The Practical Nursing (PN) program prepares students for entry-level positions, to provide nursing care under the supervision of a Registered Nurse or Physician. The first two semesters are identical in both the Practical Nursing (PN) program and the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program, enabling students to finish the Practical Nursing program after the first summer, or to continue in the Associate Degree Nursing program. The Practical Nursing program will educate you for this career in concentrated classroom studies, along with extensive clinical work (360 hours) based in a wide-range of health care settings.

Course Schedule

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Gainful Employment

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Accreditation Information

Click here to download Practical Nursing Program Accreditation information

Iowa Community colleges have developed the following Core Performance Standards for all applicants to Health Care Career Programs. These standards are based upon required abilities that are compatible with effective performance in health care careers.  Applicants unable to meet the Core Performance Standards are responsible for discussing the possibility of reasonable accommodations with the designated institutional office.  To view the full Iowa Core Performance Standards, click here.

The states for which licensure requirements are met by the program curriculum: AL, AZ, AR, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN ,IA, KS, KY, LA, ME ,MD, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VI, WV, WI, WY, VT(Implementation date February 1, 2022), and GU(partial implementation- Guam is allowing nurses who hold active, unencumbered, multi-state licenses issued by Nurse Licensure Compact member states to practice in Guam under their multi-state licenses.)

Every state for which those requirements are not met: OR, NV, HI, CA, CT

States for which institutions has not made a determination as to whether the program's curriculum does or does not meet licensure or certification requirements: AK, MN, IL, MI, PA, RI, MA, WA

The information above is from the NCSBN Website regarding the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) as of 06/21/2022.  For additional information about the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), see the NCSBN website link:  https://www.ncsbn.org/nurse-licensure-compact.htm

Practical Nursing Careers

• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Physician’s Offices
• Assisted Care Facilities
• Medical-Surgical Units
• Long-Term Care
• Facilities
• Operating Rooms