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 William Rainey Harper College asks for, taken from its own admissions page.
What you'll need
- Transcripts
- Prerequisite courses
- Interview
Practical Nursing Certificate is selective admission; mandatory virtual information session with attestation form, Harper application plus fee, PNC program application with TEAS (total 60th percentile or higher; English, Science and Math each 40th percentile or higher, all on one test, scores valid 3 years), official HS transcript or HSE, active Illinois CNA registry status, college-level English and math placement, Harper GPA 2.0 minimum. Application windows: Fall cohort Feb 15 to Apr 15, Spring cohort Aug 15 to Oct 15 (Spring 2027 window closed Oct 15, 2026); ranking is a 40 point score with in-district priority. Interview listed here means the mandatory information session, not a selection interview.
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
CMA LPNYour medication administration experience counts. Bridge from certified medication aide into practical nursing and full LPN licensure.
- Time
- 1 year
- State
- All states
Southwestern College
View path
CNA to LPN
CNA LPNStep up from nursing assistant to licensed practical nurse. The fastest license upgrade in nursing, and the standard bridge toward RN.
- Time
- 1 year
- State
- All states
East Arkansas Community College
View path
Find your next step.
Getting in starts with a path. Pick one, then follow the people who already did it.