Top Hispanic Friendly LPN/LVN Programs

As the United States Baby Boomer population reaches retirement age, the need for Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurses (LPN & LVN*) continues to increase. More and more students nationwide—including Hispanics—are choosing to obtain LPN / LVN certifications by attending accredited schools in their states to meet this need. Hispanic LPN's are becoming a large part of the healthcare workforce, especially in cities. People of Hispanic and Latino descent make up 8.9 percent of LPN's in urban areas, compared to just 3.2 percent in rural areas, which are generally served by Caucasian LPN's. Despite the overall increase in the number of Hispanic LPN's recent years, they are still underrepresented in the healthcare and nursing fields. To address this issue and increase interest and enrollment in LPN programs, many schools nationwide have retooled their curriculum and marketing strategies to target better and serve students of Hispanic and Latino ancestry.

States that Emphasize Hispanic-Friendly LPN / LVN Programs

The demographics and geography of the United States mean that certain states have higher populations of Hispanics than others. Texas, California, Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona have the highest percentage of Hispanic or Latino populations, and it’s no surprise that programs in those states have devoted the most money and resources into developing Hispanic-friendly LPN / LVN programs. Our data shows three of the top five Hispanic-friendly programs in the country, and five of the top ten are all in Texas. Laredo Community College, South Texas College, and Valley Grande Institute for Academic Studies lead the way while all have LVN programs that meet key criteria for attracting, retaining, and graduating the large Hispanic population in the Lone Star state. Rounding out the top 10 includes two schools from California, including #1 overall Imperial Valley College, two schools from New Mexico, and one from Florida. Texas, California, and Florida have large Hispanic populations that are underrepresented in each state’s overall LPN / LVN workforce.

Hispanic LPV/LVN Schools by State Totals

1. California = 30
2. Texas = 14
3. Florida = 3
4. New Mexico = 3
5. Illinois = 1

Statistics of Hispanics Pursuing Higher Education in the United States

The percentage of Hispanic high school graduates in the United States who go on to enroll in college is higher than ever. 35% of Hispanic high school graduates are attending two-year and four-year universities. Roughly 50% of Hispanics enrolled in college tend to head to the public two-year option instead of directly the four-year route. The good news is Hispanics statistically have substantially less student debt because they attend two-year colleges in greater numbers. While there is an overall push to increase that number, LPN programs throughout the country have capitalized on the trend by offering an in-demand skillset with high salaries for only one year of post-high school training. Adding Hispanic LPN's to the healthcare workforce is especially vital in the coming years, as they’re often bilingual and can more easily provide and translate complex medical instructions to patients who only speak Spanish. Find available LPN jobs.

Ranking Methodology

The data used to determine the top Hispanic-friendly LPN/LVN program rankings were obtained from the 2015 IPEDS data release (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds). The LPN/LVN program completions were analyzed and ranked via the following process:

1. The program must have at least 10 students total
2. The program must have at least 10 Hispanic students
3. At least 25% of the total students completing the program must be Hispanic
4. Programs were ranked in order of the percent of total students that were Hispanic.

* PLEASE NOTE: Correct terminology in California & Texas is Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN).