Home of Green Bay Packers fans (also known as cheeseheads), Door County cherries, and lots of milk and cheese products, Wisconsin is a fertile land with a unique culture influenced by Scandinavians, farmers, and even Amish. If you are a cheesehead (or perhaps even another sports team fan living in Wisconsin), and you are interested in learning how to become an LPN in Wisconsin, continue reading. Several sections of information on licensed practical nurse schooling and licensing are presented below. The first section describes LPN schooling programs in Wisconsin, the second describes typical job tasks for LPNs, the third describes some of the application process and requirements Wisconsin has in place for LPNs, and the fourth provides information about various schools in Wisconsin that might offer practical nurse schooling.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Schooling Programs: General Information

In Wisconsin, LPN programs use a mix of practical and theoretical education to work towards achieving success in the LPN student. They do this the same way that nursing programs often do, with clinicals, labs, and classrooms. Students may need to take a mix of nursing and general education classes, but mostly nursing. Because nursing involves so many practical skills, students need to be able to practice those skills, and labs provide the space to practice in. Students may practice on mannequins, or they may practice on each other; an instructor is usually present to supervise. To further cement their skills, students may participate in clinicals, which meet generally once a week in a medical setting such as a hospital. In clinicals, students are supervised as they perform basic LPN tasks. They may begin with lighter duties, but the responsibility usually advances as the student gains more knowledge and skill.

LPN Job Duties/Tasks in Wisconsin

Wisconsin LPNs may do a wide assortment of duties that range from patient health monitoring to bedside care to tasks requiring advanced education and/or certification. Bedside care tasks include bathing patients, cleaning wounds, helping patients with personal hygiene, dressing patients, and changing bandages. LPNs may monitor patients’ health status through taking and recording vital signs like blood pressure, temperature, height, weight, oxygen levels, blood sugar, and pain level. They may also communicate with the patients themselves about if they have comments or concerns about their doctors and care, and the LPNs may talk with the doctor about the concerns of the patient. Some tasks that usually require certification include working with IVs, catheters, and dialysis patients. LPNs may also be required to complete paperwork (like insurance billing), supervise other staff, and administer medication (often through injection or pills). LPNs work in a range of locations, from nursing homes and children’s homes to hospitals, from doctors’ offices and medical clinics to in-home healthcare services. Sometimes, which job duties an LPN may have depends on location of employment. For example, LPNs working in a doctor’s office will not likely bottle-feed babies, while LPNs working in a NICU probably will.

Information about LPN Licensing in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has joined the Nursing License Compact, and this means that LPNs who are licensed in other participating states do not have to get a Wisconsin LPN license to practice in Wisconsin (in fact, they cannot get a Wisconsin license at all). Also, LPNs in Wisconsin who wish to work in other states that participate in the Compact can do so on their Wisconsin license. All LPNs who practice in Wisconsin must be licensed, either by Wisconsin or another Compact state. Therefore, Wisconsin has several requirements in place. Not all details of the application process or requirements for LPN licensing are covered here; for more information, visit the Department of Safety and Professional Service’s (DSPS) page on LPN licensing.

Wisconsin LPN applicants must have completed at least 2 years of high school, as well as have graduated from a Wisconsin nursing board-approved practical nursing program or a comparable program. They must not have an arrest or conviction record, subject to the Fair Employment Act. Applicants must fill out an application and submit it along with the fees required. If they graduated from a board-approved school, the school must send a statement of completion or graduation directly to the board. If they graduated from a comparable program, the school must send official transcripts directly to the Wisconsin Board of Nursing. All applicants must register for the NCLEX and pass with a qualifying score. Temporary permits that allow the LPN applicant to practice as a graduate practical nurse (GPN) are available by filling out a separate application and mailing it in with the temporary permit fee. Temp permits expire 3 months after issue or when NCLEX when the test results have been received by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing.

LPN Schools in Wisconsin

Below are various schools in Wisconsin that may (be sure to check with the school to find out for sure) have LPN programs.

LakeShore Technical College
1290 North Ave, Cleveland WI 53015
(920) 693-1000

Milwaukee Area Technical College
700 W State St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 297-6282

Moraine Park Technical College
700 Gould St, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
(920) 887-1101

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
2740 W Mason St, Green Bay, WI 54307
(920) 498-5400

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
1800 Bronson Blvd, Fennimore, WI 53809
(608) 822-3262

Waukesha County Technical College
800 Main Street, Pewaukee, WI 53072
(262) 691-5566

Western Wisconsin Technical College
400 7th St N, La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 785-9200

Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
600 N 21st St, Superior, WI 54880
(715) 394-6677

Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (Western Wisconsin Campus)
1019 South Knowles Avenue, New Richmond, WI 54017
(715) 246-6561

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