Louisiana Nursing Schools

As you look for the ideal way to start a healthcare career in Louisiana, don’t forget to explore the wide variety of Louisiana nursing school options. Nurses are an essential part of the healthcare industry in Louisiana, providing daily care to patients and keeping physicians updated on patients’ needs.
Whether you decide to become an LPN, an RN, or an advanced practice nurse, there are numerous nursing schools that may help you get on the right path.

Featured Programs:

Nursing Education in Louisiana

In this state, nurses are often recognized for their accomplishments. This may help you enjoy a strong working environment and constantly strive for better work in your career. Every year, the state recognizes high-performing nurses with the Great 100 Nurses of Louisiana Awards.

To become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN) in Louisiana, you must meet strict academic requirements. Aspiring LPNs often complete a program that lasts about one year. If you want to become a registered nurse, then consider a two-year associate’s degree program or one of the four-year bachelor’s in nursing programs in LA.

As you work toward your degree and eventual licensure, you may take a variety of nursing classes. Some of the classes you may take at colleges in Louisiana for nursing include Health Assessment Skills, Nursing and Health Care Concepts, Foundations for Professional Practice, Clinical Pharmacology, and Ethical Tenets of Health Care.

Nursing schools throughout Louisiana rely heavily on clinical work for training. RN students may get over 600 hours of clinical experience, while LPNs often get considerably fewer hours. You may work under experienced registered nurses, nurse practitioner, doctors, and other skilled medical professionals during your clinical classes.

Once you get accepted to a nursing program in Louisiana, you can start looking into different types of financial aid. Both traditional programs and online nursing programs in Louisiana have scholarships, grants, and student loans. Many scholarships are school-specific, so look into each school’s options before selecting a program.

To begin your career as a nurse, you must have the proper license to practice in the state of Louisiana. You can take the NCLEX-PN or the NCLEX-RN and then apply for your license through the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. You will also be required to fulfill continuing education requirements to renew your license, as outlined by the State Board.

Nursing Education & Career Information in your City

Lafayette

Nursing Degree Programs in Louisiana

Read on for specific and general overview of nursing education path options available to you.

Transition programs for nurses:

Graduate programs for nurses:

Entry level nursing programs:

Broad Overview of Nursing Degrees in LA

Louisiana LPN Programs

Admissions requirements: High school diploma or GED, health exams, background check, and fingerprints
Credit hour range: 30 to 42 credits
Online degree options: Unavailable; clinical work is a required part of an LPN program
Licensing exams: NCLEX-PN

Perhaps you need to start working as quickly as possible or you want to get some experience in nursing before committing to a long program. In either case, an LPN program may be the best choice for you. Licensed practical nurses work under registered nurses, providing supportive care and keeping up with routine nursing tasks.

Over a period of two to three semesters, you can earn your mandatory credits and get clinical experience in local healthcare facilities. Your credits may transfer to one of the 2 year nursing programs in Louisiana if you want to become a registered nurse in the future.

BSN Programs in Louisiana

Admissions requirements: High school diploma or GED, health exams, background check, and fingerprints
Credit hour range: 120 to 130 credits
Online degree options: Unavailable, as clinical work is required in RN programs; some schools have combined online/in-person programs
Licensing exams: NCLEX-RN

If you are ready to go all in, a Bachelor’s degree is definitely a degree to explore. Baccalaureate nurses are in high demand in healthcare facilities all over Louisiana, since they can work in most medical specialties and work with less supervision than ADN graduates.

Overall, you need about four years of full-time study to earn your Bachelor’s degree and become a registered nurse. Of the 120 credits you have to earn for graduation, up to half may come from general education classes. The remaining 50% are earned in nursing classes. At the baccalaureate level, nursing courses are more complex and require more in-depth knowledge of patient needs.

Louisiana MSN Schools

Admissions requirements: Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Louisiana nursing license
Credit hour range: 30 to 60 credits
Online degree options: Offered by some schools in certain areas of specialized study
Licensing exams: Determined by each specialty’s national certification board

After earning a Bachelor’s degree, you may find out that many nursing careers require a Master’s degree. With an MSN, you may have what it takes to delve into high-level roles in leadership, education, informatics, and patient care.

Since these programs require a nursing license and relevant experience, you may be able to attend one of the best Louisiana nursing programs online. Note that clinical specialties do not have fully online programs, since you must go through more clinical rotations.

DNP and PhD Nursing Programs in Louisiana

Admissions requirements: Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Louisiana nursing license
Credit hour range: Up to 110 credits
Online degree options: Offered at a few Louisiana schools
Licensing exams: Determined by each specialty’s national certification board

At the doctoral level, you may focus on education or research with a PhD. You can also concentrate on clinical care by earning a DNP. These programs overlap in many ways, so you may want to contact multiple Louisiana schools and find out which one suits you.

Nursing Colleges in Louisiana with Nursing Bridge Programs

What if you already have a nursing degree or a degree from another field of study? You likely want to minimize the amount of time you spend in school and avoid spending more money than necessary. Bridge programs are the solution you’re looking for.

These programs are tailored to the specific needs of different student populations, providing a convenient and seamless way to enter the nursing profession or advance in this field.

Some programs are designed for those who have a Bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing and want to get started in healthcare. Rather than going through four-year BSN programs in Louisiana, you may be able to save a significant amount of time with an accelerated BSN program. The average accelerated BSN lasts 12 to 18 months. The primary focus of this degree is clinical work, since you may not have been exposed to the field of nursing before.

Other programs cater to working nursing professionals who want to expand their scope of practice. Perhaps the most common option is the RN to BSN, which allows Associate’s-level nurses to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing in approximately 18 months. For licensed practical nurses, there are LPN to RN and LPN to BSN programs.

Tips for Choosing the Top Nursing Schools in Louisiana

Picking the right nursing school is a major responsibility. You may spend up to four years at your chosen facility, so you need to make sure it’s a good fit. It starts when you compare schools online. With the information you receive from schools via e-mail, you can rule out schools that are too far, too expensive, or too competitive. You may then look at what each school offers in greater detail. Do students go above and beyond in terms of clinical hour requirements? Are there research or teaching opportunities? Which facilities does each school partner with? As you explore BSN programs in Louisiana, keep these factors in the back of your mind.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Louisiana Nursing School

NCLEX pass rate
Study or review programs for students preparing to take the NCLEX
Six-month job placement rate
Average acceptance rate
Average program duration
Clinical opportunities, including those in different medical specialties or in prestigious medical facilities in your community
Networking opportunities, including student groups and professional organizations that include working nurses
Average class size and student-to-professor ratio
Scholarship and financial aid options
Tuition and the cost of attendance
On-campus or off-campus living options

2017 Career Outlook for Nursing Professions

The job outlook is strong for aspiring nurses in Louisiana, making this one of the best times to learn more about Louisiana nursing programs and work toward a nursing license. Job growth statistics are in line with regional and national averages. Remember that your job outlook may vary, based on your level of education, any specialized training you have, and where in Louisiana you work. Demand tends to be higher in the remote parts of the state.

Licensed practical nurses may see a 10% boost in job openings between 2014 and 2024 (O*Net, 2017). You may become a licensed practical nurse fairly quickly at one of Louisiana’s one-year LPN programs. Currently, Louisiana licensed practical nurses earn a mean income of $38,070 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017).

There are several ways to become a registered nurse in Louisiana, including ADN programs and baccalaureate nurse education programs. The average income for a Louisiana registered nurse is $63,370 per year (BLS, 2017). A 16% boost in job openings is expected by the year 2024 (O*Net, 2017).

If you graduate from one of Louisiana’s nurse practitioner education programs, you may complete the state and national certification processes to start working independently with patients. Nurse practitioners earn an average of $98,470 annually in Louisiana (BLS, 2017). You may see job openings increase 25% between 2014 and 2024 (O*Net, 2017).

Becoming a nurse may put you in a position to improve care in Louisiana in many ways. One of the highest priorities in this state is the improvement of long-term care facilities (The Advertiser, 2017).

Some of the top employers of Registered Nurses in Louisiana include Willis-Knighton Medical Center, CHRISTUS Schumpert Saint Mary Place, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Saint Francis Medical Center, and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.