This 39-credit diploma prepares nurses to provide bedside care and interact closely with patients. Practical nurses care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. Tasks and activities for practical nurses may include: Administering medications; charting; dressing wounds; assisting in the delivery, care, and feeding of infants; sterilizing equipment and supplies; taking and recording patients’ vital signs.

Graduates are eligible to apply for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse, or LPN.

Accreditation

Northwest Technical College is a regionally accredited college by the Higher Learning Commission. The nursing program is approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing. The Northwest Technical College Practical Nursing diploma and Associate Degree Nursing programs are nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, or ACEN.