll be testing on mental health and preparing with video patient scenarios, taking NCLEX-style tests in all the major subject areas as well as the NCLEX Predictor, which should reflect your outcome as if you were to take the real NCLEX. You’ll then get tutoring specific to any weak areas you may have – all during the program!
Helpful Links
Downloads
Prerequisites
- None
Requirements for Program
- General entrance exam
- TEAS exam
- Background check
- Official High school/GED/College transcript
Gen-Eds and how they work at BTC
Unlike other colleges, the bulk of your education here is focused on nursing. We do not waste your time with excess general education courses.
By default, our gen-ed classes are built in and taken during your program. This is so you can complete the whole program in a shorter timeframe and get back into the workforce quickly.
Unlike other schools, YOU CAN CHOOSE to take the gen-ed classes before your program begins if you would rather get some classes out of the way early. Some students prefer to lighten the course load for later semesters when the schoolwork gets more intense.
How We Set Our Students Up For Success
NCLEX prep
We know it’s important for you to be confident in passing your licensure exam (the whole reason you’re taking the program to begin with)! Since it’s so integral, we built the NCLEX preparation into the program so you’re practicing for it throughout your entire time at BTC. This is one of the reasons our students typically have VERY high pass rates: 2022 LPN class – 100%.
After the conclusion of the program we have a NCLEX prep specialist come to our campus and spend 3 days going over material and practice questions.This is a resource that is unique to BTC because of our complete partnership with ATI. This NCLEX review session really boosts our students’ confidence before taking the exam.
Clinicals
Classroom learning is pointless if you’re not confident practicing your skills in real-life. We wouldn’t want to throw you to the wolves as a new nurse without any hands-on practice, so we make sure that after learning skills in the classroom, you have plenty of time and various scenarios to practice those skills…whether on a computerized mannequin that simulates real-life symptoms or on real patients at healthcare facilities under instructor guidance. You’ll practice your skills in a variety of scenarios at many different locations including Peds/OB Clinics, Labor and Delivery, Walk-In Clinics, ER, OR, ICU, Wound Care, Cancer Center, Dialysis and more.
Simulation and Skills Labs
Our brand new campus was opened in January 2016 and when we moved to our new building, we were able to include an advanced simulation and skills lab. Our lab includes several rooms, one set of which operates as a real-life hospital room setup. From a separate control room, instructors can make the mannequins show symptoms specific to certain health problems, while the students practice nursing skills on a simulation mannequin. This helps take pressure off of students and allows them to make plenty of mistakes before practicing on a real patient.
Job Placement
BTC does not have a specific job placement guarantee, but we do everything in our power to help you find and get a job during your last semester of school. As shown by our 100% placement rate for 2017 RN grads and our 100% placement rate for 2017 LPN grads, this is a job we take seriously. It is typical for almost all of our students to have secured jobs even before they graduate! We help prepare our students for the workforce by :
- Giving class time and instructor help with writing resumes, practicing interview skills, and other skills related to job searching.
- Having local recruiters and healthcare professionals visit your classroom and talk to all students about their facility and any jobs available.
- Constantly alerting students to upcoming career fairs and networking opportunities.
- Passing along job opening information from local healthcare facilities that approach us requesting qualified candidates.
Why BTC?
We’re a small school with small class sizes, close to home, and where everyone really does know your name. At some larger schools, you’re stuck in giant classrooms with an impersonal atmosphere and no help in sight, but at BTC you’re a name, not just a number.
Help is always available and our staff and faculty bend over backward to help out with whatever you’ve got going on as we help you navigate the waters of a nursing program.
Student Story
“I was a CNA for almost eight years, but ultimately I wanted to be a Nurse Anesthetist. I began working as a CNA a week after I graduated high school, and what really made me want to be a nurse was all of the benefits, the careers, and all the specialties that are available. Nursing is a good secure job, and once I get my RN there are so many different options and branches out there that I’ll never get bored with my job. I’ve loved being a CNA, but all the benefits that come along with moving up in the nursing field helped motivate me to go back to school.”
-Jessica King, LPN Class of 2017
Program Details
Certificate Program
The Practical Nursing program is designed to develop attitudes, skills and theoretical basis for competent entry-level practice as a Practical Nurse. Graduates are eligible to apply to take the NCLEX-PN licensure examination, and upon successful completion of the NCLEX-PN and with approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing, become a Licensed Practical Nurse. Successful completion of the Practical Nursing program does not guarantee licensure (see section 335.066 RSMO).
Program Length: 3 Semesters / 47 weeks
Program Objectives
- Utilize critical thinking skills.
- Assume leadership responsibilities appropriately in stable situations.
- Demonstrate attitudes and behaviors respectful to the client and his/her significant others.
- Apply appropriate communication skills.
- Implement skillful competency.
- Apply scientific principles while implementing safe, effective, therapeutic and holistic nursing care.
- Function cooperatively as a member of the health care team while reflecting caring, conscientious, ethical and legally accountable actions reflective of the Practical Nursing (LPN) scope of practice.
Employment Opportunities
- Hospital
- Home Health
- Nursing Home
- Clinic LPN
- School Nurse
- Most medical facilities