Becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) takes about 12 months of training, a passing score on the national licensing exam, and a state-issued license. It’s one of the fastest routes into a nursing career, and the median annual salary reached $62,340 in 2024. Here’s what each step actually looks like.
Complete an Approved LPN Program
LPN programs are offered at community colleges, technical schools, and some vocational centers. Most run about 12 months, though some part-time programs stretch to 18 months. You’ll take courses in anatomy, pharmacology, nutrition, and basic nursing skills, then spend a significant chunk of your time in supervised clinical rotations at hospitals, nursing homes, or clinics.
Clinical hours are a core part of the training. Virginia, for example, requires a minimum of 400 hours of direct client care supervised by faculty, and no more than 25% of those hours can come from simulation labs. Observational experiences don’t count. Most states have similar requirements, so expect to spend several months rotating through real patient care settings before you graduate.
Admission requirements vary by school, but most programs ask for a high school diploma or GED, a minimum GPA (often around 2.5), completion of a background check, and sometimes a basic skills entrance exam. Some programs require prerequisite courses in biology or math. Seats fill quickly at community colleges with lower tuition, so applying early matters.
Pass the NCLEX-PN Exam
After finishing your program, you’ll need to pass the NCLEX-PN, the national licensing exam for practical nurses. The test uses computerized adaptive testing, meaning it adjusts the difficulty of each question based on how you answered the previous one. You’ll answer a minimum of 85 questions and a maximum of 150, with 15 of those being unscored experimental questions mixed in. The total time limit is five hours, including breaks and instructions.
The exam covers four major areas: safe and effective care, health promotion, psychosocial integrity, and physiological integrity. Because the test adapts to your ability level, two people sitting side by side will get different questions and different total question counts. The exam ends when the algorithm has enough data to determine whether you’ve met the passing standard. Most candidates finish in two to three hours.
You’ll register for the exam through your state board of nursing and pay a testing fee to Pearson VUE, the company that administers it. Results typically arrive within 48 hours through your state board’s website.
Get Your State License
Passing the NCLEX-PN qualifies you to apply for licensure in your state. Each state board of nursing handles its own applications, which generally involve submitting your exam results, proof of program completion, fingerprints, and a fee. Processing times range from a few days to several weeks depending on the state.
If you plan to work in more than one state, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) can save you time and money. Currently 43 jurisdictions have enacted the compact, allowing nurses who live in a member state to hold a single multi-state license that’s valid across all participating states. If your home state is part of the NLC, you can practice in any other compact state without applying for a separate license. States not in the compact require their own individual license applications.
What LPNs Actually Do on the Job
LPNs provide hands-on patient care, but they work under the direction of registered nurses (RNs) or physicians. You’ll take vital signs, administer medications, change wound dressings, insert catheters, collect lab samples, and help patients with daily activities like bathing and mobility. You’ll also document patient information and communicate changes in a patient’s condition to the supervising RN.
The key distinction from an RN role is independence. LPNs collect patient data and flag concerns, but they don’t independently interpret clinical findings, formulate nursing diagnoses, or create care plans from scratch. Those responsibilities belong to the RN. LPNs contribute to care planning and carry out the interventions, but the RN directs the overall plan and makes the higher-level clinical decisions. In practice, this means you’ll always have an RN or physician overseeing your work, though in settings like long-term care facilities, you may have considerable autonomy in your day-to-day tasks.
Most LPNs work in nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals, or physician offices. The work is physical, requiring long hours on your feet, and shifts often include nights, weekends, and holidays.
Salary and Job Outlook
The median annual wage for LPNs was $62,340 as of May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies significantly by setting and location. LPNs in metropolitan areas and those working in hospitals or home health tend to earn more than those in rural areas or physician offices.
Job growth is projected at 3% from 2024 to 2034, which is about average for all occupations. The aging population keeps demand steady, particularly in long-term care and home health settings where LPNs make up a large share of the nursing workforce.
Moving From LPN to RN
Many LPNs eventually pursue an RN license through bridge programs designed to build on the training you already have. LPN-to-BSN programs, like the one at Ohio State University, typically take about two years of full-time study including summers. You’ll need your LPN license in good standing, a GPA of at least 2.5, and completion of several prerequisite courses with a C or higher.
The biggest advantage of bridge programs is credit for prior learning. At Ohio State, for instance, LPNs receive up to 20 credit hours toward the bachelor’s degree through transfer credit guides, covering foundational nursing courses and pharmacology. This lets you skip material you’ve already mastered and move faster through the program. LPN-to-ADN (associate degree) bridge programs are also widely available and take closer to one year, though they lead to an associate-level RN license rather than a bachelor’s.
Whether you stay as an LPN or use it as a stepping stone, the credential gets you into patient care quickly and gives you real clinical experience that carries forward into any nursing career path you choose.