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 334.293.5200 or 800.656.5318. Visit their website at www.abn.alabama.gov.  The PN program is also accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN) 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326; telephone 404.975.5000 or visit www.acenursing.org.

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

Admission Procedure

1. Make application and be accepted to Shelton State Community College.  Application may be completed online.
2. Submit copies of official transcripts of all colleges and universities attended to the Office of Admissions.  all transcripts must be evaluated by the Office of Admissions for determination of course credits and GPA calculations.
3. Meet all academic requirements and complete and program admission requirements (listed below).
4. After successful completion of all academic and admission requirements, the student may submit the online application fr admission to the nursing program.  Applications are accepted between May 1 and June 1 for fall admission, and between September 1 and October 1 for spring admission.
5. Complete application checklist provided after submission f the online nursing application.

 Minimum Admission Standards for the Practical Nursing Track include the following:

1. Unconditional admission to the College
2. Receipt of completed application packet for PN program by June 1st for fall admission and October 1st for Spring admission
3. Minimum of 2.50 GPA on last 24 hours of undergraduate or graduate credit (official college and high school transcripts or GED must be on file in the Nursing Admissions Office)
4. Minimum of 2.50 cumulative high school GPA for students without prior college coursework (official college and high school transcript or GED must be on file in the Nursing Admissions Office) 
5. Eligible to enroll in the following:
   1. ENG 101 - English Composition I  as determined by college placement
   2. MTH 116 - Mathematical Applications  or higher math as determined by college placement
   3. BIO 201 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I  during the first term of nursing courses.  (BIO 103  is a prerequisite to BIO 201 ).
6. Good standing with the college
7. Meet the essential functions or technical standards required for nursing
8. An official Test of Essential Skills V (TEAS) 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. 

Information for Admission

After meeting all minimum requirements, applicants are rank-ordered using a point system based on calculation of points for students meeting minimal PN-Track Admission standards.

1. Official TEAS V score:  the higher the score the greater the points received for the selection process; (maximum points 150).
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.