Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Madisonville Community College

Madisonville Community College's practical nursing program sits in the bottom quarter of Kentucky nursing programs—and that's generous compared to national standings. Graduates earn a median $26,318 in their first year, landing in just the 5th percentile nationally and 25th percentile statewide. That's $5,500 below Kentucky's median for this credential and nearly $18,000 under the national benchmark. When nearby Beckfield College graduates earn $48,479 and even Hopkinsville Community College hits $37,077, this gap demands explanation.

The program does keep debt manageable at $9,500, which is reasonable and below both state and national medians. Still, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36 matters less when starting earnings barely exceed $26,000. For context, practical nurses typically command more respect in the labor market—$44,000 nationally suggests robust demand—but something isn't translating here, whether it's local market conditions in Madisonville or program preparation.

For parents weighing this against other Kentucky options, the numbers suggest looking elsewhere. Your child could attend programs within the state system that deliver $10,000-20,000 higher first-year earnings for similar or even lower debt. Unless geographic constraints make Madisonville the only viable option, this program underperforms too significantly to justify choosing it over stronger alternatives in Kentucky's nursing education landscape.