Practical Nursing Option (PN), Certificate

The Practical Nursing program prepares graduates, who upon approval by the Alabama Board of Nursing, may qualify to sit for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam. Once the graduate successfully passes the NCLEX-PN they will become a licensed practical nurse. The Practical Nursing program is a combination of classroom theory, lab, and supervised clinical experiences 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 (12) months or three (3) 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. It is the goal of Shelton State Community College is to graduate well-prepared nurses who are strong practitioners both clinically and academically. To that end, PN students should plan for twelve (12) to sixteen (16) hours per week of clinical experience and three (3) or more hours of study time for each hour spent in the classroom. Although class and clinical hours will be planned as conveniently as possible, there may be evening or weekend assignments. Students are discouraged from working full-time while attending the PN program. Because of the clinical time involved and the preparation time for some of the nursing courses, students are encouraged to consider completing all the academic requirements (non-nursing courses) prior to admission to the PN program.

The Practical Nursing program is approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN), RSA Plaza, Suite 250, 770 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104, telephone 334.293.5201 or 800.656.5318. For more information, visit www.abn.al.gov. The PN program is also accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, 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

Apply online for admission to Shelton State Community College.
Submit copies of official transcripts of all colleges and universities attended to the Office of Enrollment Services. All transcripts must be evaluated by the Office of Enrollment Services for determination of course credits and GPA calculations.
Meet all academic requirements and complete any program admission requirements (listed below).
After successful completion of all academic and admission requirements, the student may submit the online application for prospective 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.
Complete application checklist provided after submission of the online nursing application.

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

Applicant must have unconditional admission to the College.
Applicant must complete and submit an online application for the PN program by July 15 for fall admission at the Bibb campus and October 1 for spring admission at the Martin campus. Online applications are accepted between June 5 and July 5 for fall (evening classes) admission and September 1 and October 1 for spring (evening classes) admission.
Applicant must have taken all four sections of the ACT examination (math, science, English, and reading). A composite score of 18 or higher is required.
Applicant must have a minimum 2.50 GPA in academic courses required for the nursing program and minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA at current institution, or institution from which student is transferring. An official SSCC transcript with all transfer credit must be available by the application deadline.
Applicant must have a minimum of 2.50 cumulative high school GPA (for students without prior college course work).
An official high school transcript or GED certificate must be available by the application deadline.
Applicant must be eligible to enroll in or have completed the following:
1. ENG 101 and MTH 100 or higher as determined by College placement
2. BIO 201 during the first term of nursing courses (BIO 103 is a pre-requisite to BIO 201.)
Applicant must be in good standing with the College.
Applicant must meet the essential functions or technical standards required for nursing.
All applicants are required to attend a Health Services Information Session.

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 the following:

Points come from the official ACT score. There is a maximum of thirty-six points with no time limit on when the test was taken.
Points come from required academic courses for the SSCC Nursing Program (i.e., ENG 101 , MTH 100 or higher, BIO 201 , and BIO 202 ).
Points for grades are as follows: A = 3 points, B = 2 points, C = 1 point.
An additional ten points may be awarded as follows:

Six (6) months of work experience with a minimum of 215 work hours in a health-related field with direct patient care or the completion of a health-related program

		Points		Criteria
		3		Shelton State Community College students who completed eighteen hours of required academic courses for the SSCC Nursing Program
		3		Students who have completed eighteen hours of required academic courses for the SSCC Nursing Program with a 3.0 or higher GPA
		4		Six months of work experience with a minimum of 215 work hours in a health-related field with direct patient care or the completion of a health-related program