Applications for Summer 2025 are accepted January 31 – March 31, 2025 for the Red Bud Campus.

Applications for Fall 2025 are accepted April 1 – June 1, 2025 for the East St. Louis Campus.

Applications for Spring 2026 are accepted June 2 – Aug. 1, 2025 for the Granite City Campus.

Practical Nursing At A Glance

• Starting Salary: $47,000
• Level of Patient Contact: High
• Length of Program: One-year certificate
• Program Location: Red Bud Campus (summer semester), Wyvetter Younge Higher Education Campus (fall semester) and Sam Wolf Granite City Campus (spring semester)
• Program Starts: Summer Semester (June), Fall Semester (August), Spring Semester (January)
• Gain practical experience at local hospitals

Practical Nursing Program

The SWIC Licensed Practical Nursing program prepares students with the basic skills necessary to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

LPNs are on the front line of nursing, interacting with patients on a daily basis in settings including hospitals, long-term care settings, doctors’ offices, outpatient clinics or even home health. They work under the supervision of a registered nurse or physician and sometimes oversee certified nurse assistants. 

LPN’s provide basic bedside care for the sick, injured and convalescent. They also perform tasks such as administer injections, record vital signs, collect samples, perform diagnostic tests, dress wounds, administer medication and report status of the patient. 

Program Capacity

Summer Semester: Red Bud Campus – 20

Fall Semester: East St. Louis Community Center – 24

Spring Semester: Sam Wolf Granite City Campus – 35

Program Location

The Practical Nursing Education program consists of PN-prefix courses and assigned clinical experience. Specific locations depend on the course.

Practical Nursing Courses

The PN courses are offered on campus during the day of the semesters indicated.

Clinical Education Experiences

Clinical experiences may be scheduled during the day, evening and/or weekends at hospitals/clinics located throughout Southern Illinois and in the St. Louis region. Students may be required to travel outside the college district for clinical experience courses. Specific clinical placement cannot be guaranteed, and specific clinical schedules may be changed during courses.

Students should check location and schedule of classes to ensure availability and access. Students are responsible for their own transportation and attendance at any of the classes and clinicals assigned by the program.

Program Cost

Practical Nursing Certificate Program

For details, see the PN cost sheet.

Licensure Requirements

Upon successful completion of the Practical Nursing curriculum, graduates are awarded a certificate in practical nursing and are eligible to take the computer adaptive NCLEX-PN exam. To practice as a practical nurse, graduates must pass the NCLEX-PN examination. Graduates who pass the exam may apply to become Licensed Practical Nurses. All states require licensure to practice as a practical nurse.

Graduates who successfully pass the NCLEX-PN may also opt to continue their education at institutions which offer Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs or RN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Information on ADN or RN-BSN articulation/dual enrollment is available in the Nursing Education office.

LICENSURE PASS RATE

Examination pass Rate on NCLEX-PN

Benchmark: A minimum of 75% of Practical Nursing graduates will pass the NCLEX –PN exam on the first attempt.

To compare SWIC graduate licensure pass rates to other Illinois colleges, go to the Illinois Approved Nursing Education Program Pass Rates – Last 5 Years:

ilapnursingedprogpassrates.pdf (illinois.gov)

CONTACT THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: