Beaches, swamps, and cities cover Florida, perhaps the only one of continental America’s states that holds a touch of the tropics. If you are a Floridian or are moving to the Sunshine state and seeking information on some of what’s involved in becoming an LPN in Florida, continue reading.

The content has been split up into various sections. The first section below gives information on what a Florida LPN schooling program may look like. Typical job duties of an LPN are described in the second section, and after that the third section has some information on some LPN licensing requirements in Florida. The last section holds a list of some Florida programs or schools that may offer various Practical Nursing courses or classes.

Practical Nursing School: Basic Information

Licensed practical nursing programs in Florida may look much like registered nursing programs. They usually consist of three parts: the class section, the lab section, and the clinicals section. The classes are mostly nursing classes; however, there may be a general education component requiring some basic classes. Labs may accompany some of these classes and allow students to work on their practical skills on other students or on the instructor. This allows the students to hone their skills before using them in the real world, which they may encounter in clinicals. If clinicals are offered as part of the program, students may take care of one or more patients in a medical setting, potentially at least one time per week, alongside their normal classes and labs. Often, clinicals may begin with fewer responsibilities and duties for the student and progress with more duties as the student learns more throughout the program.

LPN Job Tasks in Florida

Variety is a good word to describe the tasks of LPNs in Florida. They may be asked to perform bedside care tasks, such as bathing and dressing patients, changing bandages, and cleaning wounds. LPNs may also be asked to monitor patients’ statuses by measuring and recording medical information (blood pressure, weight, etc.). They may also communicate with patients on how the patient feels about his or health and care provided. The LPNs may then bring this information to the doctor and other members of the medical team as part of keeping track of the patient’s status. LPNs might also supervise aides, complete paperwork (such as insurance paperwork), and administer medication. If the LPNs have been specifically taught, they could also be asked to help with IVs and catheters and assist with dialysis. Locations that LPNs work also have an impact on what duties they may perform; LPNs working in a hospital will often have some different duties than LPNs working in a doctor’s office. Other locations that LPNs may work include children’s homes, hospitals, clinics, and a variety of other medical settings.

Florida Licensing Information for LPNs

Some information about LPN licensing in Florida follows; however, for the most accurate and up-to-date information, visit the Florida Board of Nursing website at floridanursing.gov.

In order to be an LPN in Florida, an applicant needs to have graduated from a Florida-approved LPN program or completed enough courses in an RN program to equal an LPN program. Applicants must also be in good mental and physical health. Fingerprints must be submitted; this is required to be done through a Livescan service provider. For applicants with criminal histories, see Florida’s criminal history guidelines at floridasnursing.gov. The applicant must submit the LPN application to the board of nursing along with any required fees. They also need to register with PearsonVUE to take the NCLEX-PN exam. If the applicant is eligible to take the NCLEX, he or she will receive an eligibility letter for testing that will allow him or her to set up a date to take the exam. If a person successfully passes the Practical Nursing exam, a license will be issued within 7-10 days.

The NCLEX-PN, is an entirely computerized exam that measures examinees responses against a preset testing standard. The exam questions will vary depending on the examinee’s answers; this also means that the examinee could be asked less than 100 questions or as many as 200 or more, and the testing period could be as much as six hours.

Florida Schools

Florida is a large state with many different colleges and schools to choose from. The schools in the following list are places where you may be able to find schooling programs that teach a person the skills and knowledge necessary to be come a practical nurse. To find out for sure if these schools have LPN programs, it’s a good idea to reach out to them directly in order to get the most accurate and current information.

Cape Coral College of Technology
360 Santa Barbara Blvd N, Cape Coral, FL 33993
(239) 574-4440

Withlacoochee Technical College
1201 W Main St, Inverness, FL 34450
(352) 726-2430

Brevard Community College
3865 N Wickham Rd, Melbourne, FL 32935
(321) 254-6651

Daytona State College
1200 W. International Speedway Blvd, Daytona, FL 32114
(386) 506-3000

Emerald Coast Technical College
761 North 20th Street, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433
(850) 892-1240

First Coast Technical College
2980 Collins Ave, St Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 824-4401

Florida State College at Jacksonville
11901 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32246
(904) 646-2111

Edison State College
8099 College Pkwy, Fort Meyers, FL 33919
(239) 489-9293

Florida Keys Community College
5901 College Road, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-9081

Gulf Coast State College
5230 US-98, Panama City, FL 32401
(850) 769-1551

Hillsborough Community College
4001 W Tampa Bay Blvd, Tampa, FL 33614
(813) 253-7000

Miami Dade College
300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33132
(305) 237-8888

North Florida Community College
325 Turner Davis Dr, Madison, FL 32340
(850) 973-2288

Palm Beach State College
4200 Congress Avenue, Lake Worth, FL 33461
(561) 868-3350

Pensacola State College
1000 College Blvd, Pensacola, FL 32504
(850) 484-1000

Saber College
3990 W Flagler St, Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 443-9170

Santa Fe College
3000 NW 83 St, Gainesville, FL 32606
(352) 395-5000

Sarasota County Technical Institute
4748 S Beneva Rd, Sarasota, FL 34233
(941) 924-1365

Seminole State College of Florida
100 Weldon Blvd, Sanford, FL 32773
(407) 708-2050

Sigma College
2800 W Oakland Park Blvd, Oakland Park, FL 33311
(954) 485-0215

Southeastern College
6812 Forest Hill Blvd D-1, Greenacres, FL 33413
(561) 433-2330

South Florida State College
600 W College Dr, Avon Park, FL 33825
(863) 453-6661

St. Petersburg College
2465 Drew St, Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 791-2400

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