By Amanda Leffler, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne
My name is Amanda Leffler, DNP, RN, and I challenge you to follow me on this journey of defining some of my favorite colleagues in the healthcare sector. If you closed your eyes and imagined the perfect nurse, would the first thing that came to mind really be their degree level? Across Indiana and throughout the United States, another group of professionals quietly keeps healthcare moving every single day: licensed practical nurses (LPNs).
I set out to change the nursing workforce by disrupting the status quo and by challenging the "we've always done it that way" mentalities of the higher education realm. Leffler Academy went from an idea in my head and a speck of dirt to the inception of a team and a place that offers anyone with a "spark" in their belly an opportunity to rise to the high standards of our beloved profession. We eliminated all the barriers that other higher education institutions were not bold enough to eliminate and proved that there are alternative ways to achieve greatness through individuals with a heart to pursue caring for the sick and the wellbeing of other humans.
Leffler Academy has a long list of achievements, but just to name a few, every single nursing student who has progressed to graduation has passed the NCLEX-PN. We pioneered one of the first dual-enrollment programs of its kind, enabling high school students to complete both secondary and college-level nursing coursework simultaneously. Through this innovative model, students graduated from high school with practical nursing credentials and successfully passed NCLEX-PN upon graduation. We've taken high-risk students and turned them into amazing healthcare professionals, not only allowing them gainful employment for their futures but also introducing them to the healthcare sector at different entry-level points, all while meeting them where they wanted to enter the workforce.
From long-term care facilities and rehabilitation centers to clinics, schools, home health agencies, and rural healthcare settings, LPNs are one of the most dependable and compassionate parts of the healthcare workforce. Their work is hands-on, patient-centered, and deeply rooted in serving communities where care is needed most.
According to the latest workforce research from the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy, Indiana had more than 13,800 actively practicing LPNs during the 2024 license renewal cycle. The data highlight just how critical these professionals are to the state's healthcare infrastructure. One of the biggest takeaways from Indiana's 2024 LPN workforce data is that LPNs serve in a wide variety of healthcare settings and often care for vulnerable populations. They are especially important in long-term care and skilled nursing environments, where patient relationships and continuity of care matter tremendously.
The Bowen Center's report notes that LPNs frequently act as a bridge between patients and the broader healthcare team. In many rural Indiana communities, LPNs are also part of the frontline workforce helping to address provider shortages and healthcare access gaps. Without them, many facilities would struggle to maintain safe staffing levels and quality patient care.
Being a disruptor also brought me to a two-fold situation. I was approached with an opportunity to take me and my team's work at Leffler Academy and scale statewide through a partnership with the University of Saint Francis (SF), which ended in a complete acquisition, forming Leffler Academy at University of Saint Francis. You see, being called to do bigger things often requires the leader to be selfless and surrender to achieve the empire to create more healthcare workers, and I believe I did just that to make it all possible.
Healthcare systems nationwide continue to face staffing shortages, burnout, and rising patient demand. During these challenges, LPNs have remained steady and resilient. Indiana's workforce reports show that LPNs are actively practicing across nearly every county in the state, demonstrating the profession's broad reach and importance. SF and Leffler Academy at SF continue to lead the way in the nursing pipeline, as we now offer credentials from certified nurse aide certificates to doctoral degrees in nursing, and we are doing it unapologetically together. The LPN degree will be offered at several SF locations.
As healthcare increasingly shifts toward community-based and aging-population care, the demand for skilled LPNs is expected to remain strong nationwide. LPNs frequently develop strong relationships with patients because they provide consistent, direct care day after day. In long-term care settings, especially, they become trusted faces for residents and families alike. Relationship-centered care matters, and it matters when it counts the most.
Technical skills save lives. Compassion changes lives. LPNs do both.
Across the United States, LPNs continue to play a vital role in caring for aging populations and supporting overextended healthcare systems. LPNs help healthcare systems remain functional, flexible, and patient-focused. They provide affordable, high-quality nursing care while supporting registered nurses, physicians, therapists, and interdisciplinary teams.
Many nurses also begin their careers as LPNs before advancing into registered nurse or advanced practice roles, making the profession an important entry point into the nursing pipeline.
In other words, investing in LPNs strengthens the future of healthcare itself. The nursing profession cannot function without LPNs, Indiana's healthcare system depends on them, and America's healthcare system depends on them.
And they deserve recognition every single day.
