Practical Nursing (PN) Program Frequently Asked Questions

Please note that to attend clinical at almost all of the facilities used by our program, immunization for COVID-19 is required.  Facilities may or may not accept exemptions; the school has no control over this.  There are a legally required number of clinical hours to be licensed in WA, so if you cannot attend clinical, you cannot be licensed. 

Edmonds College has a policy on COVID vaccines.  Edmonds College: Campus Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness: COVID-19 resources and information.

Education:

• RN programs are four semesters or six quarters full time.  LPN programs are four quarters full-time.  Both programs take longer if the student goes part-time.  Most programs are full-time, but there are a few part-time options.  Both programs require the same prerequisite courses in Washington. You can take the prerequisite courses for nursing at Edmonds.  See the Edmonds College Advising Office to register for the required courses.
• There are two levels of RN education: an associate or bachelor’s degree.  Regardless of the level of education, the scope of practice is the same (i.e., they can do the same things on the job).  You can find information about nursing programs in Washington at WA DOH Nursing Program Information
• You can become an RN at a community college and graduate with an associate degree. You can then do an RN to BSN bridge program to get your bachelor’s degree.  Many community colleges in the state with RN programs are listed on WA DOH Nursing Program Information.
• You can become an RN directly with a bachelor’s degree at a university without the intermediate step of the associate degree, but these programs are very difficult to get into.  The universities with BSN programs are listed on WA DOH Nursing Program Information.  You can take the prerequisites for pre-nursing at a community college and transfer to the university after admission to their nursing program.
• There are fewer PN programs than RN programs in the state, and they are listed on WA DOH Nursing Program Information.  Edmonds College is the only program in the North Sound area, and we are a part-time Edmonds College PN Program
• There are bridge programs for LPNs to become RNs.  You can earn LPN wages while going to school, and many employers have tuition benefits to help pay for the bridge program.  Those programs are listed on WA DOH Nursing Program Information.
• Nursing school admission is VERY competitive.  The best advice for prospective nursing student is to apply to several programs.

Practice:

• An RN practices independently, whereas an LPN practices under the supervision of an RN.
• RNs practice in most healthcare settings.  LPNs can also practice in most healthcare settings, although in the North Sound region, the opportunities for a job in an acute care hospital are more limited.
• The clinical skills for both are very similar, depending on the facility they work in.

Job market and salary:

• The job market is the same. There are MANY job openings for both levels of licensure. There is a shortage of nurses everywhere.  You will always be able to find a job as a nurse, RN, or LPN.
• RNs make more money than LPNs, but the specific salary depends on the facility.  You can look at job opportunities and salaries on specific facility websites or general employment websites such as Indeed. This webpage, Nursing Salary Guide, lists nursing salaries, but it may not be up-to-date or accurate, so use it as a reference only.

Approximately 50-60 students will apply to the program each year. Currently we admit 30 students per cohort.

Prerequisites (proposed curriculum revision) consist of  the following seven classes:

• English 101- English composition 1 (5 credits) 
• Psychology 100- General Psychology (5 credits) 
• Math 146 Statistics (5 credits)
• Biology 211- Cell Biology (5 credits, *can substitute Biology 160)
• Biology 241- Anatomy and Physiology I (5 credits) 
• Biology 242- Anatomy and Physiology II (5 credits)
• Chemistry 121- Introduction to Chemistry (5 credits)

*The program will honor the previous math requirement, intermediate algebra, instead of statistics for Fall 2023 admission. 

**Required is a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA in the seven prerequisite courses with no less than 2.0 in any one course. You may repeat a course without penalty. There is no expiration date on your prerequisite courses, but we would like to see the science and math classes taken within the last 10 years. 

The new (proposed curriculum revision) prerequisite requirement is Math 146-statistics.

*The program will honor the previous math requirement, intermediate algebra, instead of statistics for Fall 2023 admission.  

Math 146 is required to continue to an RN program.

Currently, this seven quarter, part-time program will require 21 months to complete. Admission to our Practical Nursing Program only occurs once a year at the start of every Fall Quarter.

Note that our PN program  (proposed curriculum revision) at Edmonds College consists of six quarters and is part-time. It will take a little less than two years to complete.  Students will attend fall, winter, and spring quarters classes for two years, with the summer quarter off.  Students will take 8 credits per quarter.

To prepare for the TEAS, check out these resources in our library:
TEAS - Test Preparation - Resource Guides at Edmonds Community College

The law requires that nursing prerequisite courses be transferable to Washington colleges and universities.

You must be admitted to the college before submitting your transcripts for evaluation. You can find the details here: ​Admissions: Getting Started - New Student

You can speak to an advisor by clicking on the Advising Front Desk button here: ​Advising

An advisor can look at your unofficial transcripts but cannot guarantee that the college will accept courses for credit or transfer. In order to get an official transcript you will need to follow the instruction here: ​Credentials and Evaluation: Graduation Application Process - Transcripts

The program you want to be evaluated for is ​not ​the PN program, but pre-nursing (code PREN). They will not do an official transcript evaluation of your prerequisite courses for the nursing program.

In Spring 2023, online and in person Q and A sessions will be held; the schedule will be posted on the webpage. We will discuss the program changes at that time.  These sessions are not mandatory, but attendance is suggested if you have questions about the program after viewing our informational videos (see below).

• Edmonds College PN Program Information
• How to Fill Out an Application for the Edmonds College PN program
• TEAS Information for Edmonds College PN program
• Clinical requirements to Attend Edmonds College PN Program

Everything discussed in those sessions is on the videos on our webpage, so please take a look at them. ​These videos will be updated for the proposed curriculum revision Spring 2023.

We do not have one at the present time, but are exploring the possibility of developing one in the near future.

There are community and technical colleges in Washington that offer LPN to associate degree RN programs, LPN to BSN programs, and there are two out of state schools who have programs approved by the WA nursing commission. See the DOH website for details: ​Nursing Programs

We have full approval from the​ ​Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission​.

The Edmonds College Practical Nursing program holds pre-accreditation status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, 202-909-2526. Holding pre-accreditation status does not guarantee that initial accreditation by NLN CNEA will be received.