Practical Nurse Certificate (LPN)
Your first step toward a nursing career
Start your journey to a successful and fulfilling career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Maria College’s Practical Nurse Certificate Program prepares you for a career as an LPN in approximately 16 months*. During this time, you will earn 30 nursing and 16 liberal arts and sciences credits. You will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to provide direct nursing care in a variety of settings. If you are passionate about pursuing a career in Nursing and would like to get your foot in the door, contact our admissions office to schedule a tour of our Albany, NY campus or apply online.
*Note: A transcript review will determine if you need required liberal arts and science courses in addition to the nursing classes. This could result in two additional terms of study (weekend options are not available for Liberal Arts courses).
Weekends
Nursing classes including off site clinical experiences require student participation on weekends. Lecture and lab classes are offered on Saturdays and Sundays according to the weekend college schedule (please check the academic calendar for the college). Clinical experiences are off-site at a clinical facility on Saturday and Sunday of the alternate weekends.
*Please Note that some activities such as open lab hours and advisement may not be held exclusively on the weekend.
One of New York’s best
Students who complete the required course work are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Maria College PNC graduates consistently surpass the annual mean pass rate for the NCLEX-PN® in New York State. This strong performance has earned Maria a top 10 ranking in New York State from PracticalNursing.org. Nursing programs were assessed on several factors which represents how well a program supports students toward NCLEX-PN licensure and beyond.
College credit
The Practical Nurse Certificate (PNC), a program within the Maria College Department of Nursing, is a 46-credit certificate program. Maria students also receive college credits for their LPN courses (30 in Nursing, 16 in Liberal Arts and Sciences). As a result, PNC program graduates may be eligible to transfer these credits for advanced placement in the AAS in nursing program offered at Maria College giving you a head start toward a career as an RN.
Consumer Information
Please click here to review data on financial and program completion data.
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) can expect a bright future as the industry job growth is above average in comparison to other occupations. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.