Pickens Technical College’s Practical Nursing Pathway: A Certificate Program that Pays Well

Students at Pickens Technical College are there because they’re motivated to enter the next stage in their lives and careers. PTC’s Practical Nursing Program is a popular course because it offers great opportunities right here in Colorado, opening the door to a new career and the possibilities that come with it. 

If you’re interested in healthcare, becoming a practical nurse is a great way to enter this field and get started at a middle-class wage directly after you earn your state practical nursing certificate. The practical nurse median income nationally is $46,240. Obviously, depending on where you land a job after Pickens, your salary could be even higher. Because practical nurses are so vital to the safe operation of a medical facility, they are highly valued. With a relatively low bar for entry to be a practical nurse, compared to becoming a licensed nurse or a doctor, being a practical nurse is a great opportunity for many people trying to build a lucrative career for themselves. 

A Top-Ten Certificate Program

Full certification usually takes a year. In Pickens’ class, after learning about medical-surgical, maternal-infant, and geriatric nursing, complete with supervised clinical experience courses, and passing class tests and other materials, you’ll receive a certificate from Pickens and become eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nursing. 

With this certificate, the door opens to a new career that can start you off with good pay, increasing as your experience increases. This is why Practical Nursing was selected in US News’ top ten certificate programs that pay well. It’s also ranked as the 15th best job without a college degree, and the 19th best paying job without a degree, according to US News. 

Hands-On Experience

With a certificate in hand, you’ll be thrust into the medical profession in the middle of the most intimate and crucial patient interactions, from setting IVs and catheters to communicating treatment options with patients. Practical nurses support physicians and other medical professionals in their extremely important work. Without them, there’d be only a very thin support system in place for patients and their doctors. Some practical nurses specialize in certain fields or move on to other medical facility duties, including working as a nurse and more. Getting this hands-on medical experience can be what you enjoy the most as a practical nurse, or it can be a stepping stone to other opportunities within the medical field. 

Pickens’ Practical Nursing program starts students off on the right foot with comprehensive classroom instruction and hands-on clinical experience needed to earn a certificate and enter the high-growth and in-demand world of practical nursing. Colorado and the country at large have huge needs for medical support staff at most facilities, so working in a hospital can be a great opportunity for growth in this industry, as does working in a nursing home or another medical setting specializing in a particular medical niche.