Becoming A Nurse In Kansas + Requirements & Licensing

Updated on October 16, 2023

Kansas has a huge requirement for nurses, making it an interesting state to work in. Salary, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was $56,410 per year on average in 2013, which is a 1.1% rise from the previous...

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Kansas has a huge requirement for nurses, making it an interesting state to work in. Salary, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was $71,990 per year on average in 2023, which is a 0.9% rise from the previous year. Naturally, being a nurse is about having a passion to make things better for others, and not about the salary. So how do you become a nurse in Kansas?

ENTRY LEVEL PRACTICE NURSES

Entry level nursing is a 3 stage process:

1
YOU NEED TO DECIDE ON THE TYPE OF EDUCATION THAT YOU WANT TO OBTAIN
You can become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) by completing a one year diploma program. Although the shortness of this option makes it interesting, it is not that popular due to the low availability of jobs and the relatively lower pay. Instead, most students choose the RN (registered nurse) option, which can be achieved through a 2 year associate degree (ADN) or a 4 year bachelor degree (BSN), which provides the greatest amount of knowledge and skills and leads to the best (paid) jobs.
2
MEET THE PREREQUISITES
No matter which option you choose, you will need to have completed your high school or GED diploma. If you choose the ADN or BSN, you may also have to complete a number of undergraduate courses, usually in subjects such as statistics and English. You can expect this to take between three and six months to complete.
3
BECOME LICENSED BY PASSING THE NCLEX EXAM
The LPN will take the NCLEX-PN examination while the RN will have to take the NCLEX-RN examination.