Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs in Oklahoma City, OK
Licensed practical nurses in Oklahoma City earned a median of $28.78 an hour in the May 2025 federal wage survey, with work spread from the Oklahoma Health Center to clinics on North Santa Fe and the state veterans home in Norman. Here are the current openings, then who hires and how to get licensed.
Current licensed practical nurse Openings in Oklahoma City, OK
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Licensed Practical Nurse Work in Oklahoma City
Most LPN hiring in Oklahoma City clusters in two places. The first is the Oklahoma Health Center east of downtown around NE 13th Street, where OU Health runs OU Medical Center and Oklahoma Children's and the VA Oklahoma City Health Care System runs its medical center. The second is the outpatient side: physician clinics in Midtown, along North Santa Fe and out toward Edmond, where a practical nurse rooms patients, gives injections and handles phone triage on a Monday to Friday schedule.
Long-term care is the third track. The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs recruits LPNs for its veterans home on East Robinson Street in Norman, a straight shot down I-35 from south Oklahoma City. Because Oklahoma belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, metro employers also hire LPNs who hold a multistate license from another compact state, which widens the pool and keeps clinic pay competitive.
Top Oklahoma City Employers Hiring Licensed Practical Nurses
These Oklahoma City area employers hire LPNs for hospital, clinic and long-term care roles:
- OU Health - the academic system hires LPNs for OU Medical Center, Oklahoma Children's, Stephenson Cancer Center, OU Health Edmond Medical Center and its physician clinics.
- SSM Health - the parent of St. Anthony Hospital in Midtown staffs clinic LPNs across SSM Health Medical Group, including a family medicine practice on North Santa Fe Avenue.
- VA Oklahoma City Health Care System - the federal medical center on NE 13th Street posts LPN openings on USAJOBS at the GS-3 to GS-7 grades.
- Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs - the state agency recruits LPNs, RNs and CNAs for its veterans home in Norman.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries in Oklahoma City
- Entry level: about $19 to $24 an hour for new graduates and clinic roles.
- Experienced: roughly $24 to $30 an hour, around the metro median of $28.78.
- Senior: $30 to $33 an hour or more for long-tenured LPNs, charge roles and federal posts.
These are estimates drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 survey for the Oklahoma City metro and from local postings. Experience, setting and shift move pay the most, and federal pay runs on a set scale: recent VA Oklahoma City LPN postings listed $40,731 to $74,129 a year at GS-3 to GS-6 and $63,366 to $82,377 at GS-7.
How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma uses the title Licensed Practical Nurse, and the license comes from the Oklahoma Board of Nursing, which has its office on North Lincoln Boulevard near the State Capitol. You finish a Board-approved practical nursing program, pass the NCLEX-PN, apply through the Board's online Nurse Portal and complete a fingerprint-based criminal history check. Locally, Metro Technology Centers runs a Board-approved, ACEN-accredited practical nursing program with an 11-month day schedule and a 12-month evening schedule. At Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City on North Portland Avenue, nursing students can sit the LPN boards after their first year through the Practical Nurse Equivalency route.
What the Job Involves
Licensed practical nurses work under the direction of registered nurses and physicians. A typical shift means taking vital signs, giving medications and injections, changing dressings, collecting specimens, updating the electronic health record and keeping the RN or provider informed about changes in a patient's condition. In clinics the day also includes rooming patients, refilling prescriptions on a provider's order and returning patient calls.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Oklahoma or multistate compact LPN license
- Current American Heart Association BLS certification
- Safe medication administration and injection technique
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear communication with RNs, providers and families
- Comfort with a fast clinic schedule or 12-hour hospital shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Many Oklahoma City LPNs use the license as a step toward registered nursing. OSU-OKC runs an LPN to RN career ladder pathway, the OU Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing offers an LPN to BSN track, and OU Health's Degree Accelerator program is built for working RNs and LPNs. Others stay in practical nursing and move into charge nurse, clinic lead or long-term care leadership roles, or into federal service at the VA, where pay rises by grade and step.
Related Careers in Oklahoma City
If practical nursing interests you, these related Oklahoma City guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses LPNs in Oklahoma City?
The Oklahoma Board of Nursing licenses LPNs statewide. You need to graduate from a Board-approved practical nursing program, pass the NCLEX-PN and clear a fingerprint background check. Oklahoma uses the LPN title, not LVN.
Can I work in Oklahoma City with an LPN license from another state?
Yes, if it is a multistate license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Oklahoma joined the compact and has issued multistate licenses since January 2018, so a compact LPN can start work here without a second license.
How much do LPNs make in Oklahoma City?
The May 2025 federal survey put the metro median at $28.78 an hour, with most LPNs between about $24 and $30. New graduates often start near $19 to $24, and VA Oklahoma City posts LPN roles on the federal GS scale.
How long does LPN school take in Oklahoma City?
Metro Technology Centers runs its practical nursing program in about 11 months on the day schedule and 12 months on the evening schedule. After graduation you still need to pass the NCLEX-PN and receive your license before you can work as an LPN.
Do Oklahoma City LPNs work in hospitals or clinics?
Both. OU Health and the VA hire LPNs inside their hospitals on the Oklahoma Health Center campus, while SSM Health and OU Health physician practices use LPNs in weekday clinics. Long-term care, including the state veterans home in Norman, is the third major setting.
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