You can train for practical nursing without leaving Homestead, but your shortlist gets considerably longer if you are willing to drive north. Two programs sit inside the city itself; the rest are LPN programs in Miami, clustered in Kendall and central Miami, a commute readers in Florida City, Naranja, and Cutler Bay already know well.
No Florida PN program runs fully online, because the Board of Nursing requires at least half of prelicensure training to be supervised clinical hours. Tuition swings by roughly $20,000 between a public technical college and a private career school for the same NCLEX-PN eligibility. In a Miami metro where LPN pay averages about $28 an hour, that spread decides more than any brochure does.
Who Hires LPNs in Homestead and South Miami-Dade
Homestead Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida, anchors acute care in town and hires both RNs and LPNs, though hospital floors are not where most LPN jobs actually live. Just across the street, The Palace Gardens, a 200-bed assisted living and memory care community, is one of the area's largest single employers of LPN nurse supervisors. Home-based work rounds out the picture: Amedisys recruits hospice LPNs covering Homestead and the Keys, while agencies like BrightStar Care, The Lakes Home Care, Caregiver Services Inc., and Maxim Healthcare post private-duty and per-visit LPN roles, some part-time, some with sign-on incentives. Community health centers serving South Dade's agricultural and immigrant workforce, plus school-based and outpatient pediatric clinics like First Place Pediatrics, add smaller but steady demand.
Where LPN Jobs Actually Concentrate
Statewide, nursing care facilities employ far more LPNs than any other setting, followed by home health, hospitals, physician offices, and assisted living. That ordering matters for a new graduate: your first job is more likely to be on a long-term care nursing floor or a home health caseload than a hospital unit. Pay follows a similar pattern, with nursing care facilities and home health often outpacing hospital wages for LPNs specifically.
What Florida Scope of Practice Allows
Under RN or physician direction, Florida LPNs administer medications, perform wound care, collect assessment data, and carry out delegated treatments. Tasks like initial patient assessments, care plan development, and IV push medications generally require an RN. Knowing this line helps you evaluate job postings realistically before you enroll.
The Commute Trade-Off
Staying local means shorter drives and tight-knit facility work, but the job market widens considerably if you're willing to commute north toward Kendall, Coral Gables, or central Miami, where hospital systems, dialysis providers, and managed-care organizations post more openings.
Can You Do an LPN Program Online in Florida?
No. No practical nursing program in Florida operates fully online, because the Florida Board of Nursing requires that at least 50 percent of a prelicensure PN program consist of supervised clinical training under Section 464.019, Florida Statutes. Skills labs and clinical rotations have to happen in person, in front of an instructor, on a real unit or in a simulation lab that meets Board standards.
What "Hybrid" Actually Means Here
When Homestead-area programs advertise flexible or hybrid LPN programs, they mean the lecture and theory portion, things like pharmacology readings, care-planning modules, or NCLEX-style question banks, can be completed online or in evening blocks. The other half of your training, the part that actually makes you a nurse, still happens on campus and at partner clinical sites. FVI School of Nursing's Practical Nursing program in the Miami/Miramar area, for example, runs fully residential: courses, labs, and clinical rotations are all in person, with no online component at all. Miami Dade College's practical nursing certificate operates similarly, though its LPN to RN bridge program (a different, post-licensure track) does use a hybrid or online structure.
Watch Out for Out-of-State Marketing
Be skeptical of ads for fully online LPN schools. A program has to hold Florida Board of Nursing approval for its graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN in this state. An out-of-state or unaccredited online program may leave you with a certificate that Florida will not recognize for licensure, no matter how polished the marketing looks.
Questions to Ask Before You Enroll
- On-site hours: How many hours per week are required on campus or at a clinical site?
- Clinical locations: Where exactly are rotations held, and how far is that from Homestead?
- BON approval: Is the program Board-approved for prelicensure practical nursing, specifically?
Get these answers in writing before you commit.
Homestead Campuses vs. Miami Commutes: Location, Length, and Schedule
The practical nursing decision in South Miami-Dade usually comes down to one trade-off: stay local in Homestead, or drive north into Miami for a schedule that fits around a job. Two of the programs below sit in Homestead itself, while Robert Morgan, Lindsey Hopkins, and Miami Dade College all require a commute up US-1 or the Turnpike during some of the heaviest traffic hours in the county. Published mileage and drive times are not listed in the schools' own materials, so verify your route at the exact times your class and clinical blocks meet before you commit.
| Program / Campus | City (Distance from Homestead) | Total Hours | Length | Schedule Options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dade Technical College, Practical Nursing | Homestead (local; drive time not published by the school) | 1,350 clock hours, including 675 clinical hours | Approximately 15 months | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; open-entry, open-exit, so students may start at any point in the school year when space is available |
| South Dade Technical College, dual enrollment at Homestead Senior High School | Homestead (classes held at Homestead Senior High; drive time not published) | N/A | N/A | Offered on the Homestead Senior High campus; program office hours run Monday through Friday, 7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. A specific practical nursing class schedule is not published, so confirm with the program office |
| Robert Morgan Educational Center / Robert Morgan Technical College, Practical Nursing | Miami (commute from Homestead; drive time not published) | 1,350 clock hours | Two to three trimesters | Evening cohort: Monday through Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., plus Friday, 3:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. |
| Lindsey Hopkins Technical College, Practical Nursing | Miami, 750 NW 20th Street, 33127 (longest commute of the group; drive time not published) | Not published in the current school catalog listing | Catalog shows a 165-hour segment running 6 weeks; total program length is not published in the material reviewed | Not published; confirm day and evening availability with the college |
| Miami Dade College, Benjamin Leon School of Nursing, Practical Nursing | Miami (commute from Homestead; drive time not published) | Not published in the material reviewed | Not published in the material reviewed | No fixed day, evening, or part-time pattern is published; the 2026-2027 cohort schedule should be confirmed directly with admissions |
| PiBerry Institute, Practical Nursing | Homestead, 30356 Old Dixie Hwy, 33033 (local) | 1,350 clock hours | 61 weeks | Not currently an option for new students: the school reports no future enrollments effective September 30, 2024, and states it has withdrawn from accreditation |
Related Articles
What an LPN Program Near Homestead Actually Costs
Public technical college versus private career school is the single biggest cost decision a Homestead applicant makes, and the gap is not small. You earn the same credential and take the same NCLEX-PN, but the cost differs by roughly $20,000 depending on where you enroll among LPN programs in Florida.
Public technical college pricing
South Dade Technical College, the closest option to Homestead, charges Florida residents about $2.56 per instructional hour (out-of-state students pay $10.25), plus a $15 application fee and a $5 ID fee. The college lists an approximate total of $5,425 for practical nursing, though material and liability fees are described as varying by program and are not itemized.
Lindsey Hopkins Technical College, one of the LPN programs in Miami, uses the same $2.56 per-hour resident rate, with a $20 application fee, $5 ID fee, a $150 material fee, and $25 for insurance. Published figures put tuition and fees near $3,690 with roughly $675 in books for a 1,350-hour, 15-month program. Robert Morgan Educational Center lists about $5,525 in tuition and fees plus $900 in books for a 1,350-hour, 18-month sequence. Sources disagree on whether Robert Morgan is currently enrolling practical nursing cohorts, so confirm before you build a budget around it.
Private career school pricing
PiBerry Institute's practical nurse diploma is the other end of the range: a recent catalog lists $22,500 in tuition and $2,520 in fees for a $25,020 total, including $120 for uniforms, a $350 exam fee, and a $210 certification fee. An older PiBerry addendum listed $12,000 and stated the practical nurse diploma was not eligible for federal financial aid, so ask directly about current Title IV status.
The costs applicants forget
- Clinical clearance: Level 2 background screening, drug testing, immunizations and titers, and annual TB screening.
- Gear: uniforms, nursing shoes, a stethoscope and skills kit, and a watch with a second hand.
- Certifications and coverage: CPR/BLS certification and student malpractice insurance.
- Licensure: the Florida Board of Nursing application and the separate Pearson VUE NCLEX-PN exam fee, neither of which is bundled into tuition.
Aid, net price, and what to budget
Average net price at these institutions runs from roughly $2,800 at Miami Lakes Educational Center and about $5,500 at Miami Dade College up past $23,000 at Florida National University and $27,000 at Concorde Career Institute-Miramar. Those are institution-wide averages across all programs, not a price quote for practical nursing. At Title IV schools, Pell grants and federal loans apply; elsewhere you are looking at Florida workforce scholarships, employer sponsorship, or an in-house payment plan.
Realistically, when comparing affordable LPN programs, budget $5,500 to $8,000 all-in on the public technical college path, and $13,000 to $27,000 at a private career school.
Where Your LPN Program Dollars Go
Sticker-price tuition is only part of what you write checks for. Here is how a representative public practical nursing program near Homestead splits out, using the figures from the cost breakdown above. Your own totals will shift with the school, but the proportions rarely do.
Admission Requirements for Homestead-Area Practical Nursing Programs
Requirements vary more than you would expect between Miami-Dade's public technical colleges, so verify every item with the program's own admissions office before you build a timeline. The list below reflects what the South Dade and Lindsey Hopkins practical nursing materials currently state, plus the compliance steps that routinely derail otherwise strong applicants.
- Diploma or GED, and a minimum age of 16Both South Dade Technical College and Lindsey Hopkins Technical College require a high school diploma or GED and set the minimum age at 16, with the expectation that applicants are no longer enrolled in K-12. Lindsey Hopkins specifies an official transcript from an accredited school.
- Entrance testing (TEAS at the Miami-Dade technical colleges)South Dade and Lindsey Hopkins both list the TEAS as the admission test for practical nursing. Neither publishes a numeric cut score in its accessible materials, so ask directly what score the current cohort is accepting. Lindsey Hopkins also uses TABE as a basic-skills placement measure. Private providers may use a different instrument entirely, PiBerry Institute's practical nurse program used the HESI Admission Assessment with a 55% cumulative English and math benchmark, though PiBerry stopped accepting new enrollments in 2024.
- Background screening and drug testingLindsey Hopkins explicitly requires Level 2 background screening; South Dade requires a background check as part of admission. Expect fingerprinting through the state's screening process. PiBerry's earlier requirements included a 10-panel AHCA background screen and a Level II drug test, a reasonable indicator of what clinical placement partners in South Florida expect.
- Health clearance and CPRClinical sites in Miami-Dade generally require immunization or titer records, a TB screening, a physical exam, and current BLS/CPR certification. These specifics are not published in the South Dade or Lindsey Hopkins practical nursing materials we reviewed, so request the health packet early, titers and a second TB step can take weeks.
- Application timingPractical nursing cohorts at the Miami-Dade technical colleges are competitive and start on a fixed schedule, so test and submit documents well ahead of the term you want. Lindsey Hopkins notes that its basic-skills testing must occur within six weeks of entry. Confirm current deadlines and whether a waitlist or information session applies, those details change term to term and are not reliably posted online.
Accreditation and Florida Board of Nursing Approval, Explained
The cheapest seat near you is worthless if the credential does not travel. That is the real tradeoff here: a program that gets you licensed quickly versus one whose paperwork still holds up when you apply to an LPN-to-RN bridge three years from now.
Three Different Stamps, Three Different Jobs
- Florida Board of Nursing approval: This is the non-negotiable one. Only graduates of a Board-approved prelicensure program may sit for the NCLEX-PN. Programs seeking approval pay a $1,000 application fee, and the Board generally issues a decision within about 90 days. Programs already accredited by ACEN or CCNE are exempt from parts of that review.
- Institutional accreditation: Bodies like the Council on Occupational Education (COE) or SACSCOC accredit the school, not the nursing program. This is what drives federal financial aid eligibility and whether another college will consider your credits.
- Programmatic nursing accreditation: ACEN reviews the nursing program itself. Many practical nursing certificates in Florida operate without it, which is common but worth knowing before you bank on a smooth transfer.
What We Could Verify Locally
Lindsey Hopkins Technical College is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education and lists the Florida Board of Nursing as the approving body for its practical nursing program. South Dade Technical College states on its own program page that the PN program is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing; we found no separate institutional accreditation listing, which is a gap in available information rather than evidence of a problem. PiBerry Institute advertises a Practical Nurse diploma, but its published Board approval language refers to its Associate degree nursing program, with COE accreditation described as under review. Ask directly which credential the approval covers. We could not confirm current details for the Robert Morgan LPN program at Robert Morgan Educational Center.
Verify It Yourself
Search the school by name on the Florida Board of Nursing's approved program list, then cross-check the institution in the COE, SACSCOC, or ACEN online directory. Two lookups, ten minutes, and you will know more than any brochure tells you.
Choose a program approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and accredited by a recognized agency, because that approval is what protects your NCLEX-PN eligibility.
What LPNs Earn in Homestead and the Miami Metro
What does an LPN actually take home in South Dade? The most reliable regional benchmark for LPN salary by state comparisons comes from federal wage surveys for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro, which put the average LPN wage at roughly $28.05 an hour, or about $58,350 a year, as of the May 2023 reporting period.1 That was up from about $26.47 an hour ($55,060 a year) the year before, with metro employment holding near 8,640 LPNs.2 The federal detail for this metro publishes averages rather than a full percentile spread, so we cannot state a clean 10th-to-90th percentile picture for Miami with confidence. Treat these as regional averages, not guarantees, and expect Homestead itself to sit near or slightly below the metro figure given how much of the region's higher-paying acute-care work sits north toward Miami proper.
Where the Setting Changes the Number
Nationally, the largest share of LPN jobs sits in nursing and residential care, where average pay ran about $62,510 in the most recent national industry data, while hospitals averaged near $65,370 and home health near $64,180. Those are national figures, not Florida-specific, so use them for the pattern rather than the price tag. Around Homestead, openings concentrate in skilled nursing and assisted living, home health serving the agricultural and retiree communities, and physician offices and clinics along US-1. Correctional health in South Dade is another steady, if less-advertised, employer.
Turning Hourly Into Real Money
At $28 an hour full time, you're looking at roughly $2,240 gross per biweekly paycheck before taxes and benefits. New graduates in South Dade commonly start below the metro average, then move up as they accumulate long-term care or IV-certified experience. Two levers raise early earnings faster than waiting for annual raises: shift differentials for evenings, nights, and weekends, and per-diem or agency work, which pays a higher hourly rate in exchange for no guaranteed hours.
Mid-career LPNs with charge-nurse duties can meaningfully clear the average. The larger jump, though, comes from bridging to RN, where Florida registered nurse wages sit well above the LPN range, which is exactly why so many Homestead LPNs enroll in an LPN to RN track within a few years of licensure.
Miami-Metro LPN Pay at a Glance
Homestead sits inside the Miami metro wage market, so this is the benchmark that matters most when you weigh program cost against future pay.
Top LPN Programs Serving Homestead and South Miami-Dade
Below are the top practical nursing programs serving Homestead students, ranked by completion data, cost, and program fit. Homestead anchors the southern end of Miami-Dade County, so each entry notes what the drive actually looks like, what the program costs, and how it is delivered. Most campuses here sit 30 to 50 miles north, and school-wide figures such as graduation rate, Pell share, and median debt describe the whole institution rather than the practical nursing program alone.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt
- Institution-wide graduation rates
- Tuition and average net price
- Program fit for Homestead students
- Accreditation and licensure approval
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
- Bureau of Economic Analysis cost-of-living index by state — bea.gov
Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College runs its one-year LPN certificate at the Medical Campus in downtown Miami, about an hour north of Homestead, while the college's Homestead campus keeps a nursing simulation and skills center closer to home. In-state tuition and fees are roughly $2,838 and the average net price is near $5,463. College-wide, about 46% of students graduate and 97% receive Pell grants, and median graduate debt is about $9,252; those figures describe the whole institution, not the certificate.
- One-year career technical certificate
- ACEN accredited and Florida Board of Nursing approved
- TEAS and TABE pre-admission tests required
- Prerequisite courses required before entry
- Program reports 80% licensure pass rate and 89% job placement
- Based at the Medical Campus in downtown Miami
- Financial aid and scholarships available
Licensed Practical Nursing Career Technical Certificate — On-Campus
FVI School of Nursing and Technology
FVI is a private nursing and technology school with Miami and Miramar campuses, roughly 30 to 40 miles from Homestead. Its 18-month practical nursing diploma pairs simulation labs with clinical rotations at hospitals, rehab centers, and home health agencies, and adds NCLEX-PN prep, success coaching, and job placement help. The average net price is about $35,514 and median graduate debt about $9,396; school-wide, about 89% of students graduate and 91% receive Pell grants.
- 18-month program, 57 total credit hours
- Rolling admissions with multiple starts through the year
- Clinical rotations at hospitals, rehab centers, and home health agencies
- NCLEX-PN prep integrated into the curriculum
- Success coaches, tutoring, and job placement assistance
- Financial aid and scholarships for those who qualify
- Approved by the Florida Board of Nursing
- Campus-based training in Miami and Miramar
Practical Nursing Diploma — On-Campus
Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College
Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College, about 35 miles north of Homestead, offers the lowest-cost route here: a 15-month program with about $6,366 in total tuition and an average net price near $2,839. Rolling admission and day or evening schedules make it workable for employed students, and graduates can articulate into Miami Dade College's RN program. The school-wide graduation rate is low and reflects the wider institution, so ask the nursing department for its own completion and licensure results.
- 15-month program with about 675 clinical hours
- $6,366 total program tuition
- Rolling admission; day and evening class options
- TEAS entrance exam required
- Articulation to the RN program at Miami Dade College
- HOSA student organization available
- CPR certification required for employment
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Sheridan Technical College
Sheridan Technical College is in Hollywood, about 50 miles from Homestead and the longest drive on this list. Its ACEN-accredited practical nursing program runs 12 months with five start dates a year, covers medical, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, and geriatric nursing, and reports a 92% licensure pass rate. The average net price is about $6,677, making it one of the cheapest options for students willing to make the commute.
- 12-month program with five start dates a year
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Florida Board of Nursing
- Reported 92% licensure pass rate
- Clinical experience in acute and long-term care
- Covers medical, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, and geriatric nursing
- Basic Life Support (BLS) training included
- Pathway to continue to RN or BSN
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Lindsey Hopkins Technical College
Lindsey Hopkins Technical College sits in Miami, roughly 35 miles north, and its practical nursing program covers 1,350 hours of instruction with at least 675 clinical hours in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics. The average net price is about $6,243, and coursework runs on a full-time weekday schedule. It is the pick for students who want a structured public program with predictable daytime hours and stepped completion points.
- 1,350 hours of instruction with at least 675 clinical hours
- Approved by the Florida State Board of Nursing
- TEAS entrance exam required; $20 application fee
- Clinical rotations in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics
- Stepwise completion points with certificates along the way
- Full-time weekday schedule
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
William T McFatter Technical College
McFatter's Davie campus is about 45 miles from Homestead. Its ACEN-accredited practical nursing program runs 12 months, full-time Monday through Thursday, with several start dates a year and a reported 97% licensure pass rate. Total program cost is around $6,525 for Florida residents including fees and books, with an average net price near $11,901. Choose it for an accredited full-time day program if the drive is manageable.
- 12-month program with five start dates a year
- ACEN accredited
- $3,780 total tuition; about $6,525 for Florida residents with fees and books
- Reported 97% licensure pass rate and 77% job placement
- Full-time day schedule, Monday through Thursday with some Fridays
- TEAS exam, physical exam, and background check required
- Integrated lab, simulation, and clinical experiences
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — Hybrid
HCA Florida Mercy Hospital School of Practical Nursing
This hospital-based program at HCA Florida Mercy Hospital in Miami, about 35 miles from Homestead, trains students on working patient units over roughly one year. It is ACEN accredited and approved by the Florida Board of Nursing, admits openly, and keeps a student-to-faculty ratio near 8 to 1, with an average net price around $9,109. It suits students who want immersion in a hospital setting rather than a flexible class schedule.
- About one year to complete
- Hospital-based training on working patient units
- ACEN accredited and Florida Board of Nursing approved
- Prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN
- Clinical practice supervised by hospital care teams
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Compu-Med Vocational Careers Corp
Compu-Med Vocational Careers in Hialeah is about 40 miles from Homestead and teaches a 52-week, 46-credit practical nursing diploma through simulation labs and clinical rotations. Coursework includes pharmacology and IV therapy along with maternal-newborn, pediatric, and mental health nursing. The average net price is about $49,299, among the highest here, with a school-wide graduation rate near 81%, so compare financial aid packages carefully before committing.
- 52-week, 46-credit practical nursing diploma
- Clinical rotations and hands-on simulation labs
- Coursework includes pharmacology and IV therapy
- Covers maternal-newborn, pediatric, and mental health nursing
- Transition-to-practice course on leadership and teamwork
- Small campus-based cohorts in Hialeah
Practical Nursing Diploma — On-Campus
Florida Academy of Nursing
Florida Academy of Nursing in Miramar is roughly 40 miles from Homestead and offers a 1,485-hour practical nursing diploma with day and evening class options; the day track runs about 71 weeks and the evening track about 79. The average net price is around $10,054 and the student-to-faculty ratio is about 6 to 1. It fits students who need night classes at a smaller private campus.
- 1,485 total program hours
- Day track about 71 weeks; evening track about 79 weeks
- Accredited by ACCSC
- Day and evening class options
- Prepares graduates to apply for Florida LPN licensure
Practical Nursing Diploma — On-Campus
Concorde Career Institute-Miramar
Concorde Career Institute's Miramar campus, about 40 miles from Homestead, delivers a practical nursing diploma in as few as 12 to 13 months with labs and clinical rotations with local providers. The average net price is about $27,673 and median graduate debt about $9,933; school-wide, about 67% of students graduate and 86% receive Pell grants. It is the choice for students who value a fast start over cost.
- Diploma in as few as 12 to 13 months
- Direct admission into the nursing program from day one
- Hands-on labs and clinical rotations with local providers
- Prepares students for the NCLEX-PN
- Financial aid and scholarships available
- Pathway for LPNs who later pursue RN
Practical / Vocational Nursing Diploma — On-Campus
Getting Licensed in Florida, and Planning Your LPN-To-RN Move
The single biggest change coming to LPN candidates has nothing to do with Florida: the NCLEX-PN exam fee is $200 through January 2027, then jumps to $350 on February 1, 2027, the first national increase since 2000. If you graduate from a Homestead-area program in 2026, testing before that deadline saves you $150.
The Post-Graduation Sequence
Run these steps in order, and start the paperwork before your final term ends:
- Apply to the Florida Board of Nursing. Current fee figures for licensure by examination are inconsistent across Board documents, with $110 appearing on one form and $175 on another (the higher amount reportedly bundles processing, initial licensure, and two small statutory surcharges). Call (850) 245-4125 or check the Board site before you pay. Re-examination applicants pay a $50 processing fee and cannot reuse earlier application fees.
- Get electronically fingerprinted. Florida requires Live Scan submission through an FDLE-approved vendor. Hard cards and applicant-supplied background results are no longer accepted. Vendor charges typically run $43 to $75 and are not set by the Board.
- Register with Pearson VUE and pay the NCLEX-PN fee, then wait for your Authorization to Test before scheduling.
- Confirm your school sent the transcript. Your program must send an official transcript showing your graduation date directly to the Board; transcripts you hand in yourself get rejected. This is the most common delay.
Budget roughly $385 for licensure all in, on top of tuition. From program completion to license in hand, expect several weeks to a few months depending on transcript speed, background posting, and Board volume. If you withdraw, fees are refundable up to three years from receipt.
Already Licensed Elsewhere?
Endorsement applicants need a current valid license, Board fees, electronic fingerprints, license verification through NURSYS (or a Board form for non-NURSYS states), and a two-hour approved medical errors course. You do not retake the NCLEX-PN.
LPN, LVN, CNA: The Titles That Confuse People
LPN and LVN are the same role under different state titles (see lpn vs lvn), and Florida uses LPN. A CNA credential is a much shorter certificate with a narrower scope of practice and lower pay, not an equivalent license.
Your Bridge to RN
Miami Dade College and other South Florida colleges run LPN to RN bridge programs and LPN-to-ASN tracks that grant advanced standing for practical nursing coursework. This is exactly why accreditation matters when you pick a program: credits from an unapproved school rarely transfer. Verify Board approval first, schedule your exam early for the fall cohort, and set licensure fees aside separately from tuition.
