Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Orange Technical College-South Campus

Florida's nursing assistant and practical nursing programs show significant variation in outcomes, with top performers producing first-year earnings above $57,000 while others cluster around $41,000. Based on comparable certificate programs in Florida, Orange Technical College-South Campus graduates would likely earn about $41,000 in their first year—right at the state median but roughly $16,000 behind the strongest programs at Florida State College at Jacksonville and Meridian College. The estimated $10,500 in debt sits slightly above the state median but remains manageable, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.26.

The practical question is whether this represents good value when peer programs in Florida demonstrate such different outcomes. Programs at Herzing University's Florida campuses and Pinellas Technical College consistently place graduates in the $47,000 range, about 15% higher than what similar programs to Orange Technical suggest. For a certificate that can be completed relatively quickly, that earnings gap compounds over time. The lower debt is a point in this program's favor, but it doesn't fully offset the earnings differential.

Given the estimation uncertainty and the demonstrated range in Florida nursing programs, families should request actual placement data directly from Orange Technical College-South Campus and compare costs carefully against programs with documented stronger earnings outcomes in the Orlando area.