Filling the national worker shortage for these high demand professions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical assistants is the occupation that’s projected to have the most openings due to employment growth, with new jobs expected to stem from greater demand for healthcare services.

LPNs earn a family-supporting wage and the before/after salary boost is typically greater than the cost of the training. Check out this list from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics comparing average salaries of a variety of health care roles. At $59,730 (in 2023), LPNs earn the highest wages for roles not requiring a degree.

Scholarship and government aid is heavily weighted toward degree programs. Even though obtaining a nursing license is transformational to lift a family to economic stability, there are fewer options for funding. A large portion of students who chose the Practical Nursing License as their initial step into higher education are from underresourced backgrounds where gathering personal or family funds to cover college expenses is challenging.

It provides an 'onramp' to additional education and a great career. Completing their LPN in less than a year, the economic impact of this training is more achievable compared to a multi-year commitment to a degree program, where life events can get in the way of completion. With their LPN in hand, many nurses continue with additional education for career progression. Employers often pay for health care professionals to further their education with an associates, bachelors degree, or beyond.