Best nursing schools in Kentucky: Largest to smallest

The healthcare field is growing steadily, and you can enter it with minimal formal education by becoming a nursing assistant. In Kentucky alone, there are approximately 24,000 employed nursing assistants. With a little more education you could become one of the 10,500 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) or 42,000 registered nurses (RNs) working in the state. If you commit to your education even further, you could become one of Kentucky’s 3,000 nurse practitioners, midwives, or anesthetists.

There are a wide variety of educational options supporting these various nursing career paths. To become a nursing assistant, you must complete an eight- to ten-week program and pass a final certification exam. To become an LPN, you must complete a program that takes 12- to 18-months and pass the national licensure exam. To become an RN, you must complete either a two-year associate’s degree program or a four-year bachelor’s degree program and pass the national licensure exam.

Find a school

For nursing assistant programs, LPN programs, and associate’s degrees, one of the best educational options is attending a community college. Community colleges are affordable, local, and accessible. For a bachelor’s or master’s degree, you will want to choose a four-year public or private university. Private universities are often viewed as more prestigious, tend to have fewer students, and offer smaller class sizes than public universities. However, public universities are more affordable and often have more facilities and resources.

Colleges and universities can range widely in size, which may be an important factor in making your decision. Most community colleges are fairly small. Private universities tend to be smaller than public universities, with a few notable exceptions.

Whatever your preference, you’re sure to find it with the below list of Kentucky nursing schools, arranged from largest to smallest.