Practical Nursing Certificate

The Practical Nursing program prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam. A combination of classroom theory, lab, and supervised clinical experiences are offered in a full time program. The nursing courses must be taken in sequential order. Admission to Practical Nursing is a competitive process. The space available at clinical sites and student-teacher ratios required by the Alabama Board of Nursing limit the number of applicants accepted. Twelve months or three consecutive semesters, are required to complete the program with admission occurring in the fall and spring semesters. Selections for each class are made by the Practical Nursing Admissions Committee. The goal of Shelton State Community College is to graduate well-prepared nurses who are strong performers both clinically and in the classroom. To that end, Practical Nursing students should plan to spend 16 hours per week in clinical experience and three or more hours of study time for each hour spent in the classroom. Although clinical hours will be planned as conveniently as possible, there may be some 3-11 non-traditional work hours. Students are discouraged from working while attending the PN program.

The Practical Nursing Program is approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN), RSA Plaza, Suite 50, 770 Washington Avenue, P.O. Box 303900, Montgomery, AL 36130-3900, telephone 334.242.4060 or 800.656.5318. Visit their Web site at www.ABN.state.al.us.

Note: Nursing Program information, policies and curriculum are subject to change due to statewide standardization of nursing programs.

Minimum Admission Standards for the Practical Nursing Track include:

1. Unconditional admission to the College.
2. Minimum of 2.50 GPA on last 24 hours of credit (undergraduate or graduate) for students with previous college credit.
3. Minimum of 2.50 cumulative high school GPA for students without prior college work (A GED is acceptable in lieu of a high school transcript).
4. Eligible to enroll in:
   1. ENG 101 - English Composition I  as determined by college placement
   2. MTH 116 - Mathematical Applications  or MTH 100 - Intermediate College Algebra  or higher math as determined by college placement
5. Good standing with the College
6. Meet the essential functions or technical standards required for nursing
7. An official Test of Essential Skills V (TEASV) score taken prior to application and taken within the last three years.

Admission to the Practical Nursing program is competitive, and the number of students is limited by the number of faculty and clinical facilities available. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program. After meeting all minimum requirements, applicants are rank-ordered using a point system based on:

1. COMPASS Reading scores, the higher the score the greater the points received for the selection process;
2. Points for selected college courses (i.e., ENG 101 , MTH 116 ) or selected high school courses (i.e. Algebra II or higher level math, highest level biology) are awarded based on grade received in the course. A grade of A is assigned more points than a grade of C; and
3. Additional Points

A total of 221 points is possible with these selection criteria.