Top LPN Programs in Delaware

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

The state of Delaware maintains the high standard of health by providing quick, accessible, safe, and high-quality services to the community. It strives to provide the highly qualified, capable, and expert nursing individuals by providing rigorous training under various LPN programs in Delaware. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted a huge rise in the jobs of licensed practical nurses in the upcoming years (by the year 2024). For individuals, who want to advance in the career of practical nursing and looking forward to attending an LPN school in Delaware, we have prepared a list of top nursing schools in Delaware. All these programs are approved by the Delaware Board of Nursing.

LPNs are the nurses who take care of the basic requirements of the patients and perform several activities like inserting and caring for urinary catheters, collecting specimens such as urine, blood, sputum, etc., wound dressing, administering intravenous and oral medications. In the cases of emergencies, they also perform CPR and monitor the patients with tracheotomy tube and ventilators. Licensed practical nurses are guided by the registered nurses or physicians.

Accredited Nursing Schools in Delaware

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.

Top nursing schools in Delaware are as follows-

Delaware LPN Licensing Requirements

The aspirants can either apply for the practical nursing licensure by examination if they wish to take the NCLEX examination or can apply for the licensure by endorsement if they are a resident of the compact license state. The state of Delaware allows nurses from another state to practice in Delaware if they are a resident of a compact state. If your license is going to expire, make sure to renew it before the expiration date. You can avail the reinstatement service offered by the Delaware Nursing Board if your license has already expired or is in the inactive status.
Note:

1. 1. All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
   2. Your applications will remain active for 12 months from the date of the application. After 12 months, you would be required to submit a new application.

Licensure by Examination

Applicants can apply for the licensure by examination if they wish to take the NCLEX-PN exam. The state of Delaware allows only the residents of Delaware and non-compact states to apply for the licensure by examination. You need to provide the following documents and details-

1. 1. • A criminal background check by completing the Authorization for Release of Information form, to determine whether you have had a criminal background check in the past or not.
      • A completed, signed, and thoroughly filled application form with basic details, including name, date of birth, phone number, mailing address, email address, education details, and the details of the nursing program attended.
      • Social Security Number (SSN)
      • A processing fee of $141
      • Enclose a copy of driver's license or any other official identification card.

Note:

1. 1. 1. Applicants, who have completed their nursing education from a program outside the United States of America or Canada, need to submit a copy of Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) certificate verification letter that would be sent directly to the office of Delaware Board of Nursing by the CGFNS.
      2. Applicants who have completed their practical nursing education from the USA or the United States of America's territory (other than Puerto Rico), then they are required to submit an official transcript showing the details of their practical nursing education and should be sent directly by their nursing college to the office of the Delaware Nursing Board.
      3. Once the applicant is all set to take the NCLEX exam, s/he should register on the Pearson Vue Website, an online exam portal. The Delaware Board of Nursing will notify if the applicant is eligible to take the NCLEX exam or not, once getting and evaluating the required documents and registering on the Pearson Vue.
      4. If you are found eligible to take the NCLEX exam, the board will send you an Authorization to Test (ATT) form by email. Once receiving the ATT form, the applicant can schedule the exam, and will receive the license via mail by the Delaware Board of Nursing if s/he has passed the examination.
      5. The practical nursing licensure applicant should make sure to register his/her name on the Delaware Nurse Aide Registry.

Licensure by Endorsement

Applicants who wish to apply for an LPN license in the state of Delaware can do so by endorsement, if they currently hold an active nursing license in another state of the USA, a territory of the United States of America, or District of Columbia, and they never held a practical nursing license in the state of Delaware.

Though, the state of Delaware is an active participant of the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC), the applicants who are from a Non-Compact state are only required to apply for the licensure by endorsement. If you wish to apply for an LPN license by endorsement, you might require to fulfill any one of the following requirements:

1. 1. • The applicant must be a graduate of a nursing program approved by the Delaware Nursing Board within the last two years. The coursework must consist of 200 hours of clinical experience, or
      • The applicant must have completed at least 1000 hours of nursing practice within the last five years, or
      • The applicant should ensure that s/he has completed at least 400 hours of nursing practice within the last two years, or
      • The applicants must have completed a refresher program approved by the Board.

Note:

In case the applicant does not fulfill any of the above requirements, s/he needs to submit the application, requesting the board for approval of a substitute supervised practice plan. Make sure to apply and get a temporary permit that will be strictly required for the applicant to work under the supervised practice plan.
Other prerequisites to be fulfilled:

1. 1. • A completed, signed, and thoroughly filled application form.
      • A processing fee of $141.
      • The applicant may be asked to provide a photocopy of current driver's license or other official identification cards.
      • Submit fingerprint cards.
      • Completion of the Authorization for Release of Information form of criminal background check by both the state of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
      • Nursing Reference Form sent directly to the office of the Delaware Nursing Board by each of your employer where you have been employed as the same type of nurse for at least past six months.
      • Nursing Reference Form sent directly to the office of Delaware Board of Nursing by the institute from where you have graduated within the past two years, and you have not been employed as the same type of nurse for at least past six months.
      • Nursing Reference Form sent directly to the board by each of your employer where you have been employed as the same type of nurse for at least six months in the last five years, in case, you have neither graduated from a nursing college within the last two years nor you have been employed for six months as the same type of nurse you are now applying for.
      • Verification of the original license by examination.
      • If you have completed your practical nursing (PN) education and worked as a practical nurse outside the United States of America or Canada, you need to submit a copy of Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) certificate verification letter that would be sent directly to the office of the Delaware Board of Nursing by the CGFNS.
      • In order to apply for a practical nursing licensure by endorsement, the applicant must submit his/her Social Security Number (SSN). If s/he has never been issued a SSN of the USA, s/he must submit a Request for Exemption from Social Security Number Requirement form.

Delaware Nursing License Verification

Applicants can verify their practical nursing licenses online through Delaware Division of Professional Regulation online license verification service. In order to verify the practical nursing license online, you will be asked to provide the following details, hence, keep your documents handy-

1. 1. • Last name of the applicant
      • The current profession of the applicant
      • Type of license
      • The license number of the applicant
      • Mailing address of the applicant such as country, state, city, and zipcode

Temporary Permit for Practical Nurses

If you have already submitted an application for LPN license in Delaware and meet any of the following criteria, then submit an application for a temporary permit.

1. 1. • The applicant has a job offer.
      • You applied by examination or endorsement, and have to resume your job before you take the exam, or the process of endorsement is complete.
      • If the applicant is not a resident of Delaware and applied for the license by endorsement, his/her job offer must be in the state of Delaware.
      • Applicants, who have applied for the practical nursing license by examination, must have the job offer in the state of Delaware.
      • If the applicant is a resident of Delaware and applied for the license by endorsement, then his/her job offer must be in the state of Delaware or another compact state.

The candidates need to meet the following requisites:

1. 1. • Submit a completed, signed, and thoroughly filled application for the temporary permit for licensed practical nurse.
      • A temporary permit fee of $40 to the "State of Delaware" and should be paid via check or money order (all the fees are non-refundable and non-transferable).
      • If the applicant is applying for the temporary permit by examination then s/he would need to submit the following documents:
        • An official transcript of your nursing program sent directly to the board.
        • A copy of your job offer letter.
        • A criminal history report by both the state of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation for the background check.
      • If the applicant is applying for the temporary practical nursing permit by endorsement, s/he would be required to submit the following documents:
        • Nursing reference form
        • A copy of the applicant's job offer letter
        • A criminal history report by state of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation for the background check.

Once the applicant provides all the information, documents, and fulfills all the requirements, the Delaware Nursing Board will issue the temporary permit within seven business days and mail it to the applicant. Once issued, the applicant will be able to verify the practical nursing temporary permit by using the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation online license verification service.

Note:

1. 1. 1. If the applicants have applied for the license by examination, then their temporary permit will expire 90 days after the completion date of their graduation. It will expire immediately if they could not pass the NCLEX examination.
      2. If the applicants have applied by endorsement, then their temporary permit will expire 90 days after the date of issuing.

Delaware Nursing License Renewal

The LPN license expires on 28th February of even years. The Delaware Board of Nursing will remind you to renew the license by sending mail directly to your address, weeks before the date of expiration. Hence, it is advised to keep your contact information updated in the database of the Board. You can update your contact information online by using the Delaware License Online Service, where, you would have to log in first with your user ID and password.
Requirements to be fulfilled for license renewal:

1. 1. • The applicant must complete the required continuing education.
      • You are supposed to practice nursing at least 400 hours in the last 2 years or 1,000 hours in the last 5 years.

Note:If an applicant fails to renew his/her license before the expiration date and before the extended period of two months, his/her license would be terminated, and before continuing practice as a licensed practical nurse, s/he needs to apply for the reinstatement of the license.

Request for Inactive Status

If an applicant is not actively practicing as an LPN, then s/he should request to put his/her license in an inactive status. For this, you will need to submit a written request to the state nursing board. Once your application for inactivation is processed, you will receive a notice of the inactive status of your practical nursing license by the board.

Delaware Practical Nursing License Reinstatement

If you are an LPN in Delaware with an inactive license or if you held a practical nursing license in the state previously that is now expired, then you can apply for the reinstatement. The applicants can also submit this application if they are holding a current license in another NLC state and are planning to move to Delaware or a non-compact state.
To apply for the reinstatement of the license, you should carefully follow the below given instructions:

1. 1. • Submit a completed, notarized, and signed application form.
      • Submit the reinstatement fee along with the application. The fee must be payable via money order or check to "State of Delaware."

Note- Applications that are submitted without the fees will not be accepted.

1. 1. • Attach a copy of official ID card or driver’s license issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
      • Attach a copy of each current nursing license (showing expiration date) if you are currently certified in another jurisdiction or state.
      • Request a Federal Bureau of Investigation and State of Delaware criminal background check by completing the Authorization for Release of Information form.
      • Submit the Verification of Continuing Education form.
      • Attach copies of the certificates of completion for the program that you enlisted on the Verification of Continuing Education form.
      • If you do not have Social Security Number, send a Request for Exemption from Social Security Number Requirement.
      • The Board must receive Nursing Reference Form as follows:
        • If you have previously worked as a nurse for the past six or more months and currently applying for the same designation with a new employer, then you are supposed to submit a form to each employer where you did job as a nurse during the last 6 months.
        • If you have not previously worked as the same type of nurse for the past six months for which you are applying but did graduation from your nursing program within the last 2 years, send a form for completion to your nursing program.
        • If you are not working for the past six months and did not undergo graduation from nursing program within the last 2 years, but worked on the same designation (same type of nurse) within the last 5 years for which you are applying, send a form to the most current employer with which you were employed for a minimum of 6 months.
        • The nursing school (or the employer) must return the completed form to the Board via mail. Forms submitted by the candidate will not be accepted.

Note-If you have completed a refresher course approved by the board in the last 2 years or haven’t worked as the same type of nurse in the last 5 years for which you are applying now, you need not submit a reference form.

Request Name Change

If you want to change your name on the LPN license, complete the following requirements:

1. 1. • Submit signed and completely filled "Request for Name Change" form.
      • Attach a copy of the legal document (like name change order from the court, divorce decree, or a marriage certificate), if the license is meant for a person.
      • If the license is meant for business, but the name change is not related to change in ownership, provide a document (like a business license) displaying the new name.

Your request will be processed in 2-4 weeks. For confirming name change, look up your license on "Search for a License."

Salary of Practical Nurses in Delaware

According to indeed.com, the average salary of licensed practical nurses in Delaware was $45,000 per annum (as of October 5, 2016).

Information Source: indeed.com

As per as the statistics showed in the table, Psychiatric Nurse earned the maximum salary, i.e., $50,000. Patient Care Technician Student made the least salary (i.e., $15,000).

Annual Average Salaries of Licensed Practical Nurses in Various Cities of Delaware

As on September 30, 2016, the average annual salaries of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in different cities of Delaware as per salary.com were as follows-

Name of the Cities	Salary
Bear	$48,939
Delaware City	$48,939
Harrington	$46,949
Dover	$46,738
Lewes	$46,803
Middletown	48,939
Milford	$47,369
Newark	$48,939
New Castle	$48,939
Rehoboth Beach	$46,750
Wilmington	$48,939
Seaford	$46,845

Information Source: salary.com

As per above table, the top-paying cities for licensed practical nurses were-Bear, Delaware City, Middletown, Newark, Newcastle, and Wilmington. They paid $48,939 per annum. The minimum salary ($46,738) was in Dover.

Job Outlook

As per the reports of the BLS, ambulatory care settings, home health environments, outpatient care settings, and residential care facilities will require the highest number of practical nurses to fulfill the demands of the patients. A hike of 16% in the job opportunities for these professionals is anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This growth is attributed to reforms in federal health insurance and increase in the number of chronic diseases. Though the job of an LPN is stressful, it gives you a feeling of satisfaction as you make differences in the lives of the people.