Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs in Kansas City, MO
Licensed practical nurses in Kansas City work in specialty clinics, community health centers, home health and the Kansas City VA, with posted pay running from about $21 to $39 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed in Missouri.
Current licensed practical nurse Openings in Kansas City, MO
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Licensed Practical Nurse Work in Kansas City
LPN work in Kansas City runs on both sides of State Line Road. The University of Kansas Health System staffs specialty clinics with LPNs in Kansas City and Olathe, the Kansas City VA Medical Center on Linwood Boulevard hires them for its residential treatment programs, and home health agencies send LPNs out from North Kansas City to patients across Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties. Community health centers add steady clinic work, from Swope Health Central in the urban core to Hickman Mills, Independence and the Northland.
Because Missouri and Kansas are both Nurse Licensure Compact states, one multistate license covers a commute from Waldo to Olathe or from the Northland to Kansas City, Kansas. That matters here, since some employers serve patients in both states and write that requirement straight into their postings. The LPN openings verified for this guide sit mostly in clinics, home health and federal care rather than inpatient hospital units.
Top Kansas City Employers Hiring Licensed Practical Nurses
These Kansas City employers have posted or advertised LPN roles on their own career sites:
- The University of Kansas Health System - the academic system posts clinic LPN roles, including allergy in Kansas City and internal medicine and wound care in Olathe.
- Kansas City VA Medical Center - the Linwood Boulevard medical center hires LPNs through USAJOBS, most recently for its substance abuse residential rehabilitation program.
- AdventHealth Home Health and Hospice - based in North Kansas City, it hires home health LPNs to cover Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties.
- Swope Health - the community health center network names LPN among its clinical roles at sites across Kansas City, Independence, Belton and the Northland.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries in Kansas City
- Entry level: about $21 to $25 an hour for new LPNs.
- Experienced: roughly $25 to $31 an hour with a few years in clinic, home health or long-term care.
- Senior or specialty: about $31 to $38 an hour for experienced home health and federal roles.
These are estimates drawn from local postings: AdventHealth's North Kansas City home health LPN role lists $20.95 to $38.96 an hour, and the VA's most recent LPN announcement paid $49,874 to $78,163 a year depending on grade. Experience, home health mileage and visit pay, federal grade steps and shift all move the number, and a license that covers both Missouri and Kansas opens the widest range of employers.
How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Kansas City
You need to finish a state-approved practical nursing program and pass the NCLEX-PN. Locally, the Practical Nursing certificate at MCC-Penn Valley runs 52.5 to 56.5 credit hours, takes less than a year, and is approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing. Your license comes from the Missouri State Board of Nursing, part of the Division of Professional Registration, and Missouri uses the title Licensed Practical Nurse. Missouri is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from your home state lets you work for Kansas employers too, and some home health postings ask for authority to practice in both Kansas and Missouri.
What the Job Involves
LPNs take vital signs, give medications and injections, change dressings, collect specimens, update charts and report changes to the RN or provider in charge. In a clinic that means rooming patients, giving vaccines and handling refills and callbacks. In home health it means driving to visits, checking wounds and medications, and teaching patients and families between RN visits.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active LPN license or compact multistate privilege
- Current BLS certification
- Medication administration and wound care
- Accurate charting in an electronic health record
- Clear communication with patients, families and RNs
- A valid driver's license for home health roles
Career Path and Advancement
A common Kansas City path is to start as an LPN in a clinic or home health and then bridge to an RN license. MCC offers an LPN-to-ADN bridge into its associate degree nursing program at Penn Valley, which leads to the NCLEX-RN and to hospital roles at systems on Hospital Hill and across the metro. Others stay on the LPN track and move into specialty clinics, wound care, charge roles in long-term care or federal positions with grade steps at the VA.
Related Careers in Kansas City
If practical nursing interests you, these Kansas City guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses LPNs in Kansas City, Missouri?
The Missouri State Board of Nursing, within the Division of Professional Registration, licenses practical nurses in Missouri. You qualify by finishing a state-approved practical nursing program and passing the NCLEX-PN.
Can I work in Kansas with a Missouri LPN license?
Yes, if you hold a multistate license. Missouri and Kansas are both Nurse Licensure Compact states, so a multistate license from your primary state of residence lets you practice in the other. A single-state license does not carry over.
How much do LPNs make in Kansas City?
Local postings put most LPNs between about $21 and $38 an hour. AdventHealth's North Kansas City home health LPN role lists $20.95 to $38.96, and the Kansas City VA's recent LPN announcement paid $49,874 to $78,163 a year.
How long does LPN school take in Kansas City?
The Practical Nursing certificate at MCC-Penn Valley takes less than a year of full-time study and carries 52.5 to 56.5 credit hours. After graduation you sit for the NCLEX-PN before you can work as an LPN.
Can an LPN become an RN in Kansas City?
Yes. MCC runs an LPN-to-ADN bridge into its associate degree nursing program at Penn Valley, which prepares you for the NCLEX-RN. The bridge credits your practical nursing coursework, so it is shorter than starting the RN degree from scratch.
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