Practical Nursing (LPN)

Explore Courses, Details, and Costs

Hands-on experience is a key part of your education at every level. This includes working through real-world scenarios in the state-of-the-art simulation center, or working alongside pros during clinical rotations.

Lab Hours: 144 (Includes prerequisite courses)

Clinical Hours: 192

The Practical Nursing (LPN) program can be completed part-time or full-time. The part-time program is fall start only.

Semesters 3 and 4 of the Associate Degree Nursing (RN) program must be completed at full-time status.

This program qualifies for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and will pay up to 100% of your tuition.

You must apply for, be awarded, and meet the ongoing eligibility requirements for the Last-Dollar Scholarship.

Practical Nursing graduates are eligible to take the LPN NCLEX.

This program prepares the student for licensure in Iowa. See our State Licensure Google Sheet to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Nursing program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification. For additional information see:

• National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Board of Nursing Professional Licensure Requirements: Professional nursing licensure requirements by state
• Contact information for each state's professional licensure regulatory agency

Licensure and Certification Disclosure

First-Time Licensed Practical Nurse Pass Rates

First-time pass rates within six months of completing the Practical Nursing coursework at Hawkeye.

The pledge of the Nursing program faculty at Hawkeye Community College is to prepare safe, competent, and confident entry-level professional nursing graduates.

The mission of the Hawkeye Community College Nursing Program is to prepare nurses for entry level professional nursing practice that meets the diverse health care needs of individuals, groups, and communities. Faculty facilitate and guide the education of students in the art and science of nursing to provide quality, ethical, holistic, and culturally competent collaborative care.

The goals of the nursing program at Hawkeye Community College are:

• To facilitate student success through an evidence-based curriculum that is student-centered.
• To provide a curriculum with dynamic clinical and simulation experiences.
• To provide a fair, firm, and consistent educational experience that prepares students for entry level practice.
• To prepare students for successful completion of the licensure examination.
• To maintain a nursing program that meets Iowa Board of Nursing regulatory standards.

This program is fully approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing.

Iowa Board of Nursing
400 S.W. 8th Street Suite B
Des Moines, IA 50309

If you don’t have a Practical Nursing degree, you’ll have to finish all the Term 0 prerequisite courses with the required minimum grades.

If you’ve graduated from a Practical Nursing program, here’s what you need to do:

1. Show proof that you completed a Practical Nursing program by sending in your official transcript.
2. Make sure you’ve finished these courses with the required minimum grades:
   • Two semesters of high school chemistry or CHM-122 Introduction to General Chemistry (or an equivalent course) with at least a C- grade.
   • BIO-168 Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab, with a B- grade or higher.
   • BIO-173 Human Anatomy and Physiology II with lab, with a B- grade or higher.

Note: Even though Hawkeye Community College allows Pass/Fail grades for some classes, they can’t accept Pass/Fail grades from high school or college when it comes to admission requirements. This is because of accreditation rules

Once you meet all the admission requirements you’ll get what’s called an "Eligible-Start Date to be Determined" (ETBD) status. This status is based on when you complete your prerequisites. If more than one student finishes on the same day, the registration date for the final prerequisite course is used to figure out who’s ahead in line.

Getting ETBD status doesn’t guarantee program admittance—it depends on how many seats are available.

Each year in September or October, the Admissions Office will ask you to confirm that you’re still interested. They’ll also give you an update on your anticipated start term twice a year, in November and February.

The process for admitting students for the next fall semester starts in March. We'll start admitting students for the next spring semester in October.

Make sure to keep your contact info updated and check your Hawkeye email regularly to stay on top of everything!

Before classes start, there are a few important things you need to do as an admitted student. Make sure you check off everything on this list to be ready for your program!

• Complete a physical exam and submit your immunization record using the Hawkeye Community College form.
• Attend the Mandatory Compliance Training session.
• As a Health student at Hawkeye, you’ll need to complete the same background checks as hospital employees. This check will include fingerprinting and look into databases like the sex offender registry, child abuse and dependent adult registries, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Depending on the results, it could affect your ability to take part in clinical experiences.
• Healthcare Provider CPR certified.