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Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

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Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate School for You

In 2021-2022, 85,339 practical nursing & nursing assistants students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #2 most popular in the country.

There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 63 schools in the Plains States Region to see which basic certificate programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for practical nursing majors pursuing a basic certificate.

Our 2023 rankings named Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology the most popular school in the Plains States Region for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the rural area of Wichita, WSU Tech is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 377 students majoring in practical nursing at WSU Tech, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology

#2

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johnson County Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a large student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Johnson County Community College Report

Out of the 63 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Des Moines Area Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 517 students majoring in practical nursing at DMACC, 8% are male and 92% are female.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Sioux City.

Of the 417 students majoring in practical nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 9% are male and 91% are female.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Western Iowa Tech Community College

Out of the 63 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota West Community and Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Granite Falls, Minnesota West is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 88% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

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Hutchinson Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Hutchinson Community College is a small public school located in the town of Hutchinson.

Women make up 91% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Hutchinson Community College Report

Highland Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Highland Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Highland.

About 92% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Highland Community College Report

Kansas City Kansas Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the midsize city of Kansas City, Kansas City Kansas Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Of the 170 students majoring in practical nursing at Kansas City Kansas Community College, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Kansas City Kansas Community College Report

Washburn Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Topeka, Washburn Tech is a public school with a small student population.

Of the 198 students majoring in practical nursing at Washburn Tech, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Washburn Institute of Technology Report

Neosho County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Neosho County Community College is a small public school located in the town of Chanute.

About 90% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN
12 Salina Area Technical College Salina, KS

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges by State

Explore the best practical nursing & nursing assistants schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 3,821
Missouri 962
Minnesota 2,176
South Dakota 245
Iowa 1,762
North Dakota 256
Nebraska 346

One of 11 majors within the trade school area of study, practical nursing & nursing assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.

Practical Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 45,031
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 35,655
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,653

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 88,600
Allied Health Professions 83,905
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 83,587
Health Sciences & Services 36,762
Mental & Social Health Services 30,331

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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