Three hospital systems, BayCare, HCA Florida, and Johns Hopkins All Children's, anchor a healthcare corridor that stretches from downtown St. Petersburg through greater Tampa Bay , a region served by LPN programs in Tampa , and each keeps a steady pipeline of LPN openings across med-surg floors, pediatrics, and step-down units.
Students here aren't short on options. Pinellas Technical College runs a Florida Board of Nursing-approved practical nursing track, and St. Petersburg College offers an LPN-to-RN bridge; most local programs finish in 11 to 14 months, whether you attend days, evenings, or a hybrid schedule built around a current CNA job.
Choosing among them means weighing cost, NCLEX pass rates, and how each schedule fits your life, not just proximity to campus.
Why St. Petersburg Is a Strong Market for New LPNs
Pinellas County holds one of the oldest median ages in Florida, and that single demographic fact drives most of the LPN demand you'll encounter after graduation. An aging population means steady work in home health, skilled nursing, and assisted living, and it's the reason job boards across the metro consistently list practical nursing roles in these settings.
Where St. Petersburg LPNs Actually Work
Hospital systems in the Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater metro that hire LPNs include BayCare Health System, HCA Florida (with St. Petersburg General and Largo Medical Center nearby), Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, and Empath Health's hospice and home care operations, where LPNs in Hospice Care are a natural fit. Long-term care networks across Pinellas County round out the acute and post-acute picture.
Home health, though, is where current 2026 hiring is most visible:
- Visiting Nurse Association of Florida: a 50-year-old agency actively listing LPN roles across Pinellas County.1
- Empath Home Health: LPN visits covering North Pinellas and West Pasco, Monday through Friday, 40 hours.2
- Maxim Healthcare Services: LPN homecare based in Clearwater.3
- HealthCare Support: private duty LPN placements in Clearwater.4
- Powell Supportive Services: home care across Pasco and Pinellas, requiring at least one year of experience.5
- Angels of Care Pediatric Home Health6 and Trilogy Home Healthcare7: additional employers with a St. Petersburg or metro-wide footprint.
Florida's IV Therapy Rule Widens Your Options
Florida allows LPNs to administer IV therapy once they complete a Board-approved course of at least 30 hours (plus 4 additional hours for central line and PICC competency)9 under Florida Administrative Code Chapter 64B9-12,8 effective July 20, 2023. That certification, performed under RN direction11 and excluding blood products, chemotherapy, plasma expanders, and investigational drugs,10 meaningfully broadens what employers will hire you to do compared to states with narrower scopes.
Reach Beyond St. Petersburg
Graduates routinely commute or relocate to Tampa, Clearwater, Largo, Bradenton, and Sarasota, all within a reasonable radius and all sharing the same demographic tailwind that shapes enrollment across Best LPN Programs in Florida 2026.
LPN Salary and Job Growth in the Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay region offers LPNs a measurable wage advantage over both state and national benchmarks, and LPN to RN in Florida programs can help them build on that foundation. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area employed approximately 6,200 LPNs as of May 2023, with a median annual wage of $56,370.
How Tampa Bay Wages Compare
The local median outpaces the Florida statewide median of $53,780 and the national median of $54,620, giving Tampa Bay LPNs roughly $2,600 more per year than the median Florida LPN and $1,750 more than the median LPN nationally. Entry-level positions (10th percentile) in the metro start around $44,510 annually, while experienced LPNs at the 90th percentile earn up to $66,510.
The national 90th percentile reaches $72,650, reflecting higher wages in specialized settings and markets with acute labor shortages, where Top States for LPN/LVNs show the strongest opportunities. Tampa Bay's ceiling is slightly lower, but its floor and midpoint remain competitive for the Southeast.
What Drives Demand in Florida
Florida's retiree population continues to fuel above-average demand for practical nurses. Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and home health agencies all rely heavily on LPNs to deliver hands-on patient care. The state employs nearly 37,000 LPNs, one of the largest concentrations in the country, and the Tampa Bay metro accounts for a significant share of that workforce.
Nationally, BLS projects steady growth for LPNs through the coming decade, driven by aging demographics and chronic disease management needs. Florida's growth rate trends above the national average because of its older population and year-round influx of retirees who require ongoing healthcare services.
For students comparing LPN programs in Tampa and St. Petersburg while weighing program costs against earning potential, the Tampa Bay market offers a realistic path to wages that exceed $50,000 within the first few years of practice.
What LPNs Earn in Tampa Bay vs. Statewide and Nationally
Tampa Bay LPN wages sit slightly above the Florida average but trail the national median, reflecting the state's lower cost of living and high supply of nursing graduates. The gap is narrowing, however, as local demand in long-term care and outpatient settings continues to push hourly rates upward.
How to Choose an LPN Program in the St. Petersburg Area
Florida Board of Nursing approval is the baseline requirement for any LPN program worth your time, and missing it means you cannot sit for the NCLEX-PN regardless of how polished the marketing looks. Accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing adds a quality signal that can matter for future bridge programs, employer preferences, or working as a licensed practical nurse, but it is not required for licensure in Florida.
NCLEX-PN Pass Rates Are Your Best Outcome Metric
The single most telling number for any program is its NCLEX-PN first-time pass rate. Programs that consistently land above 80 percent demonstrate that their curriculum and clinical training prepare students for the licensing exam (NCLEX-PN Practice Test Questions). Anything below 70 percent should prompt serious questions about instructional quality, student support, or both. The Florida Board of Nursing publishes annual pass rates by school, so you can verify claims before committing tuition dollars.
Ask Hard Questions About Clinical Placements
Clinical hours make up roughly half of most area programs, typically around 675 hours for state-approved curricula. But hours alone do not tell the full story. Ask admissions staff which facilities students rotate through and whether those sites include acute care hospitals, long-term care centers, or community health settings. Inquire about student-to-preceptor ratios and whether you can expect direct patient contact or primarily simulation time. Programs in this market generally assign clinical sites rather than letting students choose, so flexibility is limited.
Schedule Format Matters for Working Adults
Most St. Petersburg-area programs are campus-based, but schedule structures vary widely. Pinellas Technical College offers evening clinical hours running from 5:00 PM to midnight, a practical fit for students who work day shifts. Galen College runs both a 12-month day track at 30 hours per week and a 21-month evening option at 20 hours per week. These differences can determine whether you finish on time or burn out, so match your work and family commitments to a realistic schedule before enrollment.
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NCLEX-PN Pass Rates for St. Petersburg-Area LPN Schools
The NCLEX-PN is the licensing exam every practical nursing graduate must pass before working as an LPN. The Florida Board of Nursing expects approved programs to maintain a pass rate at or above 80 percent. Programs that fall below that threshold for two consecutive years face formal review, which can lead to provisional status, mandatory corrective action plans, or even loss of state approval. The table below compiles the most recent verifiable pass rates for LPN programs near St. Petersburg. Notably, Pinellas Technical College posted a strong 96.88 percent pass rate in 2024 but saw a significant drop to 74.6 percent in the 2025 reporting cycle, a year-over-year swing worth watching closely. Prospective students should check whether a program's rate is trending upward or downward, not just a single snapshot.
| School Name | NCLEX-PN Pass Rate | Reporting Year |
|---|---|---|
| Pinellas Technical College, St. Petersburg | 96.88% | 2024 |
| Pinellas Technical College, St. Petersburg | 74.6% | 2025 |
| Galen College of Nursing, St. Petersburg | Not available from published data | 2022 |
| Rasmussen University, Tampa/Brandon | Not available from published data | 2022 |
Best LPN Programs for St. Petersburg-Area Students
Below are the top LPN programs serving St. Petersburg students, ranked by completion data, accreditation status, and program fit. Every school on the list sits within commuting range of Pinellas County and awards a diploma or certificate that prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN. The cards that follow cover schedule formats, clinical expectations, and the details that matter most when you compare programs side by side.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt loads
- Institution-wide graduation rates
- Practical nursing program accreditation
- Program fit for local schedules
- Proximity to St. Petersburg employers
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
- Bureau of Economic Analysis cost-of-living index by state — bea.gov
Galen College of Nursing-Tampa Bay
Galen's Tampa Bay campus sits in St. Petersburg and is the only Galen site in the region that runs the practical nursing diploma itself, so classroom, lab, and clinical hours all happen in the market where graduates look for work. The college keeps four start dates a year and a free, essay-free application, which suits career changers who want to move quickly. Because it belongs to a larger Tampa Bay nursing system, students who later want an RN credential have a bridge pathway in the same network.
- 12-month, four-quarter diploma with four start dates per year
- Day track runs about 30 hours a week; evening track takes about 21 months
- 1,440 total hours: 576 theory plus 864 clinical and lab
- TEAS required, though a bachelor's degree or ACT, SAT, or HESI may substitute
- Free application with no essays; financial aid and scholarships available
- LPN-to-ADN bridge on the same campus takes about 18 months
- Assigned academic advisor, live tutoring, and clinical learning labs
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Manatee Technical College
Manatee Technical College in Bradenton runs its practical nursing program in several formats, including a day hybrid and an evening hybrid built for people who keep working while they study. Evening students meet on campus two weeknights plus weekend days each month, with the remaining coursework online, which is manageable for a commute from St. Petersburg. Clinical placements go to local hospitals and long-term care sites, and the college advertises a 98 percent job placement rate for graduates.
- Full-time day hybrid runs 11 to 13 months; evening hybrid about 11 months
- Evening cohort meets Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. plus weekend days
- 1,350 clock hours, with the second term delivered partly online
- TEAS minimum score of 58; final 2026 score deadline is October 23
- Program tuition of $7,334, with total costs near $9,000 including supplies
- Mandatory virtual information session before applying
- Dual enrollment track available to area high school students
- Student organizations include SkillsUSA and HOSA
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — Hybrid
Concorde Career Institute-Tampa
Concorde's Tampa campus, near the Westshore district, offers a diploma-level practical nursing program built around direct admission, so students enter the nursing track instead of competing for a seat after prerequisite coursework. Clinical rotations and externships are placed with large regional employers such as Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth, and HCA facilities, which keeps training close to how local hospitals staff their units. The drive from St. Petersburg follows I-275, and NCLEX-PN review is built into the schedule before graduation.
- Diploma completed in as few as 12 to 13 months
- Direct admission into the nursing program, no separate competitive entry
- Clinical rotations and externships with Tampa General, AdventHealth, HCA, and OneBlood
- Built-in NCLEX-PN review coursework before graduation
- Hands-on labs plus support from a dedicated director of nursing
- Financial aid and scholarship options for qualifying students
- Pathway options for graduates who later pursue RN licensure
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Pasco-Hernando State College
Pasco-Hernando State College is the public option in New Port Richey, with a limited-access practical nursing certificate that admits roughly 36 students per term. Seats are ranked mainly on TEAS performance, and the college gives preference to residents of Pasco and Hernando counties, which puts most Pinellas applicants at a disadvantage. Starts fall in January and August with fixed application windows, and the program carries a tuition money-back guarantee for graduates who are still unemployed six months after finishing.
- Limited-access certificate admitting about 36 students per term
- One valid TEAS report taken within the past two years; packets cannot be amended
- Applicants from Pasco and Hernando counties receive admission preference
- January start applications run mid-July to mid-September; August start runs mid-January to mid-March
- $25 application fee; criminal background check and drug screening required
- Tuition money-back guarantee if graduates are not employed within six months
- LPN-to-RN pathway available on a space-available basis
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Suncoast Technical College
Suncoast Technical College in Sarasota sends more than half of its practical nursing hours into clinical rotations, with assignments spread across area hospitals, nursing homes, and community mental health settings. The program runs about a year, and because some clinical shifts fall on weekends, students crossing the Skyway from St. Petersburg should plan transportation and work schedules early. The college also runs its own LPN-to-RN program, so graduates who want to keep advancing can stay at the same school.
- ACEN-accredited practical nursing certificate
- More than half of program hours are spent in clinical rotations
- Clinical sites include three local hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health facilities
- Roughly 12 months and 1,350 hours; some clinical rotations fall on weekends
- Skills lab and human patient simulator used before clinical placement
- All instructors are Florida-licensed registered nurses
- Separate LPN-to-RN program at the same college
- Drug testing required before clinical placement
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Galen College of Nursing
Galen's Sarasota location belongs to the same college system as the St. Petersburg campus and is best known regionally as a site for ADN, BSN, and LPN-to-ADN bridge study. It gives working LPNs in the Tampa Bay corridor a bridge route to RN licensure without leaving the region, and the site was launched with HCA Florida Healthcare as a clinical partner. Applicants comparing Galen campuses should confirm which location runs the practical nursing track for the term they plan to enter.
- Practical nursing diploma track within the Galen Tampa Bay college system
- 18-month LPN-to-ADN bridge with four start dates per year
- Bridge admission minimums include TEAS 52, ACT 18, or SAT 980
- Site launched with HCA Florida Healthcare as a clinical partner
- 12-month diploma option with a free, no-essay application
- Transfer credit review, academic advising, and on-demand tutoring
- Prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam
