Practical Nursing

Degrees and Certificates

Why Choose This Program

The Practical Nursing program at SCTCC provides students with learning opportunities in various settings to ensure every student succeeds in the workforce.

Our students work closely with physicians, registered nurses, and other health care professionals in the delivery of delegated medical care and skills. SCTCC’s program gives students the opportunity to assist patients to meet their basic human needs.

SCTCC’s Practical Nursing program emphasizes the importance of meeting basic needs within the framework of normal growth and development throughout the lifespan of a student’s career.

Learning experiences are developed utilizing the nursing process as a framework to train Practical Nursing students. We place an emphasis on safe practice and the role of the Licensed Practical Nurse.

To succeed in the program, students must not only utilize field experience, but must also use the study of sciences and personal initiative to become a well-rounded Practical Nurse.

With both full-time and part-time enrollment options, the Practical Nursing program provides a foundation for career mobility with associate or baccalaureate professional nursing programs to ensure every student gets the education that is perfect for them.

Successful completion of SCTCC's practical nursing program will allow you to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN), which is necessary to for licensure and practice as a licensed practical nurse (LPN).

The SCTCC Practical Nursing program is approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

Placement rate from self-reported data of employment in field of study up to one year post graduation.

97.6
%
2021 Placement
$
24
Central MN Median Wage

Wage data is from Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

From Degree to Career

When you choose the Practical Nursing program at SCTCC, you’ll gain skills that will directly transfer to the workplace. There are several employers in the St. Cloud area that are ready to hire LPNs, and you can take your skills to the ADN program to become an RN, right here at SCTCC.

All SCTCC graduates from the Practical Nursing program are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. As the third-best program in the state of Minnesota, we ensure all students use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making while working in the field.

Our students demonstrate therapeutic communication skills while working with patients to practice nursing care that is patient and family centered, culturally sensitive, and based on the physiological, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of patients across their lifespan.

After graduation, Practical Nursing students know how to provide rationale to patients for judgments that utilize safe and quality care and promote the health of the patient. SCTCC graduates minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through system effectiveness and individual performance.

With a Practical Nursing degree, students know how to demonstrate professional behaviors of accountability that coincide with the legal and ethical nursing practice standards, and can foster open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care within their nursing and inter-professional teams.

To excel in the workforce, SCTCC graduates can even support quality improvement by contributing to the implementation of care and the utilization of resources to improve health care services. To ensure success, our students learn to integrate the most accurate and current evidence with clinical expertise, patient and family preferences, and values for delivery of optimal health care.

Quick Glance

  • Demonstrate therapeutic communication skills to practice nursing care that is patient and family centered, culturally sensitive and based on the physiological, psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients across the lifespan.
  • Provide rationale for judgments used in the provision of safe, quality care and for decisions that promote the health of patients.
  • Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
  • Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.
  • Demonstrate professional behaviors of accountability according to legal and ethical nursing practice standards.
  • Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
  • Support quality improvement by contributing to the implementation of care and the utilization of resources to improve health care services.
  • Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.

Types of Careers

With a degree in Practical Nursing from SCTCC, students have various career options. From long term care, Gerontology, acute care, to psychiatric mental health, our graduates can use their degree to succeed in the path they choose.

SCTCC graduates even work with primary and preventive care, end-of-life care, pediatrics, and OB/GYN.

While utilizing skills taught at SCTCC, our graduates have gone on to work with hospice to provide end-of-life care that fosters open communication to ensure the patients and families comfortability with their care plan.

Potential Employers

After graduation, SCTCC students have worked with long term care facilities, assisted living, hospice, home care agencies, acute care and hospitals, and clinics.

From schools, veteran’s health care systems, community behavioral health hospitals, correctional facilities, and industrial and occupational health, the options as an SCTCC Practical Nursing graduate are limitless. By utilizing skills taught in the classroom, our graduates are certain to succeed in the career path they pursue.

Projected Job Growth

With a Practical Nurse degree in Minnesota, the projected growth rate between 2012 and 2022 is 18.6%, according to MN DEED. As a growing profession, SCTCC is proud to train Practical Nurses to enter the workforce.

Quick Glance

Types of Careers

  • Long Term Care: Gerontology
  • Acute Care
  • Psychiatric Mental Health
  • Primary and Preventative Care
  • End-of-Life Care
  • Pediatrics
  • OB/GYN

Potential Employers

  • Long Term Care Facilities
  • Assisted Living
  • Hospice
  • Home Care Agencies
  • Acute Care/Hospitals
  • Clinics
  • Schools
  • Veterans Health Care System
  • Community Behavioral Health Hospitals
  • Correctional Facilities
  • Industrial/Occupational Health

The SCTCC Practical Nursing degree was named the third-best Practical Nursing program in the state of Minnesota in 2018 by practicalnursing.org.

Colleges were ranked based on the NCLEX-PN pass rates in the past five years. The NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examination, is the exam practical nursing students take to become a licensed practical nurse.

The Practical Nursing Program at St. Cloud Technical & Community College located in St. Cloud, Minnesota is accredited by the: 
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Practical nursing program is Continuing Accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm.

Practical Nursing is approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing, 1210 Northland Drive Suite 120, Mendota Heights, MN 55120. Telephone: (612) 317-3000, Fax: (651) 688-1841

 

PDF of NCLEX Pass Rates

Nursing students at bed
PN student at laptop
PN student checking shot
Four nursing students

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Are you ready to learn more about the Practical Nursing program and being a student at SCTCC? Contact our instructors directly or join us for an info session to meet with instructors and Admissions representatives to get started.

Connect with the SCTCC Admissions team:

  • Call us at 320-308-5089
  • Email us at enroll@sctcc.edu
  • On campus Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Meet the Admissions Staff.


Paying for College

Students choose SCTCC for a lot of reasons, but saving money is one reason we hear from almost every student at SCTCC. We’ve got a breakdown of the costs for the program, along with information on financial aid and scholarships.

Current Students

Current Practical Nursing students - this is your place for information.

Terri Larison
Practical Nursing Instructor
TLarison@sctcc.edu
(320) 308-3700

Admitted Pre-Practical Nursing Students at SCTCC
Current students who are Pre-Practical Nursing can contact the Academic Advising Center.
aac@sctcc.edu 
320-308-5741
Office: Northway Building, 1-312

To build a community within the program, SCTCC Practical Nursing students have the option to join the student club, the Nursing Club.

SCTCC Student Clubs

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Practical Nursing at SCTCC