Lauren, Here's the Deal With Maricopa's LPN Program

Okay Lauren, if you're even slightly considering becoming an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), this is actually one of the better options I've found in Arizona — mainly because it's fast, affordable, and you don't have to spend years in school before you can start working as a nurse.

Here's what you need to know.

You Have Three Campus Options

First, this isn't just at GateWay like I originally thought. Maricopa offers the Fast Track Practical Nursing Program at three colleges:

GateWay Community College — Phoenix
Glendale Community College — Glendale
Mesa Community College — Red Mountain Campus

So depending on where you're living, you have some flexibility.

How Long Is It?

This is the part I think you'll like.

Once you're actually in the nursing program, the core LPN training is roughly two semesters. It's called "Fast Track" for a reason.

Maricopa is also rolling out a revised program beginning Spring 2027, so we'd need to make sure we're looking at the requirements for the exact semester you want to start.

What Are You Actually Going to Learn?

You're learning the hands-on nursing stuff you'd expect:

• Taking care of patients
• Giving medications
• Basic medical-surgical nursing
• Caring for older adults
• Pediatrics
• Maternal/newborn care
• Mental health
• Patient assessment and documentation
• Nursing procedures and safety

And yes, you'll have actual clinicals in healthcare facilities. This isn't something you can knock out completely online.

Now, About the Schedule...

This is the part we'd have to plan around.

It's a short program, but it's not a light program.

For example, Mesa has had first-semester students in lecture and lab from around 8:30 AM–4:30 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays, PLUS clinical/simulation days.

So you could work while doing this, but we'd probably want to look at evenings, nights, weekends or a flexible job rather than assuming you can work a regular 9-to-5.

How Much Is This Going to Cost?

This is one of the reasons I like the Maricopa option.

It's a public community-college program, not one of those private nursing schools charging $20,000–$30,000+ for an LPN certificate.

You'll pay regular Maricopa tuition plus nursing expenses like books, uniforms, supplies, fingerprinting, background checks, CPR, health requirements and clinical fees.

The program is changing for Spring 2027, so I'm not going to give you some old "$4,000 total" number and pretend that's definitely what you'll pay. We need the current cost sheet for the semester you're actually entering.

But this should still be dramatically cheaper than most private LPN programs.

Do You Have to Become a CNA First?

This is another thing we need to watch because Maricopa is changing the LPN curriculum for Spring 2027.

Some of their older/current webpages still show the previous CNA/Nurse Assisting requirements, while the new program is being rolled out.

So before you spend money on CNA school, NO — we're not just assuming you need it. We'll verify the requirements for your actual starting cohort first.

What Happens When You're Done?

You graduate from the program and apply to take the NCLEX-PN.

Pass that, meet the Arizona Board of Nursing requirements, and you're officially an:

LPN 🎉

Then you can look at jobs in places like:

Rehab • Clinics • Home Health • Long-Term Care • Assisted Living • Behavioral Health • Hospice • Doctor's Offices • Correctional Healthcare

And depending on the employer, there are hospital opportunities for LPNs too.

And You Don't Have to Stay an LPN Forever

This is probably my favorite part.

If you like nursing, you can work as an LPN and later continue:

LPN → RN → BSN

So instead of saying, "I'm going to spend the next four years becoming a nurse," you're getting a nursing credential much sooner, going to work, making money, and deciding from there how far you want to take it.

So Lauren, My Take?

I think this one is seriously worth looking at.

You have three locations:

📍 GateWay — Phoenix
📍 Glendale — West Valley
📍 Mesa Red Mountain — East Valley

It's relatively short, it's through the Maricopa Community College system, it's much more affordable than private nursing school, and it leads to an actual licensed healthcare career.

The biggest thing is that the program is changing for Spring 2027, so before we make any decisions, we need to verify your exact admission requirements, current tuition/fees, start dates and which campus makes the most sense.

But as far as "Can I get into healthcare without spending the next four years in school?"

Yep. This is definitely one of the options I'd put on your list.