There are 47 LPN Programs in Illinois
Although there are 47 active LPN programs in Illinois, less than 15 percent of all nurses in the state are Licensed Practical Nurses. Illinois Center For Nursing reported on June 30, 2016 that there were more than 205,000 nurses in the state. The survey at that time showed that 81.6 percent of them were Registered Nurses. One reason why the percentage of LPNs is low compared to RNs is because so many LPN to RN programs in Illinois make the transition from being an LPN into a higher-paid RN relatively natural.
According to that survey, the average age of all nurses in Illinois at that point in time was above 46 years. In addition, 53 percent of all of those nurses (Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Advanced Practical Nurses) were within 15 years of retirement.
The predominance of females in the nursing community is strong in Illinois. In that same study, nearly 97 percent of LPNs were female. 92% of Registered Nurses were female, and about 91 percent of APNs were female as well.
As far as ethnic background goes, 85 percent of all LPNs were White. Most of the remaining LPN nurses falling into the category of Black, African American, Hispanic, or Asian.
What Schools Offer LPN Programs in Illinois?
There are 32 higher-education institutions in Illinois that offer some type of LPN training. That’s not including vocational and technical schools. Most of these schools are community and junior colleges. Nearly every one of these schools offers an associate LPN degree and many offer RN degrees as well. The lone exception from those 32 promoters of higher education is Saint Xavier University, in Chicago, which offers a Masters of Science in Nursing degree as well as lesser nursing degrees.
Samples of schools in Illinois that offer accredited LPN programs in Illinois and, with that education the opportunity to graduate with an associate Licensed Practical Nursing degree, include:
- City Colleges of Chicago’s Wilbur Wright College
- Elgin Community College, in Elgin
- Highland Community College, in Freeport
- Illinois Central College, in East Peoria
- Rend Lake College, in Ina
- Kaskaskia College, in Centralia
- Spoon River College, in Canton
- Beck Area Career Center, in Molina
LPN to RN bridge programs in Illinois are offered at four of the previously noted schools: Wilbur Wright College, Highland Community College, Illinois Central College, and Spoon River College. Schools with bridge programs, in this instance, include schools that have programs designed to accelerate the transition time it takes LPNs to become RNs. Obviously, the pay for a registered nurse is significantly higher than the average LVN salary!
LPNs cannot practice nursing until they have completed a state-approved training program in practical nursing. This course normally lasts about one year. This LPN training program includes classroom instruction in the sciences, pharmacology, and terminology. In addition, students are instructed in these classes about the basics of a career in nursing including subjects related to patient care, anatomy, physiology, medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, obstetric nursing, nutrition, and first aid.
After coursework is completed, these students will be sent into the field to complete their clinical instruction in live settings. During this time, students will participate in several rotations in myriad areas of healthcare including: maternity, pediatrics, psychiatry, senior care, and other departments.
LPN Programs in Illinois Normally Train Nurses in Generalized Health
Although some LPNs are trained in specialized fields such as working with the elderly in Aged Care facilities, working in doctors’ offices, and working in the field of home healthcare, the vast majority of LPNs become generalists with the ability to work in any area of healthcare.
Duties for those generalists vary according to place of work and job assignments, yet many of the tasks they face on a daily basis fall into well-defined categories. For instance, as a rule of thumb, these nurses with one year of education under their belts care for individuals who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled, and almost always these LPNs are under the direct supervision of physicians and/or RNs.
Services Provided by LPNs
The services LPNs provide to patients vary according to patient needs and instructions given them by their superiors. For instance, many Practical Nurses provide needed care to nonambulatory patients such as measuring and recording vital signs including height, weight, pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiration. These LPNs are also trained and licensed to prep and give injections, provide alcohol rubs, administer enemas, provide dressing changes, and give massages as needed.
On a personal level, many LPNs assist patients with their bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, their general movement in beds, standing, sitting, and walking. In some instances LPNs are called upon to help patients eat.
Experienced LPNs, in some instances, are called upon to supervise CNAs.
Laws and Rules Governing Nurses:
A pair of well-known LPN programs in Chicago Illinois and nearby include parts of curriculums at City Colleges of Chicago’s Wilbur Wright College and Morton College, only seven miles from Chicago, in Cicero.
Wilbur Wright College has more than 12,000 students and offers students the opportunity to earn an advanced certificate in practical nursing. Morton College, too, offers a practical nurse certificate to students who successfully complete that school’s 43-hour LPN course.
As mentioned earlier, there are 47 LPN programs in Illinois that students can choose from if they wish to make their livings as a Licensed Practical Nurse. With the average LPN salary expected to rise 23% by 2024, it’s never been a better time to consider a career in nursing!