New Pathway to RN for Working Nurses

Cleveland Community College is expanding access to nursing education with the launch of a new nights and weekends LPN-to-ADN program. It is designed specifically for working Licensed Practical Nurses who want to advance their careers and earn their Associate Degree Nursing. The first cohort will begin classes in January and graduate in December, completing the program in just one year.

The enhanced format responds to the needs of today’s healthcare workforce. While the College’s current LPN-to-ADN option takes four semesters and blends LPN students with traditional second-year ADN students, the new nights and weekends track creates a dedicated cohort exclusively for LPNs. This separation ensures students learn alongside peers with similar clinical backgrounds and professional experience.

“Mixing experienced LPNs with students who have never worked in a clinical setting can create challenges,” said Anna Ledford, director of nursing. “This new structure allows us to tailor instruction, streamline clinical training and honor the real-world experience these nurses already possess.”

The nights-and-weekends design makes it possible for LPNs to continue working while progressing toward their RN credential. Students will attend class two evenings per week, with one in-person session and one virtual session, and complete clinical rotations on weekends. In addition, the clinical hour requirements are reduced to 336 hours, acknowledging students’ prior nursing experience.

Interest in the LPN-to-ADN pathway is already strong, with 100 applications submitted this year. The ADN program can currently accept up to 175 students, including LPN-to-ADN students. However, space constraints limit the program to less than that number. With the curriculum adjustments and the addition of two full-time instructors dedicated to the new nights and weekends pathway, the LPN-to-ADN program accepted 48 students.

The new, one-year program includes two semesters of nursing courses, plus an optional summer term for students who may need to complete prerequisites.

The admission process remains the same and uses a points-based application system. Students must:

• Hold an active LPN license in good standing with no findings
• Verify five years of LPN work experience, or be a recent graduate of CCC’s Practical Nursing program (with additional points awarded), or have a TEAS score of 65 or higher
• Have completed ENG 111
• Hold an unweighted high-school GPA of 2.8 or higher

CCC also reserves seats for the top five graduates of its Practical Nursing program who choose to continue directly into the LPN-to-ADN pathway.

The new nights and weekends pathway is the first step toward fully separating LPN-to-ADN students from the traditional ADN program, allowing the College to better support students along both pathways. While the nighttime track begins in January, future plans include adding a day LPN-to-ADN program once additional space becomes available.

“This program gives working LPNs a realistic path to becoming registered nurses without putting their lives or careers on hold,” Ledford said. “It’s a win for students, employers, and our community.”

Learn more about all the health sciences programs offered at CCC by visiting the Health Sciences page of the website.