Vocational, career, and community colleges offer streamlined programs of study for individuals who seek rapid entry to the workplace. Many schools also provide flexible evening, weekend, and online courses for students with significant work and family commitments. Missouri has nearly sixty community college and vocational school campuses with nursing programs.
These two-year schools focus their nursing education on three types of programs. The briefest is the certificate program for aspiring certified nursing assistants (CNAs), which requires only a few months of study and a passing grade on the state certification exam. Aspiring licensed practical nurses (LPNs) must complete a longer 12- to 18-month certificate program and pass the NCLEX-PN national licensure exam. Candidates for the registered nurse (RN) role have the longest period of study, a two-year associate’s degree in nursing (ADN). They must also pass the NCLEX-RN national licensure exam upon graduating. These three vocational programs are primarily offered by Missouri’s network of over fifty community college campuses. This is supplemented by several private career colleges, including Concorde Career College in Kansas City and St. Louis College of Health Careers.
Graduates of Missouri’s two-year colleges will enjoy a robust nursing job market. Over 120,000 nurses are employed statewide across these three roles. Missouri’s CNAs earn a median annual salary of $22,000, while its LPNs typically receive $37,000 in annual pay. The state’s RNs are paid almost $57,000 per year on average. In large metropolitan areas like Kansas City and Saint Louis, nurses will earn $3,000-6,000 more annually depending upon the role.
To help Missouri’s aspiring nurses find a rapid path to employment, we’ve listed below each of the state’s vocational, career, and community colleges for nursing. You’ll find them grouped by major city.