Overview
Career outlook
Employers hire licensed practical nurses to provide basic patient care such as monitoring vital signs, administering medications, and assisting with daily needs under the supervision of registered nurses and physicians.
Getting in
What Tidewater Community College asks for, taken from its own admissions page.
What you'll need
- Transcripts
Three-semester Practical Nursing Education program. Complete application packet must be hand delivered to the Virginia Beach Campus (Healthcare Professions Building MW 307) by September 30 for the upcoming school year. Requires official high school/GED and college transcripts, ATI TEAS taken within the past 2 years (passing score = 45th percentile of national norm), proof of attendance at a mandatory advising session, and the completed application checklist; copy of CNA/PCA/MA credential if applicable.
Checked Oct 2026 on the school's site. Requirements change each cycle, so confirm before you apply.
Paths
Routes into LPN. The first step is where you enroll today.
Medication Aide to LPN
Your medication administration experience counts. Bridge from certified medication aide into practical nursing and full LPN licensure.
CNA to LPN
Step up from nursing assistant to licensed practical nurse. The fastest license upgrade in nursing, and the standard bridge toward RN.
People
Acceptees whose paths lead to this program, and how they got in.
Find your next step.
Getting in starts with a path. Pick one, then follow the people who already did it.