Broomfield sits in the wedge between Denver, Boulder, and Westminster, and practical nursing training reflects that geography: no Board-approved LPN program operates inside the city limits, so a short commute to Denver LPN programs or other approved programs along US-36 or I-25 is the realistic path, not an inconvenience to avoid. Programs within roughly 30 miles of zip 80020 run 12 to 18 months, cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars at a community college to well over $20,000 at a private career school, and require passing the NCLEX-PN before you touch a Colorado license number.
Pay for LPNs in the Denver metro varies by employer, hospital, long-term care, home health, enough to change the math on which program is worth the drive. Jump straight to the program list →
Are There LPN Programs in Broomfield Itself?
No Board-approved LPN program operates inside Broomfield's 80020 zip code, so most students compare approved LPN programs in Denver, Westminster, Aurora, Longmont, or Lakewood instead.
Start With the State Approval List
Colorado's Board of Nursing, which operates under DORA, is the authority for approved Colorado LPN programs. Visit the DORA website to download the current approved program list, or call 303-894-7800 if the list is not easy to locate. Compare each campus address to Broomfield 80020 using Google Maps; calculate both miles and non-peak drive time. A school may call itself "Denver area" but sit 45 minutes away in traffic. If the public page does not show a clean, dated LPN-only roster, ask the Board office for the Approved Nursing Education Programs list.
Cross-Check the Basics With BLS
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, at bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm, is a reliable first stop. It links to state licensing boards and explains state-specific requirements. Use it alongside the DORA list to make sure you are comparing the right entry path for Colorado LPN licensure.
Check School Websites and Call Admissions
Do not rely on a static list alone. Check Front Range Community College, PIMA Medical Institute, and Concorde Career College for current LPN or Practical Nursing offerings. Concorde's Denver campus describes its Practical Nursing program as approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing, but you should confirm the current term, campus address, and approval status with admissions. Plug the campus address into Google Maps from 80020 to get a real commute estimate. Recent Denver-area guidance points to about seven Board-approved practical nursing programs within a 40-mile commute, but that radius was not centered on Broomfield, so treat the number as a starting point rather than a final list.
Use Nursing Associations as a Backup
The Colorado Nurses Association and the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses can point you toward program directories, local networking, and guidance on LPN education options. These groups are especially helpful when a school website is vague about Board approval or when you want a second opinion before paying a deposit.
Where Broomfield LPNs Actually Work: Local Employers and Clinical Sites
Broomfield's LPN job market is shifting toward post-acute and long-term care, not hospital bedside work, and that shapes both where you'll train and where you'll get hired.
The US-36 Corridor Employer Mix
Along the US-36 corridor connecting Broomfield to Westminster and north Denver, the bulk of LPN postings cluster in long-term care such as skilled nursing, inpatient rehab, and assisted living rather than acute-care hospitals. PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Westminster, located in Broomfield's 80020 zip, regularly hires LPNs for both day shifts and PRN nights. Adara Living, also based in Broomfield, staffs LPNs across assisted living and skilled nursing settings, with pay in the $20 to $25 hourly range depending on shift and unit.1 Stellar Senior Living and Legend of Broomfield round out the local senior-care landscape, and comparable continuing-care communities like Wind Crest by Erickson in Highlands Ranch show the same staffing pattern repeating across the metro. Outpatient clinics, correctional health units, and school health programs also employ LPNs, typically under RN or physician direction.
What Colorado Scope Actually Allows
Colorado LPNs work under the supervision of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or RN, and can supervise other LPNs and delegated care staff.2 IV therapy is within scope, but narrowly: monitoring flow rate, stopping an infusion, removing a peripheral catheter, drawing blood, and flushing lines are permitted. Blood products, chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, and IV push medications are not.3 That gap is a big reason acute-care hospitals in the Denver metro lean heavily on RNs for inpatient units, while skilled nursing and rehab facilities, where care is more routine and delegation-friendly, remain the LPN's natural home.
Where Clinical Hours Happen
Broomfield-area practical nursing students typically complete their LPN clinicals across skilled nursing facilities, long-term care, inpatient rehab, select hospital units, outpatient clinics, and community or school health placements, mirroring the same employer mix graduates enter after licensure.2
Program Length, Evening Options, and Whether You Can Study Online
A practical nursing program in Colorado is a certificate or diploma track that combines classroom theory, skills labs, and supervised clinical hours. Most Board-approved programs in the Denver-metro area run 12 to 18 months of full-time LPN time in school. When you add in NCLEX-PN prep and the state licensure steps, plan on 14 to 20 months from your first day of class to holding an actual LPN license.
Full-Time vs. Evening and Part-Time
Schedule format is where local programs differ most. Concorde Career College in Denver runs a compressed 10-month daytime diploma, one of the fastest LPN programs in the Denver-metro area. Community College of Denver's Lowry program spans three semesters and offers day, evening, and weekend options, which is the closest thing to a working-adult track near Broomfield. Pickens Technical College runs roughly 12 months, and Emily Griffith Technical College lists both full-time and part-time paths. Choosing part-time or evening generally stretches the total timeline toward 18 to 24 months, so factor that trade-off into your planning.
Can You Do It Online?
No Colorado Board of Nursing-approved practical nursing program in the Denver-metro area is delivered fully online. Some programs may offer theory or didactic coursework in a hybrid format, but the current published information does not confirm online delivery for any specific local program. Assume you will attend in person. Skills labs and clinical rotations must happen face-to-face because Colorado licensure requires documented hands-on hours in real care settings. That part cannot be simulated from your kitchen table.
What Working Adults Should Ask Admissions
Before you commit, get specific answers on:
- Cohort start dates: Many programs admit once or twice a year, so a missed deadline can mean a six-month wait.
- Clinical scheduling: Ask whether clinical blocks fall on weekends or weekdays, and how far you will travel.
- Prerequisites: Confirm whether general-education prerequisites can be completed online first to shorten your on-campus time.
Finally, be skeptical of national marketing pages for online LPN schools. Many funnel you toward programs that are not approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing, which means the credential will not qualify you to sit for licensure here. Verify Board approval before you pay anything.
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Cost Comparison: Tuition, Net Price, and Student Debt
The price gap between a community college practical nursing certificate and a private career college program in the Denver metro is wide enough to change your entire financing plan. In-district tuition at the public colleges serving Broomfield runs in the $4,400 to $5,200 range for the certificate coursework, while private institutions such as Concorde Career College and Pima Medical Institute carry average annual net prices in the $16,000 to $23,000 range. Net price below is the institution-wide average after grants and scholarships reported to the U.S. Department of Education for 2024, not a quote for the practical nursing program specifically, so treat it as a planning benchmark and confirm the actual program cost with the admissions office. Among the schools reporting graduate debt, Community College of Denver graduates carry a median of $12,495 and Front Range Community College graduates $12,251; on a standard 10-year repayment plan, balances in that range typically translate to roughly $130 to $145 per month, though your rate and plan will set the final figure. Whatever the sticker price, budget separately for uniforms and shoes, the background check and drug screen every clinical site requires, immunizations and CPR certification, textbooks, the NCLEX-PN exam fee, and Colorado licensure application fees.
| School | Location | Sector | In-State/In-District Tuition & Fees | Out-of-State Tuition & Fees | Average Annual Net Price | Median Graduate Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens Technical College | Aurora, CO | Public | $5,140 | $9,250 | $6,600 | N/A |
| Emily Griffith Technical College | Denver, CO | Public | N/A | N/A | $7,197 | N/A |
| Community College of Denver | Denver, CO | Public | $4,902 | $17,136 | $9,450 | $12,495 |
| Arapahoe Community College | Littleton, CO | Public | $4,434 | $17,034 | $11,571 | $11,884 |
| Front Range Community College | Westminster, CO | Public | $4,663 | $17,263 | $13,031 | $12,251 |
| Concorde Career College-Aurora | Aurora, CO | Private, for-profit | N/A | N/A | $16,666 | $9,500 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Denver | Denver, CO | Private, for-profit | N/A | N/A | $22,034 | $9,500 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Aurora | Aurora, CO | Private, for-profit | N/A | N/A | $23,255 | $8,521 |
From Graduation to Colorado LPN License
Finishing an approved practical nursing program is the start of licensure, not the finish line. Colorado's Board of Nursing, housed within DORA, controls every step between your pinning ceremony and the license number you can actually work under. Most new graduates move from graduation to test day in roughly one to two months, assuming paperwork goes in promptly.
LPN Pay in the Denver–Broomfield Metro vs. Colorado and National
There are two ways to read LPN pay data: the broad state or national median, and the smaller Denver-Broomfield labor market that actually sets a graduate's first offer. Broomfield sits in the second frame, near Denver LPN programs, so local employers and cost of living matter more than a headline national number.
Colorado vs. national: a modest premium
Colorado's licensed practical nurse median was $59,340 in May 2024, about $4,700 above the most recent national median of $54,620 from May 2022.1 The national 10th percentile was $40,490 and the 90th percentile was $72,650, showing the wide spread between entry-level and experienced LPN pay.1 A metro-specific percentile breakout for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood or Boulder is not available in this year's public wage release, so Colorado is the most defensible local proxy. Even so, Broomfield's position between Denver and Boulder tends to place LPNs in one of the state's higher-wage employment pockets, though individual offers vary by employer and shift.
For context, Colorado's all-occupations median was $59,780 in 2025.2 The LPN median sits just below that, which means practical nursing wages are roughly in line with the average Colorado worker across all jobs, not dramatically below it.
Where the upper end sits
Locally, skilled nursing, correctional health, and home health roles generally pay at the upper end because they require more independent judgment and less predictable schedules. Clinic and physician-office LPN roles often fall closer to the median, but they can offer more regular daytime hours. If a Broomfield student is weighing pay against quality of life, that schedule difference is part of the calculation.
Monthly math and the metro's demand picture
At $59,340 a year, the Colorado median works out to about $4,945 gross per month before taxes. Against the 10-year loan payment discussed in the LPN program cost section, that leaves a real but not unlimited cushion once Broomfield rent and commuting costs are subtracted. Statewide, Colorado reported 6,480 LPN jobs in May 2024, and metro-area postings continue to cluster in bedside, post-acute, and home-based care rather than any single employer type.
What a Denver-Metro LPN Typically Earns
Here is the number that matters most when you weigh tuition against payoff.
Top LPN Programs Serving Broomfield Students
Below are the top practical nursing programs serving Broomfield students, ranked by cost, outcomes data, and program fit. Broomfield has no LPN program inside city limits, so every option here sits within the Denver, Aurora, Westminster and Littleton corridor, all within a normal commute from zip code 80020. Before you pay a deposit, confirm each program's current Colorado State Board of Nursing approval status and its next cohort start date directly with the school.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt levels
- Institutional graduation rates
- Program cost and net price
- Clinical access and delivery format
- Fit for commuting students
- Internal program database
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Independent editorial research
Pima Medical Institute-Denver
Pima Medical Institute's Denver campus is a private health care career school in the north metro area, and its practical nursing certificate is one of its largest programs. The curriculum is delivered on ground only in Colorado and New Mexico, and graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN. Institution-wide, the school graduates about 73% of its students, and completers who borrowed carry a median federal debt of about $9,500. Program-level completion and earnings figures for the nursing certificate are not yet published.
- Certificate completed in about 12 months of full-time study
- On-ground delivery in Colorado and New Mexico only
- Labs cover vital signs, medications, IV starts and catheterization
- Coursework includes pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, elder care
- Maternal child nursing and electronic health records included
- Graduates eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam
- Career services support for job placement after graduation
Practical Nursing Certificate Program — On-Campus
Pima Medical Institute-Aurora
The Aurora campus runs the same 12-month practical nursing certificate as Pima's Denver location, with classroom instruction, lab practice and clinical training packed into one calendar year. It is built for Colorado residents and is approved for in-state LPN licensure. Campus hours stretch from early morning into the late evening on select days, which helps students who work while they train. Completers who borrowed leave with a median federal debt of roughly $8,500, and the school graduates about 72% of its students.
- About 12 months on campus in Aurora, Colorado
- Same curriculum as Pima's Denver campus program
- Classroom instruction paired with hands-on lab exercises
- Covers anatomy, pharmacology, nursing theory and patient care
- Clinical training days scheduled in Denver-metro facilities
- Campus hours extend into the late evening on select days
- Financial aid and scholarships available to those who qualify
- Graduates eligible for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam
Practical Nursing Certificate Program — On-Campus
Pickens Technical College
Pickens Technical College is a public career and technical college in Aurora that delivers its practical nursing certificate over two semesters and 38.5 college credits. The ACEN-accredited program covers medical-surgical, maternal-infant, pediatric and geriatric nursing with on-site simulation labs and supervised clinical rotations. Colorado residents pay in-state tuition rates, and federal data put average net price for in-state students at about $6,600. The school graduates about 76% of its students.
- Two semesters, 38.5 college credits, about one year of classes
- ACEN accredited practical nursing program in Aurora
- Medical-surgical, maternal-infant, pediatric and geriatric nursing
- On-site simulation labs with industry-grade equipment
- Clinical shifts run 8 to 12 hours, 2 to 3 days per week
- Evening and weekend clinical rotations available
- TEAS entrance exam required for admission
- Colorado resident in-state tuition rate applies
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Concorde Career College-Aurora
Concorde Career College's Aurora practical nursing program has relocated to a new Denver campus near the airport, which shortens the drive for students coming down from Broomfield. The diploma can be finished in as few as 10 months across 35.5 credit hours, including 405 clinical hours and an IV skills certification component. The program is ACEN accredited and approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing, and the college holds articulation agreements that support later RN and BSN study. The school graduates about 64% of its students, and completers who borrowed carry a median federal debt of about $9,500.
- Diploma completed in as few as 10 months
- 35.5 credit hours, including 120 lab hours
- 405 clinical hours in hospitals, clinics and long-term care
- IV skills certification and NCLEX-PN review included
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing
- Campus relocated to a new Denver location near the airport
- Articulation agreements support later RN and BSN study
- Financial aid and scholarships available to those who qualify
Practical Nursing Diploma Program — On-Campus
Front Range Community College
Front Range Community College is the closest community college system to Broomfield, with a Westminster campus next door and the practical nursing certificate delivered at its Larimer campus in Fort Collins. Students commonly complete prerequisites and advising at Westminster, then finish the 43-credit, two-semester certificate up north. Admission is competitive and point based, requiring a HESI A2 entrance exam and a 3.0 prerequisite GPA. Federal data put average net price for in-state students at about $13,031 and median federal debt for completers near $12,251, and the school graduates roughly 35% of its students, a figure shaped by a large part-time and transfer-bound population.
- 43 credit hours completed in as little as two semesters
- Certificate delivered at the Larimer Campus in Fort Collins
- Prerequisites and advising available at the Westminster campus
- Simulation labs plus clinical placements with local agencies
- Competitive point-based admission with about 24 seats
- HESI A2 entrance exam and 3.0 prerequisite GPA required
- Option to continue toward an ADN within the college system
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Arapahoe Community College
Arapahoe Community College in Littleton offers its practical nursing certificate as an alternative exit for students already enrolled in the associate degree nursing pathway. That structure makes it a fit for anyone who wants an LPN license partway through an RN program rather than as a standalone entry point. The certificate runs 47 credits and includes a summer transition course, with prerequisite grades of C or better and a 3.0 GPA. Average net price for in-state students is about $11,571, median federal debt for completers is about $11,884, and the school graduates roughly 29% of its students.
- 47 credit hours, offered as an early exit from the RN program
- Open only to students already admitted to the AAS-Nursing program
- Summer transition course bridges into the certificate
- 3.0 prerequisite GPA with grades of C or better required
- Coursework in medical-surgical, pharmacology, maternal-child nursing
- Graduates eligible to apply for LPN licensure and NCLEX-PN
- LPN-to-ADN and RN-to-BSN pathways offered at the college
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Emily Griffith Technical College
Emily Griffith Technical College in downtown Denver runs a cohort-based practical nursing program with rolling admissions, so start dates come up more often than the single annual windows at many community colleges. Students choose a 12-month full-time track or an 18-month part-time track that meets in the evening, and total program tuition runs about $15,970. Training includes four clinical internships totaling roughly 405 hours in Denver-area facilities, and the college maintains partnerships with hundreds of metro employers. Program-level completion and debt figures are not published, though the college reports about 93% of its students return for a second year.
- 12 months full time or 18 months part time
- Total program tuition of about $15,970
- Four clinical internships totaling about 405 hours
- Evening track meets two nights per week
- Rolling admissions with cohort-based start dates
- TEAS entrance exam required for admission
- Scholarship funds reach more than 500 students a year
- IV certification eligibility in Colorado after licensure
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Community College of Denver
Community College of Denver offers a 51-credit practical nursing certificate built for full-time students who want a direct route to licensure, with prerequisites in anatomy, physiology, math, English and medical terminology. College admission is open access, but nursing entry is competitive and requires CPR certification, prior nurse aide or similar patient care experience, and a TEAS score around 58% in each subject area. Colorado residents need a year of state domicile to qualify for in-state tuition, and average net price for in-state students is about $9,450. Median federal debt for completers is about $12,495, and the school graduates roughly 20% of its students overall.
- 51 credit hours in a full-time cohort structure
- Prerequisites in anatomy, physiology, math and medical terminology
- TEAS score of about 58 percent in each subject area required
- CPR certification and prior patient care experience required
- Clinical hours in simulation labs and partner healthcare settings
- College admission is open access; nursing entry is competitive
- One year of Colorado domicile needed for in-state tuition
- LPN-to-BSN pathway offered through the college
