Educational Programs for RNs and LPNs in Tennessee

Consider All Your Options in Schools and Jobs

The nationwide nursing crisis has not left Tennessee healthcare unscathed. On the contrary, you're in luck if nursing is your intended career. RNs and LPNs are in extreme demand in every area of healthcare, in direct patient care AND in non-patient care areas, which you may overlook.

Memphis Park Downtown Skyline.

Tips to Find the Nursing Degrees that Fit Your Goals

Faced with an A-Z list of Tennessee nursing schools, how do you know where to start to narrow down your search?

Establish an education and career goal: do you want to earn your LPN license or your RN?

  • If you're on track to an LPN job then narrow your search for schools to technical and vocational. They offer practical nurse programs that prep you for the licensure and for very basic patient care jobs.
  • If you have your heart set on being an RN-and most prospective nursing students do-then decide which level of education you're willing to tackle up front: your 2-year Associates in nursing degree or the 4-year BSN. Community colleges in the state specialize in the Associates. Four-year colleges and universities offer the BSN and related formats.

Professional nurses: if you are shopping for educational opportunities designed to kick-start your career from a zombie state then stick to the 4-year colleges and universities. These institutions all offer the BSN, MSN, post-grad specialties, advanced practice nursing degrees and PhDs for nurses. If you are really backed into a corner with work and family schedules then seriously consider an online degree. Most are accredited and quite a few even offered by some of the same brick and mortar schools you see on the list.

Job Finding for TN Nurses

When you think RN job you most likely think "hospital." And you have 122 to choose from in Tennessee.* Hospitals remain the number one employers for RNs in the country. BUT they are not the only jobs available or needing nurses, not by a long-shot. Larger hospitals are clustered in metro areas and secondary cities, but in a state like Tennessee where there are big swaths of rural territory, hospitals are much smaller and limited in number. Here is where you'll find direct patient care jobs in long term and assisted care facilities, corrections, public schools and large businesses, outpatient medical clinics and doctors' offices. Don't miss out on some very well-paying non-patient care nursing jobs: insurance agencies, legal nurses, case managers and nurses in pharmaceutical sales.

Experienced nurses that earn an advanced practice nursing degree have very attractive opportunities in more remote locales. Nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives jobs are among some of the more challenging, well-paying, rewarding, and engaging. These nursing jobs are very well-suited to mid-career RNs at risk for burn-out or vacating jobs.

Downtown Nashville.

For information on state licensure requirements, visit the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

Tennessee Nursing Schools Offering Some Online Degree Options

East Tennessee State University — Johnson City
College of Nursing
CCNE Accredited

Middle Tennessee State University — Murfreesboro
School of Nursing
CCNE, NLNAC Accredited

Tennessee Board of Regents
Online Degree Program
NLNAC Accredited

Tennessee Technological University — Cookeville
School of Nursing
CCNE Accredited

University of Phoenix
CCNE Accredited

University of Tennessee Health Science Center — Memphis
CCNE Accredited

Vanderbilt University
School of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Search our big list of online nursing schools for many more distance education opportunities.

Campus-based Nursing Schools Located in Tennessee

Aquinas College — Nashville
Nursing Unit
NLNAC Accredited

Austin Peay State University — Clarksville
NLNAC Accredited

Baptist College of Health Sciences — Memphis
CCNE Accredited

Belmont University — Nashville
School of Nursing
CCNE Accredited

Carson Newman College — Jefferson City
CCNE Accredited

Chattanooga State Technical Community College — Chattanooga
Nursing Program
NLNAC Accredited

Cleveland State Community College — Cleveland
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Columbia State Community College — Columbia
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Cumberland University — Lebanon
Jeanette Rudy School of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Dyersburg State Community College — Dyersburg
Division of Nursing and Allied Health
NLNAC Accredited

East Tennessee State University — Johnson City
College of Nursing
CCNE Accredited

Jackson State Community College — Jackson
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

King College — Bristol
CCNE Accredited

Lincoln Memorial University — Harrogate
NLNAC Accredited

Martin Methodist College — Pulaski
CCNE Accredited

Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia — Madison
COA Accredited

Middle Tennessee State University — Murfreesboro
School of Nursing
CCNE, NLNAC Accredited

Milligan College — Milligan
CCNE Accredited

Motlow State Community College — Lynchburg
Nursing Education and Allied Health
NLNAC Accredited

Roane State Community College — Harriman
Nursing Division
NLNAC Accredited

South College — Knoxville
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Southern Adventist University — Collegedale
School of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Southwest Tennessee Community College — Memphis
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Tennessee State University — Nashville
School of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Tennessee Technological University — Cookeville
School of Nursing
CCNE Accredited

Tennessee Wesleyan College - Knoxville
CCNE Accredited

Trevecca Nazarene University — Nashville
CCNE Accredited

Union University — Jackson
CCNE Accredited

University of Memphis — Memphis
Loewenberg School of Nursing
CCNE, NLNAC Accredited

University of Tennessee — Chattanooga
CCNE Accredited

University of Tennessee — Knoxville
CCNE Accredited

University of Tennessee — Martin
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

University of Tennessee Health Science Center — Memphis
CCNE Accredited

Vanderbilt University — Nashville
School of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Walters State Community College — Morristown
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

* American Hospital Directory

 

 

 

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