Huntsville Hospital and Drake State Community and Technical College have announced a new program that provides free tuition to become a licensed practical nurse. Students admitted to the LPN Launch Program will receive financial assistance from Huntsville Hospital for up to $15,000 for tuition, fees, books and other expenses while committing to work for three years as an LPN at Huntsville Hospital after graduation.

“If there is a win-win for someone looking for a career, this is it,” says Tracy Doughty, President and Chief Operating Officer of Huntsville Hospital. “Drake State has an outstanding nursing program and Huntsville Hospital is the largest employer of nurses in North Alabama.  Drake will train them and we will hire them.”

According to Dr. Patricia Sims, president of Drake State, the LPN Launch program is a shining example of community colleges working within the communities to meet the workforce demands of North Alabama.

“Collaboration is the Huntsville standard,” says Sims. “The LPN Launch program is a partnership between Huntsville Hospital and Drake State and it’s designed to meet challenge of the high demand for nurses in North Alabama.”

Sims points out that nurses are listed as one of the top 25 highest-demand positions in our state, with over 4,500 openings annually.

The deadline for applying to the program is April 30. The first class of 25 students will begin in the fall semester at Huntsville Hospital’s Cochran Training Center. An LPN Launch Program information session is set for March 31 at Campus 805.

Registration for the session is available here.