State Info:
If you are looking for a job in Iowa, America’s Heartland, where you will be able to help people while at the same time earning a good salary, then you should definitely consider a career in the health care profession, specifically in the area of nursing.
There is a wide range of options open for people who wish to get their LPN qualification for example.
As the health care industry is on the increase this is a good place to get started with your career. It is important to note that even though we are experiencing an economic depression at the moment, the heath care industry is not suffering. Higher life expectancy rates mean that more nurses are required in nursing homes. Increasing populations require more LPNs to take care of them. In the state of Iowa there are a large number of schools where you can qualify as an LPN. Once you have qualified there are also other options open to you. You could for example go on to qualify as an RN.
Licensing Requirements
In order to become licensed as an LPN in the state of Iowa you will have to:
- Be older than 18 years of age
- Hold a high school diploma or equivalent qualification
- Have a clear criminal background
- Have a clean bill of health
- Graduate from an LPN program that is certified and accredited by the Iowa State Board of Nursing (this is very important as you will never be able to practice as an LPN in Indiana if the school where you did you qualification is not certified)
- Pass the NCLEX-PN exam in your state.
Exam Fee
As with everything else in life you will have to pay a fee in order to write the exam and in order to become properly licensed as an LPN. The fees are as follows:
- $200 to Pearson Vue, the company administering the exam.
- $93 to the Iowa State Board of Nursing in order to apply for your license
- $50 to the Iowa State Board of Nursing in order to cover finger printing
These fees are not high, comparatively speaking, and you will soon make up for it in terms of the salary that you can be paid as an LPN.
Salaries
| Program | Hourly Rate | Annual Rate |
| LPN | $14.66 | $29890 |
| RN | $24.83 | $51648 |
| BSN | $30 | $63,876 |
Financial Aid Available
There are many options open to people who are hoping to get their LPN qualification in the state of Iowa. There are too many people who give up on their educational dreams simply because they believe that they cannot afford the fees that need to be paid in order to get an LPN qualification. However, these people will soon find that there are plenty of options open to them in Iowa if they are willing to take the time to look.
The first step is to apply at FAFSA to find out what options are available to you in terms of finding a financial aid program that will help you to get through your studies. FAFSA is likely to return you information about grants and loans that you are eligible to apply for. They will base their selection on the answers that you give in the FAFSA form that you are required to fill out. Remember that grants are more financially viable, so make these your top priority over any loans that FAFSA draws your attention to. A grant is a portion of money that is given to you so that you can pay for your studies. You will never have to pay this money back. A loan on the other hand requires repayment, usually at an interest rate. There are many of institutes that offer grants many of which can be found at the state level. The same goes for loans. Federal loans have a better interest rate but are harder to get while private loans are easy to get but come with large interest rates. Grants are also quite difficult to get as they are based on whether or not you are deemed to be in a financial position where you need assistance. However, if FAFSA returns information to you on either of these topics, they are well worth considering.
Another option to consider is a scholarship. There are many nursing schools that offer scholarships to students and there are also several state and private institutes that also offer scholarships. Scholarships differ from grants in one key aspect. They function as a sort of reward for students who have achieved well at high school or at a previous educational institution. Make sure that you are aware of all of your options in this regard.
Some schools offer work and study programs to a selection of their students. In these programs you are given a job on campus in order to generate the income you need to cover your education. This cannot obviously be possible for everyone, so only certain students receive this. This is usually needs based.
There are also several loan forgiveness programs in Iowa that are well worth considering. These programs will deal with a portion of your loan in return for your services in a state institute for a set period of time, usually about a year.
As you can see there is a wide range of options open to you if you are looking for financial aid for your LPN studies in the state of Iowa.
List of Schools
There are many different schools to choose from when you are looking for somewhere to get your LPN qualification in the state of Iowa. In fact there are so many options open to you that you may find it difficult to choose! Remember that the important thing is that the school you eventually choose is accredited with the Iowa state board of nursing or else your hard work and the money you pay will have been for nothing. Here is a list of the schools in Iowa that offer LPN training along with the contact information you will need to make more inquiries.
[edu-search]onlinelpn_state010101082691/ia[/edu-search]
Des Moines Area Community College
2006 S Ankeny Blvd.
Ankeny, IA 50023
515/964-6466
800-362-2127 x 6466
Web: www.dmacc.edu
Ankeny Campus
2006 S Ankeny Blvd. Bldg. 9
Ankeny, IA 50021
515-964-6200
800-362-2127 x 6324
Boone Campus
1125 Hancock Dr
Boone, A 50036
515-432-7203
800-362-2127 x 7203
Carroll Campus
906 N Grant Rd
Carroll, IA 51401
712-792-1755
800-362-2127 x 1755
Newton Campus
600 N 2nd Ave. W
Newton, IA 50208
641-791-3622
800-362-2127 x 3622
Eastern Iowa Community College District
Department of Nursing
500 Belmont Road
Bettendorf, IA 52722
563/441-4256
Clinton Community College
1000 Lincoln Blvd
Clinton, IA 52732-6299
563/244-7140
Scott Community College
500 Belmont Rd
Bettendorf, IA 52722-6804
563/441-4256
800-462-3255
Muscatine Community College
152 Colorado St
Muscatine, IA 52761-5396
319/263-8350
Hamilton College
Cedar Rapids Campus
3165 Edgewood Parkway S.W.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
319/363-0481 ext. 121
Cedar Falls Campus
7009 Nordic Dr.
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319/277-0220
Des Moines Campus
4655 121st Street
Des Moines, IA 50323
515/727-2100
Mason City Campus
Plaza West 2570 4th St. SW
Mason City, IA 50401
641/423-2530
Hawkeye Community College
1501 E Orange Rd
P.O. Box 8015, Bldg 8 Nursing
Waterloo, IA 50704-8015
319/296-2320 x 1469
800-670-4769
Indian Hills Community College
525 Grandview
Ottumwa, IA 52501
641/683-5165
800-726-2585 x 5164
641-683-5162
Iowa Central Community College
515/576-0099 x 2312
800-362-2793
Fort Dodge Center
330 Avenue M
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515/576-0099, ext. 2310
Storm Lake Center
916 N Russell Street
Storm Lake, IA 50588
712/749-2517
Webster City-Clarion Centers
1725 Beach Street
Webster City, IA 50595
515/832-1632
Iowa Lakes Community College
3200 College Dr
Emmetsburg, IA 50536
712/852-5285
800-242-5108 x 247
Algona Campus
Hwy 169 North, PO Box 680
Algona, IA 50511
515-295-9455, EXT 731
877-807-9583, EXT 731
Spirit Lake Campus
800 21st Street
Spirit Lake, IA 51360
712-336-3439, EXT 507
877-807-9584, EXT 507Spencer Campus
Gateway North Center
1900 North Grand Ave., Suite 8
Spencer, IA 51301
712-262-7141
877-807-9585
Iowa Valley Community College District
641/752-7106 x 297Ellsworth Community College
1100 College Ave
Iowa Falls, IA 50126Marshalltown Community College
3700 South Center St
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Iowa Valley Community College – Grinnell
123 6th Avenue West
Grinnell, IA 50112
641-236-0513
800-756-0513
Iowa Western Community College
2700 College Rd Box 4-C
Council Bluffs, IA 51502
712/325-3352
800-432-5852
Clarinda Campus
923 E Washington
Clarinda, IA 51632Harlan Campus
2712 12th St
Harlan, IA 51537Kirkwood Community College
6301 Kirkwood Blvd. S.W.
Box 2068
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
319/398-5566
North Iowa Area Community College
500 College Drive
Mason City, IA 50401
641/422-4216
888-466-4222 x 4216
Northeast Iowa Community College
10250 Sundown Rd
Peosta, IA 52068
563-556-5110 x209
800-728-7367
Box 400 Hwy 150 South
Calmar, IA 52132-0400
563/562-3263 x 337
800-728-2256
Northwest Iowa Community College
603 W Park St.
Sheldon, IA 51201
712-324-5061 x 216
800-352-4907 x 216
North Campus
1500 W Agency Rd.
West Burlington, IA 52601
866-722-4692
South Campus
335 Messenger Rd, PO Box 6007
Keokuk, IA 52632-1088
800-344-7045
Southwestern Community College
SWCC Creston Center
1501 W. Townline Rd.
Creston, IA 50801
641/782-7081
800-247-4023
Western Iowa Tech Community College
4647 Stone Ave. Box 5199
Sioux City, IA 51102-5199
712/274-8733 x 1350
800-352-4649 x 1350
