State Info:
As dignified and essential as nursing is, there is an unfortunate shortage of nursing professionals in New Jersey. This is a problem because the demand for health care professionals is not going down.
In fact, it is on the increase and will continue increasing for a long time to come. Therefore it is important that if you feel that you have the right motivation and personality for becoming a nurse you should carefully consider the option of studying to be an LPN.
In New Jersey there are several schools where you will be able to do this, and the qualification also comes with quite a good salary. On top of that you will be assured of job security that will always be there, and once you have qualified as an LPN you will have the option of then becoming an RN or even getting your BSN degree. It is a very positive step forward to become an LPN.
Licensing Requirements
The first step to being licensed as an LPN is enrolling in an accredited LPN course. In order to do this you will:
- Need to be older than 18
- Need to have a high school diploma or an equivalent qualification
- Need to be able to pass the basic skills test that will be administered to you
- Need to pass a background check
- Need to pass a health check
Once you have enrolled in the program you will then have to complete the theoretical and clinical sides of the course over a period of about 1 or 2 years. Then you will have to write the NCLEX-PN exam. On completion of the exam you will be licensed to practice as an LPN.
Exam Fee
In order to write the examination you will need to pay an amount of money to the company that administers the exam. This company is called Pearson Vue and the amount of money that you will have to pay is $200. To apply for the exam you will also have to pay an amount of money to the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
Salaries
There are many options available to you once you have qualified as an LPN, and they each come with their own salary bracket. Below is a list of the approximate salaries you can expect to earn as an LPN, an RN and a BSN. However it must be noted that these may differ from employer to employer. The below mentioned amounts are merely guidelines and averages. For lpn salary information at a specific organization you will have to inquire more deeply yourself.
Program | Hourly Rate | Annual Rate |
LPN | $19.98 | $41240 |
RN | $35.69 | $74233 |
BSN | $30 | $63,876 |
Financial Aid Available
If you have given up on your goal of becoming a nurse because you do not have the resources to do so, think again. In New Jersey there are many programs and other financial aid options open to you if you take the time needed to explore the various options and find the one that suits you.
The first step is to inquire with FAFSA as to what loans and grants you are eligible for. This will help you in your search rather substantially. Usually the list you will receive back will consist of both loans and grants. In this case you should move grants to the top of your priority list. Grants consist of monetary amounts that are given to you to help you fund your studies that you are not required to pay back. They are therefore a far more financially viable option for you to consider and should be your first port of call when looking for ways to fund your LPN studies. Loans are an option if you are not given any grants, or if the grants you receive do not cover all of the costs of your studies. Loans do need to be paid back and accrue interest, so make sure that you are certain that you will be able to handle this financial burden. Federal loans are the safer bet as the interest rates are lower. However, federal loans are far from being easy to get. Private loans are easier to get but generally have higher interest rates.
Scholarships are also available from various organizations and some of the schools that you may be interested in applying at may also offer scholarships. Often scholarships work on a reward basis, so you will have to be a top academic achiever to get one. This is not always possible for all students. Again the scholarship may not cover all of the costs of your studies, in which case you may want to take out a partial loan.
When it comes time to repay the loan there are a number of loan forgiveness programs whereby you will be able to get rid of a portion of your loan in exchange for working for a set amount of time in a health care facility that is understaffed, often in the rural areas. In this way you can help your country, be guaranteed of employment, and gain valuable working experience for your resume when it comes time for you to start looking for a job where you are more suited.
List of Schools
New Jersey is a great state for anyone wanting to get their LPN qualification as there are a large number of schools for you to choose from. Make sure that the school is accredited by the New Jersey Board of Nursing before enrolling to avoid wasting your time and money. The following is a list of the schools available in New Jersey.
[edu-search]onlinelpn_state010101082691/nj[/edu-search]
Merit Technical Institute
620 Essex St. # 204
Harrison NJ 07029
(973) 484-0276
AVTECH Institute of Technology
50 Cragwood Road
South Plainfield NJ 07070
(908) 222-2833
Passaic Cty. Technical Institute
LPN Program
197 Hamburg Turnpike
Wayne NJ 07470
(973) 389-2020
Lincoln Technical Institute
160 East Route 4
Paramus NJ 07652
(877) 533-8199
Universal Training Institute, Inc
174 Jefferson Street
Perth Amboy NJ 08861
(732) 826-0155
Southern New Jersey Technical School
72 East Holly Avenue
Pitman NJ 08071
(856) 589-9050
Burlington County Institute of Technology
695 Woodlane Road
Westampton NJ 08060
(609) 267-4226
Somerset County Technical Institute
North Bridge St. & Vogt Drive P.O. Box 6350
Bridgewater NJ 08807
(908) 526-8900
New Community Corporation
201 Bergen Street
Newark NJ 07103
(973) 639-5637
Monmouth County Vocational School District
105 Neptune Blvd., Suite 307
Neptune NJ 07753
(732) 774-2040
America Health Care, Inc.
1 Metroplex Drive
Edison NJ 08817
(732) 777-0788
Ocean County Vocational – Technical School
1299 Old Freehold Road
Toms River NJ 08753
(732) 473-3100
Vineland Adult Education Center PN
48 W. Landis Avenue
Vineland NJ 08360
(856) 794-6943
HoHoKus Hackensack School of Business and Medical Sciences
250 Moore Street
Hackensack NJ 07601
(201) 488-9400
HoHoKus School of Business and Medical Sciences
10 South Franklin Turnpike
Ramsey NJ 07446
(201) 327-8877
Middlesex Cty. Vocational & Technical School
21 Suttons Lane
Pisacataway
NJ 08854
(732) 985-0717
Best Care Training Institute
68 South Harrison Street
East Orange
NJ 07017
(973) 673-3900
Essex Cty. Vocational School of Practical Nsg.
50 South Clinton Street, 5th Floor
East Orange
NJ 07018
(973) 395-8550
Dover Business College
600 Getty Avenue
Clifton
NJ 07011
(973) 546-0123
Hudson County Community College
25 Journal Square
Jersey City
NJ 07306
(201) 714-7100
Camden County Technical School
343 Berlin Cross Keys Rd
Sicklerville NJ 08081
(856) 767-7000
Lincoln Technical Institute
1000 Howard Blvd
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
(856) 722-9333
Mercer Cty. Tech. School Health Career Ctr.
1070 Klockner Road
Trenton, NJ 08619
(609) 587-7640
Dover Business College
15 East Blackwell Street
Dover NJ 07801
(973) 366-6700
The Center for Allied Health & Nursing Edu.
387 Main Street, Lower Level
Hackensack NJ 07601
(201) 489-5836
Camden County College
P.O. Box 200 College Drive
Blackwood NJ 08012
(856) 227-7200
PRISM Career Institute
3 Executive Campus, Ste. 280
Cherry Hill NJ 08002
(856) 317-0100
Atlantic County Institute of Technology
5080 Atlantic Avenue
Mays Landing NJ 08330
(609) 625-2249
Salem Community College
460 Hollywood Avenue
Carney’s Point NJ 08069
(856) 351-2648
Morris County School of Technology
400 East Main Street
Denville NJ 07834
(973) 627-4600
Sierra Allied Heath Academy
120 W. 7th St. Suite 100-102
Plainfield NJ 07060
(908) 753-2400
Lincoln Technical Institute
1697 Oak Tree Road
Edison NJ 08820
(877) 606-6583
Union County College
232 E. Second Street
Plainfield NJ 07060
(908) 791-4947
Warren County Technical School
1500 Route 57
Washington NJ 07882
(908) 835-2847
Pinelands Sch. of PN & Allied Health Inc.
11 History Lane
Jackson NJ 08527
(732) 905-5057
Essex County College
303 University Avenue
Newark NJ 07102
(973) 877-1868
Cumberland County Technical Education Ctr.
601 Bridgeton Avenue
Bridgeton NJ 08302
(856) 451-9000
J. Riggs Adult Education Center – (Camden)
1656 Kaighns Avenue
Camden NJ 08103
(856) 966-2479
Center for Advanced Training and Studies
50 South Center Street, Bldg. 1, 2nd Floor
Orange NJ 07050
(973) 414-0116
Metropolitan Learning Institute
910 Bergen Avenue, 3rd fl
Jersey City NJ 07306
(201) 420-6020
Cape May County Technical School
188 Crest Haven Road
Cape May Court House NJ 08210
(609) 465-4399
Holy Name Hospital School of Practical Nsg.
690 Teaneck Road
Teaneck NJ 07666
(201) 833-3008