Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County

Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County charges $17,200 for a practical nursing certificate that leads to earnings of $47,934—placing graduates right around Pennsylvania's median for the program and above the national average. That debt level, representing just 36% of first-year earnings, is manageable relative to what many nursing students take on. However, the concerning pattern here is what happens next: by year four, median earnings drop to $42,762, an 11% decline that's unusual for healthcare credentials.

This earnings slide warrants attention. While LPNs in Scranton may face different market dynamics than those in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, comparing this program to Pennsylvania's top performers reveals a significant gap—Delaware County Technical School's graduates earn $66,000, nearly $20,000 more than what this program delivers even in year one. The 71% Pell grant rate indicates this program serves students who need their credential to pay off reliably, making that downward earnings trajectory more problematic.

The value here isn't terrible—graduates enter the workforce quickly with reasonable debt and earn above the poverty line. But for a program that costs slightly above the state median, the combination of middling initial earnings and negative growth suggests exploring other Pennsylvania practical nursing programs might yield better returns, particularly those technical schools showing stronger four-year outcomes.