Practical Nursing is a Career Certificate program offered by Suncoast Technical College in Sarasota, FL. Tuition is $3,294 total.
Program Overview
Are you passionate about caring for others? Do you want to make a difference in people's lives? If so, our Practical Nursing Program is perfect for you. This program prepares students to plan and administer nursing care to patients in hospitals, extended care facilities, physicians' offices, healthcare agencies, and private homes. This care includes providing for the physical and emotional needs of the patient, administering medications, providing therapeutic procedures and interventions, and assisting with rehabilitation. So if you're ready to start making a real difference in the world, apply today!
Removing barriers to cross-border practice, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an interstate agreement allowing a nurse to have one license and the privilege to practice in other compact states. Implemented in 2000, the NLC fosters public protection and access to care through the mutual recognition of one state-based license that is enforced locally and recognized nationally. A majority of state nurse associations, hospital associations, and health care facilities in every state support the NLC. The NLC includes important patient safety features such as facilitation of the sharing of licensure, investigative and disciplinary action information among member states. All graduates from Suncoast Technical College Nursing are eligible to test for any state licensure in compliance with U.S. Department of Education's (USDE) Regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v).
Develop an understanding about nutrition; human growth and development; body structure and function; interpersonal relationship skills; pharmacology; legal aspects; American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS); communication skills; and current nursing technology and trends.
This program maintains approval from the Florida State Board of Nursing. Graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) given by the Florida State Board of Nursing. This is a national licensing exam with reciprocity in all states. This licensure provides the LPN with eligibility to articulate with the registered nurse (RN) transition programs at community colleges or in the university system.
What sets this Program apart
- Suncoast Technical College Nursing Programs are in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education's (USDE) Regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v).
- Learn about theoretical instruction and clinical experience in medical, surgical, maternal-child, mental health, and geriatric nursing.
- Instruction includes both acute and long-term care situations; personal, family, and community health concepts; mental health concepts.
- Over 50 percent of the total program hours are clinical.
- Students must submit to drug testing prior to clinical rotations.
- Learn patient assessment skills, procedures and interventions, and medication administration using the Skills Lab and Pediatric and Adult Human Patient Simulator.
- Clinical assignments at local hospitals, nursing homes, community mental health facilities, and other select healthcare agencies.
- All teachers are registered nurses, licensed by the State of FL, and credentialed by the Board of Nursing.
School Information
Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
Attending an accredited institution means your education has met independently reviewed quality standards designed to protect students.
This program: Suncoast Technical College is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE).
- A reliable indicator of educational quality
- Eligible for federal Title IV financial aid
- Recognised by employers across Florida
- Credits toward a state licence or industry certification
Accreditations
Admission Requirements and Process
Entry is governed by the 2025–2026 Suncoast Technical College academic catalog. The requirements and the application steps are listed below.
General Requirements
- Be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or GED.
- Complete the Health Science Application and Health Packet.
- A physical examination documenting the absence of lifting restrictions, an EKG report, required immunisations, tuberculosis screening and the seasonal influenza vaccine.
- Pass the PERT Basic Skills Exam.
- STC conducts a background check on applicants to all Health Science and EMS programmes, under its affiliation agreements, licensing agencies and state statutes. Admission restrictions apply for documented chemical impairment or emotional/mental illness (one full year of documented stability), and for certain arrests and convictions.
- A completed STC application, submitted online through the college’s application portal.
- Language, mathematics and reading competencies are assessed; speak to a school counsellor about basic-skills assessment and exemptions.
- Proof of Florida residency where the Florida-resident tuition rate is claimed; non-residents pay an additional out-of-state fee per clock hour.
Application Process
- 1
- 2Basic skills assessmentLanguage, mathematics and reading competencies are assessed. A school counsellor can explain the assessment and the exemptions that apply to it.
- 3Meet with Student ServicesContact the campus you plan to attend to arrange the next step. Health Science programmes additionally require attendance at a Health Information Session before registration.
- 4Register and payRegister for your programme and settle fees. Suncoast charges by the clock hour at the published Florida-resident rate, so the cost is set by the length of the programme.
Program Schedule
The programme is 1350 clock hours. The 2025–2026 catalog describes it as months (1,350 hours) to complete. Start dates are published on the college’s Start Dates page and vary by programme and campus.
Curriculum
The Occupational Completion Point sequence below is the course list Suncoast publishes on this programme’s own page. Its hours sum to exactly 1350 — the programme’s full clock-hour requirement.
Required Courses
| Subject # | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| A | ||
| PRN0098 | Practical Nursing Foundations 1 | 300 |
| Subtotal | 300 | |
| B | ||
| PRN0099 | Practical Nursing Foundations 2 | 300 |
| PRN0290 | Medical Surgical Nursing 1 | 300 |
| PRN0291 | Medical Surgical Nursing 2 | 300 |
| PRN0690 | Comprehensive Nursing and Transitional Skills | 150 |
| Subtotal | 1,050 | |
| Program Total | 1,350 | |
Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid Information
Suncoast charges by the clock hour rather than by the term. At the catalog’s Florida-resident rate of $2.44 per clock hour, plus the financial-aid fee of $0.24 and the capital-improvement fee — $2.92 per clock hour all in — this 1350-hour programme comes to about $3,294.00 in tuition and $3,942.00 all in.
Lab and programme-specific fees vary and are not included in that figure; fee sheets are provided to each applicant during admissions. Florida non-residents additionally pay a $7.34 out-of-state fee per clock hour and higher per-hour fees. Federal financial aid is available to those who qualify — Suncoast is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE), which is what makes its programmes Title IV eligible.
Tuition about $3,294.00; about $3,942.00 all in, at $2.44 per clock hour for Florida residents ($2.92 all in).
Career Outcomes
Suncoast publishes the industry certifications and state credentials attached to each programme on its own Industry Certifications page, and links career information for every programme to O*NET. Talk to a school counsellor about which credentials this programme carries and when they are earned — for some programmes they are earned within the programme’s own time frame, for others within a year of completion.
Health Science programmes place students in clinical rotations at hospitals, nursing homes, community mental health facilities and other healthcare agencies across Sarasota and Manatee counties. Clinical placement is an educational experience: students are not paid and are not substituted for hired staff.
What to expect as a Suncoast Technical College student
Suncoast is a public technical college run by Sarasota County Schools, and its career and technical programmes are measured in clock hours against Florida’s Occupational Completion Point framework: you earn a documented OCP at each stage of the sequence rather than only at the end. That is why cost, length and progress are all quoted in hours here rather than credits or semesters.
Expect the work to be hands-on and the schedule to be set by the programme rather than chosen course by course. Language, mathematics and reading competencies are assessed before or during the programme, and a school counsellor can explain the exemptions. Uniforms are required for several programmes and are ordered separately — the college asks for them at least seven days before your start date.
Frequently Asked Questions
School Information
Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
Attending an accredited institution means your education has met independently reviewed quality standards designed to protect students.
This program: Suncoast Technical College is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE).
- A reliable indicator of educational quality
- Eligible for federal Title IV financial aid
- Recognised by employers across Florida
- Credits toward a state licence or industry certification