Colorado residents interested in launching a practical nursing career who have never attended a nursing program must complete a state-approved licensed practical nurse (LPN) training program.
Every state approves and regulates its own practical nursing educational programs. The Colorado Board of Nursing is the state agency that approves those LPN Denver nurse training schools found in the metro area.
This article explains how prospective nursing students can locate accredited Denver LPN schools and details the licensing steps that must be taken.
LPN Denver Nurse Licensing
First-time nursing students living in Colorado must fulfill the following demands in order to secure the proper credentials necessary for a practical nurse license:
- Graduate from a practical nurse program approved by the Colorado Board of Nursing
- Pass the national NCLEX-PN licensing examination
- Successfully complete and pass a criminal history background check
Nurses in other states who hold an active license and desire to transfer their licensure to Colorado can apply for endorsement through the state's Board of Nursing. For information on how to engage in the process, contact the board at 303-894-2430.
Denver LPN Programs' Courses
Each practical nursing school is allowed to craft its own curricula, and thus offer slightly different courses. However, all LPN Denver nurse training schools that have been approved by the board are required by state law to give students the following elements:
- A program that is at least one full academic year in length
- A classroom-based instructional component (as the primary learning element)
- A supervised, clinical training component (as the secondary learning element)
Denver nurse trainees enrolled in practical nursing programs are taught a number of important areas of study, including:
- Pharmacology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Social sciences
- Pediatric nursing
- Nursing for the elderly
- Psychology
- General adult nursing
- Maternity nursing
After completing a substantial number of hours in the classroom, Denver LPN students are given the chance to practice those skills that have been gleaned through textbooks and theory-based instruction. This clinical training, performed in state medical facilities, is supervised by a registered nurse.
LPN Denver Nurse Training
Those practical nursing schools approved by Colorado can be found in a number of different places, including community and junior colleges, career centers and hospitals.
To locate those programs that exist in the Denver area, see the state's list of approved LPN programs and search for those in the desired location.
Benefit of Denver LPN Schools
Individuals who complete an LPN Denver nurse training school that has been approved by the state and go on to pass the NCLEX-PN examination are granted a practical nursing license, which gives them the ability to work in state medical facilities throughout Colorado.
For information on more nursing options in the state as well as online schools, see also:
The Best Nursing Programs Online
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