Application Deadlines
For traditional applicants, the deadline is April 15 for August start and October 15 for January start.
Begin a rewarding nursing career with the Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing at UA Northark. This career-focused, hands-on program prepares students to become practical nurses through comprehensive training in patient care, nursing fundamentals, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, clinical practice, and healthcare ethics. Students gain real-world experience in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and clinical settings while developing essential skills in vital signs monitoring, medication administration, wound care, and patient support. Designed for workforce readiness and licensure preparation, UA Northark’s Practical Nursing program provides affordable, high-quality education in Arkansas that leads to in-demand healthcare careers in nursing and patient care services.
The nursing job market has had a high growth rate over the last few years, and that trend is expected to continue. Practical nurses take vital signs, administer basic patient care, dress wounds, present patient information to registered nurses and doctors and much more on a daily basis.
In UA Northark’s program, classroom instruction is coordinated with clinical experience in the nursing care of patients at the local hospital and nursing homes. Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses. The PN program is approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and traditionally has a 100-percent pass rate on the NCLEX-PN.