What is an licensed practical nurse license, and how do you get one?
Licensed practical nurses are licensed by a state board of nursing after completing a state-approved practical nursing programme — typically around a year — and passing the NCLEX-PN, a computer-adaptive examination developed by NCSBN. Licensure includes a criminal background check, and in Nurse Licensure Compact states an LPN whose primary residence is in the compact can hold a multistate licence. Scope of practice is set by each state and is narrower than an RN's, particularly on assessment and intravenous therapy. LPNs earn a $64,400 median.
- Complete a state-approved practical nursing programme.
- Apply to the board of nursing and clear the background check.
- Pass the NCLEX-PN.
- Receive the licence, single-state or multistate depending on your residence.
- Add IV therapy or specialty certification and renew on the board's cycle.
How to get a licensed practical nurse license
- 1
Complete an approved practical nursing programme
Enrol in a practical or vocational nursing programme approved by the state board of nursing — typically around a year, combining classroom instruction with supervised clinical practice. Board approval is what makes you eligible to test.
- 2
Apply to the board and clear the background check
Submit your application with proof of programme completion and fingerprints for the criminal background check, then wait for authorisation to test. Disclose any history accurately; boards assess it against their fitness standards rather than treating it as automatically disqualifying.
- 3
Pass the NCLEX-PN
Sit the computer-adaptive examination at a Pearson VUE centre, covering coordinated care, safety and infection control, health promotion, psychosocial integrity, pharmacological therapies, basic care and comfort and risk reduction. It ends when competence can be determined.
- 4
Receive the licence
The board issues your licence on a passing result — single-state, or multistate if your primary residence is in a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Confirm which you hold before accepting work across a state line.
- 5
Add scope certifications and renew
Obtain IV therapy certification where your state requires it separately, along with any specialty credentials your setting expects. Then renew on the board's cycle with its continuing-education requirement, and consider an LPN-to-RN bridge programme as a next step.
Licensed Practical Nurse license requirements
Requirements are set by each state board of nursing and are consistent nationwide in structure. To be licensed you need:
Approved programme
A practical or vocational nursing programme approved by the state board of nursing, typically around a year, combining classroom instruction with supervised clinical practice.
NCLEX-PN
The National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses, a computer-adaptive test scored pass or fail against a competency standard rather than as a percentage.
Background check
Criminal background check and, in most states, fingerprinting, with the board assessing any history against its fitness standards.
Scope-specific certifications
Several states require separate certification before an LPN may perform intravenous therapy or other defined tasks, obtained through board-approved coursework.
How much a licensed practical nurse license costs
This is the least expensive route to a nursing licence. Budget for:
The practical nursing programme is the main cost and is far lower than a degree route. Examination and licence fees are published by NCSBN and each board, and many long-term care employers fund training in exchange for a work commitment.
The licensed practical nurse license exam
The NCLEX-PN is developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and delivered as a computer-adaptive test at Pearson VUE centres: question difficulty adjusts to your performance and the examination ends once competence can be determined, so candidates finish at different lengths and there is no percentage score. Content is organised around client needs — safe and effective care environment including coordinated care and infection control, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, and physiological integrity including pharmacological therapies, basic care and comfort and reduction of risk potential. It is closed book, and candidates who do not pass may retest after the waiting period the board and NCSBN apply.
How long it takes to get licensed
Twelve to eighteen months from starting the programme to holding a licence — the fastest route into licensed nursing practice.
Licensed Practical Nurse license types: the full ladder
The nursing ladder runs from aide through practical nursing to registered and advanced practice roles, and LPNs sit squarely in the middle.
Certified nursing assistant
The tier below practical nursing: personal care and basic nursing tasks under a licensed nurse's direction, and a common entry point into LPN programmes.
Practical nursing student
Provides supervised care within the approved programme's clinical placements; not licensed.
Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse
The core licence: nursing care, medication administration and monitoring within the state's defined scope, under the direction of an RN or physician.
IV therapy certified LPN
Board-approved certification permitting intravenous therapy where the state requires it separately from the base licence.
Multistate LPN licence
Issued by compact states to nurses whose primary residence is in the compact, authorising practice across participating states.
Registered Nurse
The next licence, reached through an LPN-to-RN bridge programme and the NCLEX-RN, with a wider scope and materially higher pay.
LPN / LVN vs Registered Nurse: licensed practical nurse license
Licensed Practical Nurse license reciprocity between states
The Nurse Licensure Compact covers practical and vocational nurses as well as registered nurses, so an LPN whose primary state of residence participates can hold a multistate licence and practise across participating states without additional applications. Two limits apply. Nurses resident in non-compact states hold single-state licences and must apply by endorsement, which is routine but takes weeks and requires verification of original licensure. And scope of practice is set by the state where you practise, not where you were licensed, which matters more for LPNs than RNs because LPN scope — particularly on intravenous therapy — differs so much between states.
Licensed Practical Nursesalary & job outlook
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn a median of about $64,400 per year ($30.96/hour), with skilled nursing, home health and correctional settings often paying above hospital LPN roles, and shift differentials mattering materially. Employment is projected to grow 2.6%, with roughly 54,400 openings a year. See the full licensed practical nurse salary guide for pay by state, city and experience level.
Licensed Practical Nurse license requirements by state
Every state licenses LPNs, so the differences are compact participation, scope of practice — particularly intravenous therapy — and renewal requirements.
All states license practical or vocational nurses through a board of nursing. The meaningful differences are Nurse Licensure Compact participation, which determines multistate privileges, and scope of practice, which varies more for LPNs than for RNs — especially on intravenous therapy, assessment and delegation. Confirm scope with the board where you will practise, not only where you trained.
Browse all state guides
Licensed Practical Nurse license FAQs
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses) · NCSBN, NCLEX examinations · NCSBN, Nurse Licensure Compact · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (29-2061). Requirements and fees are set per state and change, confirm with your state board before applying.
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