Vocational Nursing (VNE)

Successful completion of vocational nursing curriculum leads to a certificate of proficiency. This program is accredited by the Texas Board of Nursing. A vocational nursing student must maintain a minimum of a “C” in every vocational nursing course in order to graduate.

What can I do with this degree?
Career options:Employment of LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)/LVINs is projected to grow faster than average. The best job opportunities will occur in nursing care facilities and home health care services, while applicants for jobs in hospitals may face competition. Employment of LVN/LPNs is expected to grow 14 percent between 2006 and 2016, faster than the average for all occupations, in response to the long-term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general increase in demand for health care services.  Many procedures once performed only in hospitals are being performed in physicians’ offices and in outpatient care centers such as ambulatory surgical and emergency medical centers, largely because of advances in technology. LVN/LPNs care for patients who undergo these and other procedures, so employment of LVNs is projected to decline in traditional hospitals, but is projected to grow faster than average in most settings outside of hospitals. However, some hospitals are assigning a larger share of nursing duties to LVNs, which will temper the employment decline in the industry.

Employment of LVNs is expected to grow much faster than average in home health care services. Home health care agencies will offer a large number of new jobs for LVNs because of an increasing number of older people with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home.  Employment of LVN/LPNs in nursing care facilities is expected to grow faster than average, and provide the most new jobs for LVNs, because of the growing number of people who are aged and disabled and in need of long-term care. In addition, LVNs in nursing care facilities will be needed to care for the increasing number of patients who have been discharged from the hospital but who have not recovered enough to return home.

Earnings: Median annual earnings of licensed practical nurses were $36,550 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $31,080 and $43,640. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,380, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $50,480. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of licensed practical nurses in May 2006 were: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos102.htm

• Employment services - $42,110
• Nursing care facilities - $38,320
• Home health care services - $37,880
• General medical and surgical hospitals - $35,000
• Offices of physicians - $32,710

Department/Contact Information: 

• Office of Advising : 903-510-2662
• Kay Devereux, Instructor/Department Chair, Vocational Nurse Education Program
  - Pirtle Technology T256 | kdev@tjc.edu | 903-510-2470