• Several colleges in the Kissimmee, Florida, area offer technical training in nursing.in hospital image by Mykola Velychko from Fotolia.com
  
  Licensed practical nurses care for patients who are sick, injured or disabled, and according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics employment of these professionals is expected to climb 21 percent between 2008 and 2018. This is fitting in Kissimmee, Florida, where healthcare is one of the common industries, according to City-data.com. Several technical colleges in the Kissimmee area provide students with the classroom and hands-on training they need to work in this field.
  
  

Technical Education Center Osceola

• Technical Education Center Osceola in Kissimmee offers a program in practical nursing. The program trains students to work as licensed practical nurses. Courses in the program cover topics such as obstetrics, pediatric and geriatric nursing, acute-care situations, long-term care situations and nutrition. Students also learn human growth and development, anatomy and physiology, family and community health concepts, mental health, pharmacology, computer skills and CPR. The program includes both classroom instruction and clinical experience and lasts 12 to 18 months depending if students attend full or part-time. Founded in 1994, Technical Education Center Osceola is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, according to City-data.com.
  
  Technical Education Center Osceola
  501 Simpson Road
  Kissimmee, FL 34744
  407-344-5080
  teco.osceola.k12.fl.us/asps/programs/nursing/nursing.asp
  
  

Orlando Tech

• Orlando Tech, located about 18 miles north of Kissimmee, offers a practical nursing program. The program is 1,350 hours long and covers topics such as nursing fundamentals and vocational adjustments. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination. To enter the program, students need their high school diplomas and must be 18 years of age. Individuals who already are certified nursing assistants can take and pass an exam to avoid having to take the nursing assistant portion of the program. Founded in 1933, Orlando Tech is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Council on Occupational Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, according to Education-Portal.com.
  
  Orlando Tech
  301 West Amelia St.
  Orlando, FL 32801
  407-246-7060
  orlandotech.ocps.net/our_programs/practical_nursing.html
  
  

Polk State College

• Polk State College in Winter Haven offers an associate degree in nursing. The college is located about 36 miles southwest of Kissimmee. Students in the program who have no formal nursing training can complete the generic option version of the program. The transition option is available for students who already have a current Florida license in the patient healthcare field and work, for example, as a licensed professional nurses or radiology technicians. The 72-credit program features computerized simulator mannequins in a nursing laboratory along with simulated hospital settings and equipment. Polk State College's nursing department was founded in 1965 and received initial accreditation by the National League of Nursing.
  
  Polk State College
  999 Ave. H, N.E.
  Winter Haven, FL 33881
  863-297-1000
  polk.edu/futurestudents/degreesandprograms/programs/nursing/Pages/default.aspx