Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs in Louisville, KY
Licensed practical nurses in Louisville earn a metro median near $31 an hour, about $2 above the Kentucky figure, and the Medical Center downtown is hiring on nights and days. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.
Current licensed practical nurse Openings in Louisville, KY
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Licensed Practical Nurse Work in Louisville
Louisville holds the biggest cluster of hospital beds in Kentucky, and LPNs work across all of it. The densest demand sits in the Louisville Medical Center east of downtown, where Norton Hospital, UofL Hospital and Jewish Hospital share a few blocks off Hospital Curve on I-65. UofL Health also staffs LPNs at Mary & Elizabeth Hospital on Bluegrass Avenue in the South End and at Frazier Rehab Institute on Abraham Flexner Way, while Norton fills clinic LPN roles in its physician practices along the Watterson and out to Brownsboro.
The other big lane is long-term and rehab care. Trilogy Health Services, headquartered on Hurstbourne Parkway, runs skilled nursing campuses from Springhurst to Glen Ridge, and Robley Rex VA Medical Center on Zorn Avenue hires LPNs for its emergency department and primary care teams. Pay in the metro runs ahead of the state, and many LPNs commute in from Southern Indiana or Bullitt County.
Top Louisville Employers Hiring Licensed Practical Nurses
These Louisville employers have posted LPN openings on their own career sites:
- Norton Healthcare - the city's largest health system posts LPN roles in hospital step-down units and in its Norton Children's and Norton Heart Specialists practices.
- UofL Health - hires LPNs for the UofL Hospital float pool, Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, Frazier Rehab Institute and UofL Physicians clinics downtown.
- Robley Rex VA Medical Center - the Zorn Avenue VA posts LPN roles in its emergency department and primary care teams through USAJOBS.
- Trilogy Health Services - the Louisville-based senior living operator hires LPNs at campuses such as Glen Ridge Health Campus.
- Family Health Centers - the community health center network lists LPNs among its open clinical positions.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries in Louisville
- Entry level: about $25 to $28 per hour for newly licensed LPNs.
- Experienced: roughly $29 to $33 per hour, with night and weekend differentials on top.
- Senior: $34 to $36 or more per hour for seasoned LPNs in acute care, specialty clinics and charge roles.
These are estimates built from BLS 2025 wage data for the Louisville metro, where the LPN median is about $31 an hour against $29 statewide. Shift, unit and employer type move pay the most. Federal LPN roles at Robley Rex VA have been posted at $51,778 to $81,381 a year, and hospital night shifts usually pay more than daytime clinic work.
How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Louisville
You need to finish a practical nursing program approved by the Kentucky Board of Nursing, pass the NCLEX-PN exam and receive your LPN license from the board, which includes a background check. Kentucky uses the title Licensed Practical Nurse, and it belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so UofL Health and other employers also accept a multistate license from another compact state. Local programs include Practical Nursing at Jefferson Community and Technical College's Downtown Campus, the Practical Nursing program at Galen College of Nursing on Terra Crossing Boulevard in east Louisville, and Sullivan University's Practical Nursing Diploma, which takes about 15 months.
What the Job Involves
LPNs give hands-on care under the direction of registered nurses and physicians. A typical shift includes taking vital signs, passing medications, changing dressings, collecting specimens, documenting care in the electronic record and watching for changes in a patient's condition. In clinics the work leans toward rooming patients, giving injections, handling refills and calling patients back, while in skilled nursing it centers on medication passes, wound care and admissions paperwork.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Kentucky LPN license or compact multistate license
- BLS certification, usually required by hire or within 30 days
- Safe medication administration and accurate documentation
- Wound care and IV familiarity where your scope allows
- Calm communication with patients, families and RNs
- Willingness to work nights, weekends or a float schedule
Career Path and Advancement
Many Louisville LPNs start in skilled nursing or a hospital step-down unit, then move into specialty clinics, charge roles or admissions nursing. The most common next step is becoming an RN: Galen College of Nursing runs an LPN to ADN bridge in east Louisville and Sullivan University offers a PN to ASN track, and both lead to the NCLEX-RN and the higher RN pay bands at the Medical Center hospitals.
Related Careers in Louisville
If practical nursing interests you, these related Louisville guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses LPNs in Kentucky?
The Kentucky Board of Nursing licenses licensed practical nurses after you complete an approved practical nursing program and pass the NCLEX-PN. The application includes a background check. Kentucky is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state also lets you work in Louisville.
How much do LPNs make in Louisville?
BLS 2025 data puts the Louisville metro LPN median near $31 an hour, with the lower tenth around $25.64 and the top tenth around $35.71. New LPNs typically land in the mid to high $20s, and night shifts and specialty units push pay higher.
How long does LPN school take in Louisville?
Most practical nursing programs take about a year to a year and a half. Sullivan University lists its Practical Nursing Diploma at about 15 months, and you still need to pass the NCLEX-PN before you can work as an LPN.
Can I work in Louisville with an Indiana LPN license?
Kentucky participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, and UofL Health postings accept a compact license with privileges to work in Kentucky. If your Indiana license is a multistate compact license, it can cover work on the Kentucky side of the river.
Do Louisville hospitals still hire LPNs?
Yes. Norton Healthcare and UofL Health both post LPN openings in hospital units and outpatient practices, and Robley Rex VA has posted LPN roles in its emergency department and primary care. Skilled nursing campuses such as those run by Trilogy Health Services also hire LPNs year round.
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