Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs in Milwaukee, WI
Licensed practical nurses in Milwaukee are posted at roughly $25 to $38 an hour, from Aurora St. Luke's on the south side to nursing homes near the Greenfield line. Here are the current LPN openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed in Wisconsin.
Current licensed practical nurse Openings in Milwaukee, WI
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Licensed Practical Nurse Work in Milwaukee
Healthcare is the heaviest concentration of skilled work in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro, and LPNs are spread across more settings here than most people expect. Hospital systems use them mainly in specialty clinics, such as the pulmonary clinic at Aurora St. Luke's on W Oklahoma Ave and the rehab medicine clinic at Froedtert Hospital on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus by the Zoo Interchange. The bigger pool of LPN shifts sits in long-term care, rehab and behavioral health, where facilities along the south side and in West Allis staff around the clock.
That split shapes the job. A clinic LPN in Tosa or on the south side works days with a provider schedule, while a nursing home or psychiatric hospital LPN often runs a 3-11 or 7p-7a shift and passes medications for a full unit. The Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center on W National Ave and its outlying clinics, including Oconomowoc in Waukesha County, add federal LPN jobs on the GS pay scale.
Top Milwaukee Employers Hiring Licensed Practical Nurses
These Milwaukee-area employers have posted LPN openings on their own careers sites:
- Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center - the Advocate Health hospital on the south side hires clinic LPNs, including for its pulmonary clinic.
- Froedtert Hospital - the academic medical center on the MRMC campus hires LPNs for clinic roles such as rehab medicine.
- Autumn Lake Healthcare at Greenfield - the nursing and rehab center on S 27th St hires full-time and part-time LPNs on every shift, including 3-11.
- Granite Hills Hospital - the 120-bed behavioral health hospital on S 68th St in West Allis hires LPNs for its 7p-7a shift.
- Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center - the Milwaukee VA posts LPN jobs for its medical center and community clinics through USAJOBS.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries in Milwaukee
- Entry level: about $25 to $30 an hour for newly licensed LPNs in clinics and long-term care.
- Experienced: roughly $30 to $35 an hour, with evening and night shifts at the top of the range.
- Senior: about $35 to $40 an hour for seasoned LPNs in hospital clinics and federal roles.
These are estimates drawn from pay ranges Milwaukee employers published on their own postings in 2026, such as $25.30 to $37.95 an hour at Aurora St. Luke's and $30 to $34 an hour at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Greenfield. Shift, setting and experience move pay the most. VA LPN jobs follow the federal GS scale, which recently ranged from about $49,000 to $83,000 a year depending on grade and location.
How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Milwaukee
You need to finish a board-approved practical nursing program and pass the NCLEX-PN. The main local route is Milwaukee Area Technical College's Practical Nursing technical diploma at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus: 32 credits over two full-time semesters, with August and January starts. MATC requires nursing assistant training before you petition into the program, and it has a waiting list. Licenses are issued by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). Wisconsin belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a Wisconsin resident can hold a multistate license.
What the Job Involves
LPNs work under the direction of registered nurses and physicians. Daily tasks include taking vital signs, passing medications, giving injections, changing dressings, collecting specimens, documenting care in the electronic health record and watching patients for changes that the RN needs to know about. In clinics the day revolves around rooming patients and assisting providers; in long-term care and behavioral health it revolves around medication passes, treatments and charting for a full unit.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Wisconsin or multistate LPN license
- BLS certification
- Safe, accurate medication administration
- Electronic health record charting
- Calm handling of behavioral health and memory care residents
- Willingness to work evenings, nights or weekends
Career Path and Advancement
Many Milwaukee LPNs start as nursing assistants, finish MATC's practical nursing diploma, and then keep climbing. MATC runs an LPN to ADN progression into its Registered Nursing associate degree, and RNs can continue to a bachelor's at UW-Milwaukee or Marquette. Inside long-term care, experienced LPNs move into charge nurse and unit coordinator roles; inside the hospital systems, the usual next step is the RN license.
Related Careers in Milwaukee
If practical nursing interests you, these Milwaukee healthcare guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses LPNs in Wisconsin?
The Wisconsin Board of Nursing licenses practical nurses, and the Department of Safety and Professional Services handles the applications online. You qualify by graduating from a board-approved program and passing the NCLEX-PN. Wisconsin LPN licenses renew by April 30 of odd-numbered years.
How much do LPNs make in Milwaukee?
Pay ranges posted by Milwaukee employers in 2026 run from about $25 an hour at the low end to about $38 at the top. Long-term care facilities often pay $30 or more for evening and night shifts, and VA jobs follow the federal GS scale.
How long does it take to become an LPN in Milwaukee?
MATC's Practical Nursing diploma takes two full-time semesters once you are admitted. Plan extra time for nursing assistant training, prerequisites, the TEAS entrance test and the program's waiting list, then the NCLEX-PN after graduation.
Can I use my Wisconsin LPN license in other states?
Wisconsin is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. If Wisconsin is your primary state of residence, you can hold a multistate license that lets you practice in other compact states without a separate license.
Where do most LPNs work in Milwaukee?
Hospital systems such as Aurora and Froedtert use LPNs mostly in outpatient clinics. Nursing homes, rehab centers and behavioral health hospitals on the south side and in West Allis offer the most shift-based LPN jobs, and the Milwaukee VA hires LPNs for its medical center and clinics.
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