Practical Nursing Programs in Washington

LPN programs in Washington will take 12 to 18 months to complete. Licensure as a practical nurse in Washington requires completion of a Commission approved practical nursing certificate program. A list of the approved LPN programs in Washington can be found below.

CPR certification for Health Care Providers is required by employers and may be a prerequisite for admissions to LPN programs in Washington. Pre-requisites and other admission requirements will vary by school, however a few common requirements to take note of while looking into schools are that applicants may need to have their high school diploma or GED, submit to a criminal background check, complete the 7-hour HIV/Aids training program (required prior to applying for licensure), and completion of a CNA training or possession of a CNA license.

LPN program curriculum is delivered through classroom instruction, laboratory instruction and in a clinical setting where students gain hands-on experience working with patients in a nursing care setting. Some typical topics covered in the classroom will include anatomy and physiology, chemistry, pharmacology, nutrition and diet therapy. Other nursing skills learned through lab and clinicals include nursing ethics, medical and surgical nursing, mental health nursing, geriatric nursing and administration of medications. Topics and skills in other areas will also be addressed. The main outcome goal is to prepare students for practical nursing licensure and for practice in accordance with the Washington State Practical Nurse Act.

LPN Salary, Job Outlook and Employers in Washington State

LPN salaries in Washington will vary by geographic location, facility type, experience and many other factors, so the data presented here is intended to be used as an estimate of what a new LPN can potentially make. The Employment Security Department of Washington State released salary data for March, 2010 that showed the average annual salary for an LPN in Washington to be $44,796 and the average hourly wage to be $21.54. Again these are accumulated and crunched numbers and can vary significantly. Contacting employers in your local community and asking what an entry-level LPN is offered will give you a much better picture of what to expect. The Employment Security Department of Washington State released their long-term job growth projections for LPNs as well. This data shows job growth at 20% through 2018 for the LPN in Washington. This data is promising and a good indicator that the field of nursing and health care will continue to be a healthy industry in the state of Washington.

A sampling of employers who regularly post LPN jobs in Washington include Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinics, Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Providence Health and Services (Hospice and Home HEalth), Brookdale Senior Living in Tacoma, the Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma (Franciscan Health System) and Walgreens. These are good places to start looking for LPN positions, however, there are many more out there that might be more convenient for you.

Medical Assisting is another area of growth in Washington’s health care industry that has great job growth projections and healthy earnings. People researching LPN programs in Washington have also spent time looking into Medical Assisting programs. Learn more about Medical Assistant programs in Washington.

Approved LPN Programs in Washington

*LPN school list provided compliments of the Washington state Department of Health.

Back to Top | Nursing Programs in Washington