Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski's nursing program produces graduates earning around $35,000 initially—about $10,000 less than the national median and $5,000 below the state median. Within Tennessee's nursing landscape, this ranks solidly middle-of-the-pack at the 40th percentile, but multiple comparable TCAT programs deliver significantly stronger outcomes. Graduates at TCAT Nashville and TCAT Athens, for instance, earn $15,000 to $17,000 more annually with similar training credentials.

The good news: debt remains manageable at under $13,000, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.37 means graduates can realistically handle their payments on a practical nurse's salary. Earnings also grow steadily, reaching $38,445 by year four—a healthy 11% increase that suggests graduates gain traction in the field. The moderate sample size (30-100 graduates) provides reasonable confidence in these numbers.

For parents, this comes down to geography and alternatives. If your child needs a local option in south-central Tennessee and is committed to nursing, the debt load won't be crushing. However, if they can access one of the higher-performing TCAT locations, they'd start their careers with substantially better earning potential—a gap that compounds over time. Given that other Tennessee technical colleges deliver markedly stronger outcomes for similar programs, it's worth exploring whether those options are feasible before committing here.