Becoming an RN in Louisiana
Registered nurses provide acute and preventative care; sometimes they move up to positions in management or nursing education. There are many paths to licensure as an RN in Louisiana. An RN may be a graduate of a board-approved program located within Louisiana, or a graduate of a similar one that has been approved by the board of another state.
Graduates of foreign nursing schools are also eligible for licensure, but there’s one extra step. An applicant who graduated from a school in any nation besides Canada must also demonstrate English language proficiency. A final step for all new graduates wherever they earned their degree, is passing the NCLEX examination. This national certifying test helps ensure that nurses around the nation have the same entry-level competencies.
RN Career and Education Pathways
If you already have nursing certification at a lower level, Louisiana will recognize your experience and training and help you move up the nursing career ladder. Louisiana is one of the few states that recognizes certified nursing assistants in its articulation plan. If you are a CNA, and can demonstrate clinical competency, you will receive at least three credits when you enroll in an LPN program.
There are many LPN to RN programs once you’re ready. In fact, you can choose from either an LPN to ADN or LPN to BSN program. The Louisiana Board has mandated that qualified LPNs will be awarded at least 12 units of credit when matriculating into an ADN or BSN program. The institution may, at its discretion, mandate work experience and/ or testing.
If nursing is your second career, you will also be able to fast track your career. One option is the accelerated BSN (or ABSN). This is an especially viable option for students whose first degree was in a science or another health field. If you don’t have prerequisites in areas like anatomy and physiology, the course of study will take a little longer.
Registered Nursing Career Outlook in Louisiana
Louisiana’s population is aging, and so is the nursing workforce that cares for them. This means that demand for registered nurses will remain high for years to come. In 2010, the AACN conducted a survey of nursing school deans around the nation. One of the goals was to see how new graduates of BSN and entry-level MSN programs were faring in difficult economic times. The AACN reported that nursing school graduates in the southern states had fared the best during the early months after graduation. In Louisiana, 86% of graduates had a job upon degree completion. 98% did four to six months after graduation.
The Admission Process
Despite shortages, nursing schools around the nation turn many qualified students away. The reason? Nursing schools haven’t been able to expand quickly enough to meet demand. A minority of qualified nursing students in Louisiana are indeed denied admission. The situation is not as bad, however, as it is in many states. In a 2010 report, the Louisiana Center for Nursing states that 71.4% of qualified students were admitted the previous year. The rate was higher in BSN programs than ADN programs.
Students who know early in high school that they want to pursue a healthcare career can begin the process early. Schools like the Lafayette Academy of Health Careers combine college prep coursework with healthcare training. Juniors and seniors have the opportunity to pursue training as CNAs (certified nursing assistants) and also earn credits at local colleges. But if a person comes to the decision later, there’s still a lot they can do. Acceptance at a university is not just about getting good grades in science prerequisites. The state advisor of HOSA (the Health Organizations Student Association) stresses that schools are looking for well-rounded candidates, who have leadership skills and professionalism. She notes that if you do have the opportunity to join a chapter, they can help you learn how to present yourself on applications.
Later, when it’s time to make the school to work transition, there are a number of professional organizations that can help you with the process. Look for chapters of the American Nurses Association and the American Student Nurses Association.
Louisiana State Board of Nursing Approved Associate’s Degree Nursing (ADN) Programs
| Baton Rouge Community College (ADN) Nursing & Allied Health 5310 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70806 225-216-8402
| Delgado Community College/Charity School of Nursing (ADN) 450 South Claiborne Avenue New Orleans, LA. 70112 504-568-6411 | Fletcher Technical Community College – ADN Nursing and Allied Health 310 St. Charles Street P.O. Box 5033 Houma, LA 70360-5033 985-876-8900 | LSU at Alexandria Division of Nursing and Health Sciences (ADN) 8100 Highway 71 South Alexandria, LA 71302 318-473-6458 |
| LSU at Eunice Division of Nursing & Allied Health (ADN) P.O. Box 1129 Eunice, LA. 70535 337-457-7311, | Louisiana Tech University Division of Nursing – ADN P. O. Box 3152 Ruston, LA. 71272 318-257-3101 | McNeese State University College of Nursing (ADN) P.O. Box 90415 Lake Charles, LA 70609 337-475-5821 | Nicholls State University Department of Nursing – ADN University Station – Box 2143 Thibodaux, LA. 70310 985-448-4696 |
| Northwestern State University College of Nursing – ADN Nursing Education Center 1800 Line Avenue Shreveport, LA. 71101-4612 318-677-3100 | Our Lady of the Lake College Undergraduate School of Nursing – ADN 7500 Hennessy Boulevard Baton Rouge, LA. 70809 225-768-1700 | Southern University at Shreveport Division of Allied Health and Nursing – ADN Metro Center-610 Texas St., Ste. 500D Shreveport, LA 71101 318-678-4641 |
Louisiana State Board of Nursing Approved BSN Programs
| Dillard University Division of Nursing BSN 2601 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, LA. 70122 504-816-4717 | Grambling State University School of Nursing – BSN Box 4272 Grambling, LA. 71245 318-274-2672D | Louisiana College Division of Nursing – BSN 1140 College Drive – Box 556 Pineville, LA. 71359-0556 318-487-7127 | LSU Health Sciences Center School of Nursing BSN 1900 Gravier New Orleans, LA. 70112
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| McNeese State University College of Nursing – BSN P.O. Box 90415 Lake Charles, LA. 70609 337-475-5821 | Nicholls State University Department of Nursing- BSN University Station – Box 2143 Thibodaux, LA. 70310 985-448-4694 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana College of Nursing – BSN Nursing Education Center 1800 Line Avenue Shreveport, LA. 71101 318-677-3100 | Our Lady of Holy Cross College – BSN Department of Nursing 4123 Woodland Drive New Orleans, LA. 70131 504-398-2213 |
| Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing – BSN SLU 10781 Hammond, LA. 70402 985-549-3772 | Southern University School of Nursing – BSN P.O. Box 11794 Baton Rouge, LA. 70813 225-771-2166 | University of Louisiana Monroe School of Nursing – BSN 700 University Avenue Monroe, LA. 71209-0460 318-342-1640 | University of Louisiana Lafayette College of Nursing & Allied Health Professions – BSN P.O. Box 43810 Lafayette, LA. 70504 337-482-6808 |
| William Carey University New Orleans Campus – BSN School of Nursing N.O.B.T.S. 3939 Gentilly Blvd., Box 308 New Orleans, LA 70126 504-286-3275 |