The Truth about Online LPN Programs
If you are currently employed and have little to no time to spare for study, you may find online LPN program options very attractive. I have been doing a lot of research myself regarding online LPN program options and I have found very little or incomplete information on the internet, which led me to question: is there really an online LPN program? The short answer is, yes. But you should know that there is so much hands on/clinical skills you have to learn during your LPN training.
That will make distance education or online LPN programs very difficult for people who live far from the college to attend all the courses (clinical parts). The theory part is not a problem; you can do that from your home whenever you like. But for your clinicals, you may need to travel to the college. This is possible and doable to some extent. However, if you are looking for a complete online LPN program, which lets you complete everything in distance learning, well, that really is not possible. LPN programs are filled with a lot of clinical courses which cannot be done online.
I think due to the inconvenient situation of providing the program online, most educational institutions are dropping online LPN programs. The most popular one I heard about was the one offered at Deaconess (www.deaconess.edu) . But I wonder if they are still offering the course. The online LPN program offered by this college is only partial. You can do the theoretical part online; you can take all the exams at your local library with attendance of an approved proctor. And for your clinicals, you have to get a hospital near you which will let you do all the hands on courses. Otherwise, you will be required to travel to the college to do all you clinical courses. If you can arrange a hospital near you which will help you complete all the clinical rotations, then the only traveling you need to do is going to St. Louis every semester for validation.
To study online, you should have some basic skill in working with computer applications. You are also required to have a good internet connection and a personal computer with a basic configuration.
Conclusion
No matter how attractive the online LPN degree may seem, the best thing for you to do is to look for a flexible LPN program in a campus setting near you and work out your timing so that you can save as much time as possible and not give up your current job. In addition, there is a certain degree of worry among fellow nurses, actually shared by many of them, of whether the license you get after taking the online programs will be acceptable by different employers or not. You may actually find out this information from your current employer.