Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs in Columbus, OH
Licensed practical nurses in Columbus earn a median of $29.76 an hour, and the work runs from Ohio State East Hospital on Taylor Avenue to home care across Franklin County. Here are the current LPN openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed in Ohio.
Current licensed practical nurse Openings in Columbus, OH
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Licensed Practical Nurse Work in Columbus
Columbus is a four-system health care town, and LPNs fill a narrower lane here than RNs. OhioHealth's nursing recruiting at Riverside Methodist and Grant centers on RNs, so LPN hiring clusters in a few places: acute care towers at Ohio State East Hospital on the Near East Side, pediatric home care run out of Nationwide Children's on the Near South Side, senior living communities such as Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber on Neil Avenue, and the VA's outpatient clinics, which reach from Columbus up to Delaware.
Two Ohio details shape the job. Hospital and clinic postings here routinely ask for IV therapy certification on top of the license, and Ohio joined the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an Ohio LPN license can be a multistate license. Columbus State's own figures say central Ohio needs about 9,000 more health care professionals by 2028, which keeps practical nursing seats full.
Top Columbus Employers Hiring Licensed Practical Nurses
These Columbus-area employers hire LPNs for hospital, clinic, home care and long-term care roles:
- Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - posts LPN roles on acute care units at Ohio State East Hospital, 181 Taylor Ave, and in clinics on the OSU campus.
- Nationwide Children's Hospital - hires homecare private duty LPNs for medically fragile kids in Grove City, Hilliard, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Columbus neighborhoods, and accepts new grads.
- Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber - the senior living community at 717 Neil Ave hires LPNs, including RN or LPN charge nurses who supervise the nursing assistants.
- VA Central Ohio Healthcare System - the Chalmers P. Wylie VA outpatient clinic posts federal LPN jobs in specialty clinics and Connected Care, Monday through Friday daytime hours.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries in Columbus
- Entry level: about $24 to $27 an hour for newly licensed LPNs.
- Experienced: roughly $28 to $33 an hour with a few years in a hospital, clinic or long-term care setting.
- Senior: $34 to $37 an hour or more; recent federal LPN postings at the Columbus VA listed $68,564 to $89,136 a year at GS-7.
These are estimates built from BLS May 2025 wage data for the Columbus metro and pay posted by local employers. Nationwide Children's advertises at least $25 an hour for home care LPNs, and an OSU student health LPN role posted $22.36 to $27.88. Shift, IV certification, specialty experience and federal versus private employer move pay the most.
How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Columbus
You need to finish a practical nursing program approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing, then pass the NCLEX-PN and apply to the Board for your license. Ohio uses the title Licensed Practical Nurse, not LVN. Columbus State Community College runs a part-time evening and weekend Licensed Practical Nurse certificate at its Columbus Campus on East Spring Street in the Discovery District, and the program reported a 100 percent first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate for December 2023 through May 2024. Many local employers also expect IV therapy certification and a pharmacology course after licensure, and every posting asks for current BLS.
What the Job Involves
LPNs give medications, take vital signs, change dressings, collect specimens, start or monitor IVs where certified, and document care in the electronic record under the direction of an RN or physician. In home care you may spend a full shift with one child on a trach or feeding tube; in long-term care you may run a hall as charge nurse and direct the nursing assistants; in a clinic you room patients, give injections and handle patient education.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Ohio LPN license in good standing
- IV therapy certification and pharmacology coursework
- Current BLS / CPR
- Accurate medication administration and charting
- Wound care, specimen collection and venipuncture
- Calm communication with patients and families
- Reliable transportation for home care and multi-site roles
Career Path and Advancement
Many Columbus LPNs start in long-term care or home care, move into hospital or specialty clinic roles, and take on charge nurse duties. The usual next step is going back for the RN: Columbus State's Associate of Applied Science in Nursing leads to the NCLEX-RN, and both Mount Carmel College of Nursing and Ohio State offer routes on to a BSN, which opens the larger RN job market across the Outerbelt.
Related Careers in Columbus
If practical nursing interests you, these related Columbus roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses LPNs in Ohio?
The Ohio Board of Nursing in Columbus licenses LPNs after you complete an approved practical nursing program and pass the NCLEX-PN. Ohio is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so an Ohio LPN license can be issued as a multistate license.
How much do LPNs make in Columbus?
The Columbus metro median is about $29.76 an hour, or roughly $61,900 a year, based on BLS May 2025 data. New LPNs usually start around $24 to $27 an hour, and experienced nurses in federal or specialty roles can earn well above $34.
Do Columbus hospitals hire LPNs?
Some do, but fewer than hire RNs. Ohio State Wexner Medical Center posts LPN roles at Ohio State East Hospital and in campus clinics, while much of the LPN hiring in Columbus is in home care, senior living and outpatient clinics such as the VA.
Do I need IV certification to work as an LPN in Columbus?
Many local postings require or prefer it. Ohio State East Hospital LPN postings list certification in IV medication administration as a requirement, and other local LPN postings commonly ask for pharmacology coursework as well.
How long does it take to become an LPN in Columbus?
Program length depends on the school and schedule, and part-time evening and weekend formats like Columbus State's take longer than full-time study. After graduation you still need to pass the NCLEX-PN and receive your Ohio license before you can work as an LPN.
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