Top LPN Programs in Hawaii

Hawaii LPN Schools, License Requirements, Job Outlook, and Salary

The state of Hawaii strives to provide quality nursing and healthcare facilities to all its citizens by providing better job opportunities to Licensed Practical Nurses. The Hawaii Board of Nursing strives to maintain the high standards of education with the collaboration of administrative staff, faculties, and students. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the employment opportunities for practical nurses are going to rise significantly by 2024. Students, who are planning to get into good LPN schools in Hawaii, are advised to ensure that they are approved by the Hawaii Nursing Board. Practical nurses, who are currently working in another state, can also apply for a licensure to work in Hawaii by endorsement.

Although, there are a large number of accredited nursing schools in Hawaii, we have tried our best to reduce the efforts of the students by creating a list of top nursing schools in Hawaii. The nursing schools in the state aspire to provide a safe learning environment to the students where they can hone their skills, learn new skills, and get expertise in the field. Almost all the nursing programs offer financial aid to economically challenged students to provide equal chances to grow as a competent nurse. Students, who want to take a step ahead in nursing and want to contribute to the public health and welfare, are welcomed to avail the quality nursing programs and increasing job opportunities in the state of Hawaii.

LPN Programs in Hawaii

OUR METHODOLOGY +

A nursing school ranks on the top according to the following criteria-

• Higher Passing Rate of Alumni in NCLEX
• Financial Aid that a school provides
• Higher number of students

The nursing schools were then included in the ranking on the basis of following factors-

• Well-developed Architecture
• Better Infrastructure
• Superior Technology
• Ranking in US News and World Report
• Teachings offered by world-class faculty
• Inclusion of world-class facilities
• World-class Opportunities

We hope that the list will help you to opt the best college as per your preferences in the state. The programs available in these colleges will give you an opportunity to begin your journey as a successful nurse.

Hawaii LPN Licensing Requirements

If you have just completed a certificate program in practical nursing but don't have a license yet, then apply for a licensure soon. In order to obtain licensure by examination, you need to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Applicants who have passed the NCLEX exam with the minimum passing marks and fulfills all other requisites will receive their practical nursing license. Hawaii is currently not an NLC state, and thus, the practical nurses from other states need to apply for a Hawaii licensure first in order to practice in the state.

Licensure by Examination

Applicants who have applied for the NCLEX in the state of Hawaii are eligible to apply for a practical nursing licensure by examination. The application form needs to be thoroughly filled and submitted to the Hawaii Board of Nursing with all the required documents, identity proofs, and social security number. Check out the following points to get a better understanding of the process of applying for an LPN license by examination-

• Complete the application form thoroughly and answer the mandatory questions.
• Provide your original signature. Applications without the original signature will not be accepted.
• Education Proofs: Include all the required documents pertaining to your education along with the fee. The processing usually takes 3-4 weeks.
• United States Graduates: Applicants, graduated from one of the nursing programs in the United States of America, should either send an official final transcript as the verification of their education or an official letter sent directly to the board from their school.
• Graduates from Foreign Schools: Applicants from foreign schools are also eligible to apply for the LPN licensure by examination if they have successfully completed a nursing program equivalent to the United States nursing education. Even if they have passed a nursing examination in a foreign country, they have to qualify the NCLEX examination with minimum scores to work as an LPN in the state of Hawaii. The foreign school's graduates also have to submit an official transcript by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). Applicants can either complete Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) or Certification Program (CEP) that also includes an English competency exam.
• Picture Identification and Date of Birth Proof: Applicants are required to include a document, issued by the government, that has your photo and date of birth. Make sure that the photo identification must be the same that you used while applying for the NCLEX exam.
• Social Security Number: Applicants are required to provide their Social Security Number (SSN) along with a photocopy of their social security card.
• Application Fee: A check of $40 made payable to the Commerce & Consumer Affair should be included as the application fee.

Licensure by Endorsement

Practical nurses of other states are required to apply for the licensure by endorsement if they want to avail the increasing job opportunities in the state of Hawaii. The process of applying for the LPN license by endorsement is as follows:

• Exam Requirements: Clear one of the following examinations-
  • National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) with a minimum passing score of 350.
  • State Board Test Pool Exam (SBTPE) in another state or jurisdiction of the United States of America with the minimum passing score, i.e., 350 in each part.
  • A state board constructed exam
• Educational Requirements: The applicant must be graduated from a practical nursing program accredited by the Hawaii Board of Nursing or another state's nursing board. Foreign school graduates licensed as a practical nurse in another state of the United States of America need not evaluate their educational credentials by a professional evaluator. However, they will have to provide an approval indicating that they have a license from another state of the U.S. or equivalent.
• Applicants should read each and every detail of the application form and fill it properly.
• Applicants should answer all the questions and must sign the application form.
• Social Security Number along with the photocopy of the social security card must be submitted with the form.
• Attach the application fee through a check made payable to the Commerce & Consumer Affairs. The application fee is $202 for the odd-numbered years and $146 for the even-numbered years.

Temporary Permit

To apply for a temporary permit, an applicant must attach-

• A licensure application with the application fee
• A photocopy of current practical nursing license
• Original Verification of Employment attested by the current employer
• Receipt of mailing of Verification of License as proof or NURSYS verification

Hawaii Nursing License Renewa

Practical Nursing License expires on June 30 of each odd-numbered year in the state of Hawaii. If an applicant wants to renew his/her LPN license, s/he should apply for the renewal 60 days prior to the license expiration date.

License Reinstatement in Hawaii

If your license has been expired for two or more years, you will be required to re-apply for the licensure. Re-applying for the license would require submission of the application fee, identity proof, all other important documents, and passing the NCLEX exam with the minimum passing score. If you are out of practice for more than five years, you will have to retake and pass the NCLEX exam or complete the continuing education program.

Hawaii Nursing License Verification

Applicants are required to verify their practical nursing license in order to apply for the licensure by endorsement. The verification process includes verifying the marks you obtained in the NCLEX-PN exam, overall educational qualification, and verification of the current license which you obtained in another state. Hawaii Nurse Aide Registry also maintains the list of LPNs with an active license in the state.
In order to verify your practical nursing license, you need to-

• Send a request to the original state for the verification of your practical nursing license by examination with all the required documents and fee.
• Provide the date when you requested for the verification of your license from the original state.
• If you have obtained your license from a state that uses NURSYS, you are required to log in to the NURSYS website and request the verification by contacting the National Council through the website.

Average Annual Salary of LPN in Hawaii

According to indeed.com, the average salary of licensed practical nurses in Hawaii was $31,000 per annum (as of November 21, 2016).

Information Source: indeed.com

As per as the statistics of the above table, the maximum salary ($35,000) was earned by the Psychiatric Nurses, while the least salary ($10,000) was earned by the Patient Care Technician Students. Renal Dialysis Nurses and Nurse RN LPN made $32,000 and $30,000 per annum, respectively.

Average Annual Salaries of Licensed Practical Nurses in Different Cities of Hawaii

Information Source: salary.com

The evaluation of the above table reveals that the maximum salary ($47,149) was earned by the LPNs in the city of Honolulu, Kaneohe, and Pearl City. Licensed practical nurses in Hilo and Kahului got the least salary ($44,436).

Job Outlook for LPNs in Hawaii

The state of Hawaii strives to enhance the public health and provides better healthcare services, as well as highly competent healthcare employees, including licensed practical nurses. Most recent statistics show that the average annual salary for LPNs in the state of Hawaii is relatively higher than many other states of the U.S. Students can excel in their career by pursuing higher education such as LPN to RN bridge program. Being an LPN, you can work in clinics, public health care facilities, and hospitals.