LPN School in Massachusetts - MA
Education Through Massachusetts LPN schools
The state of Massachusetts is home to several schools with accredited practical nursing programs. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services may make allowances on a case-by-case basis for those who were maybe unable to attend an approved school but feel their education or experience should qualify them to work as LPN's. Also consider accredited online schools as they provide a comparable education at a much lower cost.
Most Massachusetts LPN schools offer programs that take about 8 months to a year to work through, assuming full-time attendance. Studies consist of general medical education and subjects dealing with the care and health of other people- nutrition, first aid, and anatomy. Most programs quickly progress from the classroom to clinical practice, generally in a hospital, with the time being split between the two.
While in school, you might also think about specializing, and see if you can find an opportunity to shadow or intern at a location relevant to your specialization. Massachusetts is one of few states in which LPNs can have a much broader range of duties, so you might want to take advantage of it. General areas of specialization include obstetrics, surgery, rehab, and pediatrics.
Through campus based and online programs, aspiring LPNs in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Cambridge and Lowell, Massachusetts may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the Massachusetts General Hospital, Winchester Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Marlborough Hospital.
Continuing Education for LPN's in Massachusetts
In order to meet the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services requirements for renewing your license, you will have to complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every two years. One contact hour is equal to 50 or so minutes of study, and will only count toward your total if earned from a board approved program.
Fortunately, Massachusetts’s law is quite open in this regard. While any program or study opportunity offered by an accredited school, or put on by a national or state wide nursing organization, is obviously approved, the board also allows for independent study and peer teaching to count towards your total hours, provided you can provide proof that it contributed to your education.