LPN/LVN nursing education curriculum for today’s nursing students

In today’s complex care environment, preparing practice-ready nurses can be challenging. Nursing educators are balancing the need to produce LPN/LVN practice-ready nurses with the challenges of teaching a diverse population of students — all while accommodating varying study skill abilities and the need to avoid cognitive overload.

The urgency of the LPN/LVN shortage (estimated to reach 1.2 million by 2030) demands proven nursing education and remediation solutions that help prepare students for the Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN) – and transition to real-world clinical practice. But preparing LPN/LVN students comes with its own set of considerations for deans and faculty of nursing programs as they try to keep pace.

Time-stretched LPN/LVN nursing students need structure and guidance along their learning path with paced adaptive assignments so misconceptions can be captured in real time. And while every student deserves equal access to learning tools that have proven outcomes, instructors need flexible options to teach courses based on their own unique teaching styles.

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LPN/LVN case study for citi boces
How one LPN program boosted NCLEX scores and practice readiness by 30% with Lippincott®
CiTi BOCES is crucial to the local community of Oswego County, NY. In 2015, falling NCLEX scores signaled that students were unprepared for the exam or clinical practice. That’s when they turned to Lippincott's suite of learning solutions. 
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Improve student retention

The U.S. nursing program dropout rate is 20%. Keep students engaged with a personalized learning experience and simulations that enable learning-by-doing practice. Ensure consistency of learning through the LPN/LVN curriculum.

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Appeal to diverse learners

Provide strong student support for the unique characteristics of LPN/LVN learners who juggle life responsibilities with school. Deliver content that appeals to diverse learning styles and helps ensure students comprehend and retain information.
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Foster clinical judgment

Provide the building blocks of clinical reasoning that create practice space for anticipatory thinking and reflection of patient care, ensuring students learn and understand the nursing process that forms the foundation of practice.
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Ensure workforce readiness

Studies report that most new nurse graduates are not prepared for practice. Ensure students are workforce-ready by exposing them to the evidence-based learning platforms they’ll use in clinical practice.

Discover how the Lippincott® suite prepares LPN/LVN students for practice

Our curriculum solution anchors core knowledge in patient care to promote clinical judgment development so you can be confident your students are NCLEX and practice-ready.

Student engaged during class
Learn
Students anchor their nursing education with a digital learning courseware that offers adaptive quizzes for personalized learning. The interactive audible eBook transforms the traditional textbook and becomes a customized study aid, while engaging resources like One-Minute Nurse videos simplify key concepts. Robust reporting tools help educators mentor effectively. Integrated with Lippincott® Advisor, students gain practical experience using a widely recognized clinical decision tool.
Lippincott CoursePoint
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Anticipate
Case-based learning provides students with valuable cognitive practice through complex multifactorial patient scenarios. When guided by faculty, this approach fosters clinical judgment and essential safety habits, giving students early exposure to the reality of holistic patient care. Training students to recognize, analyze, and prioritize while identifying common errors within EHRs prepares them for taking action in simulations and real-life clinical settings.
Lippincott Client Cases
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Apply
Students can demonstrate their abilities using their knowledge in realistic, true-to-life nursing scenarios. These interactive virtual scenarios allow students to engage with 3D patients, testing their ability to recognize and analyze cues through unfolding visual and audio responses and by experiencing lifelike reactions. Students decide what actions to take with the system adapting to student-driven decisions so they can see immediate cause and effect, strengthening their clinical judgment skills.
vSim For Nursing
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Practice
Documentation skills are a critical part of clinical preparation and practice readiness. Give students the real-world charting practice they need to build the confidence and sound clinical judgment for success. Students can review information in chart tabs, recognize and analyze cues, and take action. By contextualizing realistic patient care scenarios with hands-on documentation in EHR software, students develop this critical skillset.
Lippincott DocuCare
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Assess
Preparing for the NCLEX can be challenging, as traditional resources often leave students feeling unprepared. Lippincott offers a solution with thousands of practice questions, adaptive quizzes, and AI-driven personalized remediation. This technology tailors support to each student's needs, helping build confidence. Trust in a solution supported by proven reliability and predictive validity.
Lippincott Ready For NCLEX
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Discover how we can support your program's success with Lippincott Partnership for Nursing Education and Testing
Curriculum-wide learning, doing, and testing solution, combined with the expertise to help transform your nursing program.
Explore Lippincott Partnership

Find the content path for the way you teach

Whether you’re interested in a single textbook for your course or eBooks integrated with a robust digital platform to support a full curriculum – Lippincott delivers flexible options. Combine digital and text LPN course materials, interactive learning, NCLEX-PN practice and review content and tools, and dashboards to track student progress.

Rosdahl’s Textbook of Basic Nursing, 12th Edition
Rosdahl’s Textbook of Basic Nursing, 12th Edition
Caroline Rosdahl, RN-BC, ALA, BSN, PHN, MA
2022

Rosdahl’s Textbook of Basic Nursing, 12th Edition, offers an updated comprehensive resource designed to equip LPN/LVN students with essential knowledge and skills for safe practice and NCLEX-PN® success.

  • Updated content aligns with current clinical practices across various nursing fields, including Anatomy & Physiology, Mental Health, and Geriatric Considerations.
  • NCLEX-PN-style review questions with rationales enhance exam readiness.
  • A visually engaging presentation and comprehensive practice tools support effective learning and clinical application.
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter
Timby's Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts, 13th Edition
Timby's Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts, 13th Edition
Loretta A. Donnelly-Moreno, DNP, RN, MSN
2025

Timby's Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts, 13th Edition, serves as a foundational guide for LPN/LVN nursing students, through basic nursing theory and clinical skills acquisition. Rooted in philosophical principles, each chapter provides insights that underscore the essence of nursing, fostering compassionate care and accountability.

  • Clear, and easy to comprehend Nursing Process presentation of Skills and Guidelines including care planning and documentation
  • Step-by-Step Skills Breakdown showing clinical skills presented in detail, ensuring compliance with CDC infection control guidelines
  • Next Generation NCLEX®-style questions added to clinical scenarios to build clinical judgment
  • Practical Nursing Guidelines offering mini-procedures for nursing care and client management, with illustrations for visual learning support
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter
Timby’s Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing, 13th Edition
Timby’s Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing, 13th Edition
Loretta A. Moreno, DNP, RN, MSN; Brigitte Moseley, RNC-OB, MSN
2022

Approachable, comprehensive, and optimized for today’s visual learners, Timby’s Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing, 13th Edition, clarifies the challenging field of medical-surgical nursing and gives LPN/LVN students the understanding and clinical judgment to deliver safe, effective patient care. The updated 13th Edition is known for its readability and visually appealing, engaging writing.

  • Developing Clinical Judgment that is emphasized with cases throughout and Concept Care Diagrams to explain the nursing process
  • Gerontological considerations grouped at each chapter, providing emphasis on this client population
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter
Introductory Clinical Pharmacology 12th Edition
Introductory Clinical Pharmacology, 12th Edition
Susan M. Ford, MN, RN, CNE Ret
2022

Introductory Clinical Pharmacology, 12th Edition, combines impeccably accurate drug information, an easy-to-read writing style, a practical nursing process approach, and powerful online resources to help students easily grasp challenging concepts and learn to confidently apply them in clinical practice.

  • This practice-oriented resource not only helps students understand drugs and their effects, but also teaches students to effectively relay information to patients.
  • Builds critical thinking and problem-solving skills for success on the NCLEX-PN® and in nursing practice with highlighted “stop and ponder” to examine learning retention
  • Presentation of drugs allows for easy options to integrate into a concepts-based curricula.
  • Look-Alike-Sound-Alike Alerts (LASA) were added to each chapter to lessen confusion around drug names.
  • Pharmacology in Practice cases updated and expanded
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter
Introductory Maternity & Pediatric Nursing, 5th Edition
Introductory Maternity & Pediatric Nursing, 5th Edition
Nancy T. Hatfield, MAE, BSN, RN; Cynthia A. Kincheloe, MSN, BSN, ADN, RN
2022

Created specifically for today’s LPN/LVN students, Introductory Maternity & Pediatric Nursing, 5th Edition, delivers clearly written, vibrantly illustrated, clinically relevant coverage of pregnancy, birth, and pediatrics to help students master key clinical and critical thinking skills and prepare for success on the NCLEX-PN® exam and in clinical practice.

  • Case studies introduced at the beginning of the chapter and revisited at the end provide discussion opportunities and critical thinking and decision-making development.
  • First-person narratives provide students with individuals’ situations and feelings about their experience, aiding in recognizing and analyzing cues.
  • Nursing Process and Care Plan updates provide practical application.
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter
Introductory Mental Health Nursing, 5th Edition
Introductory Mental Health Nursing, 5th Edition
Cynthia A. Kincheloe, MSN, BSN, ADN, RN
2024

The 5th Edition of Introductory Mental Health Nursing offers a comprehensive and accessible guide for LPN/LVN students, equipping them with the skills to handle diverse mental healthcare needs effectively.

  • Updated inclusive terminology enhances clinical communication.
  • Cultural Considerations boxes address cultural, ethnic, and religious influences on care.
  • Case Studies and Nursing Process sections support practical application of nursing concepts.
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter
LPN to RN Transitions: Achieving Success in Your New Role, 6th Edition
LPN to RN Transitions: Achieving Success in Your New Role, 6th Edition
Linda Lee Phelps, DNP, RN
2025

The 6th Edition of LPN to RN Transitions: Achieving Success in Your New Role serves as a comprehensive toolkit to guide LPN/LVN students transitioning to RN roles, emphasizing career advancement and practical application.

  • Case studies at the beginning of each chapter illustrate real student experiences in transitioning from LPN/LVN to RN roles.
  • "Thinking critically" exercises promote reflection and application of theoretical content in clinical settings.
  • NCLEX®-style questions with rationales help students prepare effectively for the NCLEX exam.
View Sample Chapter
View Sample Chapter

Request a consultation from your Wolters Kluwer sales representative about our LPN/LVN program solutions

Get the most out of the Lippincott® products and course materials to help students reach their potential. Digitally transforming your curriculum with expert guidance along the way, our team of educational coaches and nurse educators are here to help.

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