LPN Programs in Texas

State Info

Texas is the second largest state in terms of and size and population. This means that there are a lot of people there who need the help of health care professionals. The economy may have its troubles, but the healthcare industry will keep on going strong regardless. This makes it a safe field to get involved in.

The best way to get your foot in the door of the medical field is to qualify as an LPN at one of the LPN schools that are offered in Texas. This will allow you to enter the profession, and once you are in there are many other options open to you if you are willing to study a bit further and do a little more training. Read on if you are interested in being an LPN in Texas.

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 admissions test that some schools have
• Need to pass a background check
• Need to have knowledge regarding the prerequisite subjects

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 LPN exam 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 licensure you will also have to pay an amount of money to the Texas Board of Nursing. This amount of money is $139. You will then also have to renew your license once every two years at a cost of $55 and with proof of 20 hours of continuous training.

Salaries

Financial Aid Available

There are a wide variety of options available for people who want to study for their LPN qualification in Texas, but who simply do not have the financial means to do so. With a little bit of effort you will soon realise that there are many options open to you in this regard. Some of the more common types of financial aid found in Texas are listed below.

FAFSA

The first step is to apply to FAFSA to find out what loans and grants you qualify for. FAFSA will give you list based on the answers that you fill out on their form. Remember that grants are by far the more financially viable option as they do not need to be paid back. This means that you should give priority to any grants you are informed of before you start considering the option of getting a loan. Loans do need to be paid back and they accrue interest which means that you will be paying back a lot more than you originally borrowed.

Scholarships

Scholarships are monetary amounts that you are given in order to fund your studies. These are usually given for one or more of the following reasons:

• You have a great financial need. You can prove conclusively that there is no other way for you to be able to study without a scholarship.
• You are a top academic performer. Scholarships are often given on a rewards basis, so if you are a good and hardworking student you may be able to qualify for a scholarship.
• You are willing to work for a set amount of time in a state designated facility. Many scholarships work on a work-for-study basis, which means that in return for the scholarship you will have to work where you are told to work.

Scholarships are often given out by nursing schools. If you are interested in seeing if you qualify then apply to your nursing school to find out more. On top of that there are also other sources for nursing scholarships, so make sure you do your research well before giving up on your goals.

Ask Your Employer

A good place to look for financial aid is from your employer. It should not surprise you that employers are often more than willing to help their employees expand their education in return for which you will be obligated to work for them for a set period of time. There are advantages for everyone concerned:

• Your employer will have a nursing professional on their staff who knows what they are doing and who has worked in that facility before. This means that they will know how the facility operates and will know how to interact with the other staff members at that facility. And as you will be obligated to work there for a set period of time, your employer gets the benefit of knowing that they have a reliable person on their staff.
• You on the other hand also receive numerous benefits from this arrangement. The most obvious is, of course, that you will be able to complete your LPN studies. There are however several other advantages that you may not have thought about as yet. For one thing you will be guaranteed of a job once you have finished studying. As you will be obligated to work for your employer once your studies are over, this means that you will not have to undergo the pain of job hunting once you have qualified as an LPN. There will be a job ready and waiting for you when you finish. The third advantage is that you will gain valuable experience. This can be recorded on your resume and will help you throughout the rest of your career when looking for other jobs.

Loan Forgiveness Programs

Many people have to go the route of getting a student loan for their studies. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is important that you think ahead. At some point you will have to repay the loan, and it is important that you have a plan in place for doing so. One option that you may want to consider is a loan forgiveness scheme. Have a look around to see what loan forgiveness programs are available in Texas. If you join a program like this your loan will be dealt with either partially or in full so that you don’t have to. Of course there is something that you will have to do in return. Usually you will be required to work in a designated facility. This will most likely be facility that is underserved or understaffed. This gives you an opportunity to make a difference to the health care profession in your state, will guarantee you a job and will give you valuable experience that will be useful to you for the rest of your nursing career.

Work and Study Programs

Many colleges and LPN schools offer work and study programs. If you are able to get into one of these programs then you will be employed on the campus in some capacity. This allows you to generate an income that you can then use to repay any student loans you may have. In some cases the work may serve as your payment for the course. This is a great way to generate income while working, but is not available to everybody, of course. This means that you should enquire at the schools you are interested in studying at as soon as possible about this benefit.

List of Schools

In Texas LPNs are more commonly known as LVNs, or licensed vocational nurses. Consequently, when looking for schools in Texas, you should search for LVN schools rather than LPN schools. The most important thing is to make sure that the school is accredited by the Texas Board of Nursing or else you will be wasting your money. Here is a list of the schools you can attend in Texas along with the contact information you will need to make further enquiries:

[edu-search]onlinelpn_state010101082691/tx[/edu-search]

ALVIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Vocational Nursing Program
3110 Mustang Road
Alvin, Texas 77511
281-756-3500 Fax: 281-756-5606
http://www.alvincollege.edu

AMERICAN MEDICAL INSTITUTE
10101 Fondren Road, Suite 550
Houston, Texas 77096
713-772-5300 Fax: 713-772-4017
http://http://www.theamericanmedicalinstitute.com

AMARILLO COLLEGE
Vocational Nursing Program
Box 447
Amarillo, Texas 79178
806-354-6016 Fax: 806-354-6096
http://www.actx.edu

ANAMARC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE
Vocational Nursing Program
3210 Dyer St.
El Paso, TX 79930
915-351-8100 Ext.127 Fax: 915-351-8300
http://www.anamarc.edu

ANGELINA COLLEGE AT LUFKIN – MEEP
Division of Nursing
3500 South First Street
Lufkin, Texas 75904
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1768
Lufkin, Texas 75902-1768
936-633-5265 Fax: 936- 633-5241
http://www.angelina.edu

ANGELINA COLLEGE @ LUFKIN –
TRADITIONAL
Vocational Nursing Program
Division of Nursing
3500 South First Street
Lufkin, Texas 75904
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1768
Lufkin, Texas 75902-1768
936-633-5265 Fax: 936-633-5241
http://www.angelina.edu

ARMY PRACTICAL NURSE COURSE
Department of Nursing Science
ATTN MCCS HNP
2250 Stanley Road
Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234-6140