Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College

The first-year earnings of $25,545 are genuinely concerning—this program ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally and falls 20% below Kentucky's already-modest median for practical nursing programs. While many schools in this category hover around $44,000 nationally, Elizabethtown sits far below even Kentucky's $31,865 state median, trailing similar programs at nearby schools by $15,000 or more.

The dramatic 61% earnings jump by year four suggests graduates eventually find their footing, reaching $40,991—closer to what peers at other Kentucky schools earn from the start. Combined with relatively low debt of $8,250 (about half the national median), graduates aren't financially trapped. However, those first years earning barely above poverty wages create real hardship, especially for students supporting families.

Here's what matters: the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly with more data, and individual outcomes vary widely. If your child has strong connections to local healthcare employers who hire quickly into better-paying LPN positions, this could work out fine. But if you're comparing purely on numbers, other Kentucky programs deliver stronger starting salaries without meaningfully higher debt. The low initial earnings aren't just a statistical quirk—they represent real financial vulnerability during a period when new graduates are often managing loan payments and living expenses.