2024-2025 Catalog

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Programs of Study- Nursing and Allied Health Technologies

The following associate degree, diploma, and certificate programs are located in The Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Division. All programs are not offered on every campus. As with all GNTC programs, students interested in Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs should consult specific program information in this catalog to see where the program is offered and visit or call the Admissions Office to discuss program admission requirements and entry dates. The following is a list of the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies degrees, diplomas, and certificates that GNTC offers. The letters following the program names identify the campuses where the programs are taught. (F-Floyd County Campus, G-Gordon County Campus, P-Polk County Campus, W-Walker County Campus, and WM-Whitfield Murray Campus).

Click on Program Names Below for Information and Curriculum

Associate of Science in Nursing Degree Programs

Nursing (NU33) - W

Nursing LPN to ASN Transition Program (NLT3) - W

Associate of Applied Science Degree Programs

Health Care Management (HC23) - F, W

Medical Assisting (MA23) - F, W

Paramedicine (PT13) - G

Surgical Technology (ST13) - W

Diploma Programs

EMS Professions (EP12) - F, G, WM

Medical Assisting (MA22) - F, W

Paramedicine (PT12) -G

Practical Nursing (PN12) - F, W (No longer accepting new students after June 30, 2024) (The Ongoing Practical Nursing Program Will Be the Practical Nursing Certificate (PN21).

 

Certificate Programs

Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) (EMH1) - F, G, WM

Central Sterile Supply Processing Technician- Adv (CS91) - W

Clinical Office Assistant (CA91) - F

CNA (Nurse Aide Accelerated- NAA1) - F, G

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) (EB71) - F, G, WM

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) (EMJ1) - F, G, WM

Health Care Assistant (HA21) - C, F, G, P, W, WM

Health Care Science (HS21) - C, F, G, W, WM

Medical Front Office Specialist (MJ71) - F, W

Paramedicine Accelerated (PAF1) -G

Patient Care Assistant (PC21) - F, G, W

Practical Nursing Certificate (PN21) - F, W

Pre-Hospital EMS Operations (PEO1) - F, G, WM
 

Program lengths vary from three months to two years. While most pre-occupational curriculum are available during the day and evening on GNTC’s four campuses, most occupational curriculum are held during the day on the Floyd County and Walker County Campuses.

Enrollment Procedures and Information for Nursing and Allied Health Technologies at Georgia Northwestern Technical College

I. Admission Procedures

  1. Refer to the Admissions Procedures outlined in the Admissions Policy and complete all requirements.
  2. Complete all requirements for entry in the nursing and allied health technologies program of choice. Nursing and allied health technologies programs each have additional entrance requirements or pre-occupational curriculum that should be taken prior to taking occupational curriculum or receiving official acceptance to the program. Advisors will discuss these requirements with their students. Specific requirements are listed under the program descriptions. When a student is in the final semester of completing courses, he/she will complete a form in the Office of Student Affairs requesting a review of course work at the end of that semester. This form will be available to students during the third week of the semester. An announcement will be made to students regarding this process.
  3. All students who complete their pre-occupational curriculum with a “C” or better, apply for addition to the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs eligibility pool, and have attended the mandatory Nursing and Allied Health programs orientation will be added to the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs eligibility pool. If a student has not satisfactorily completed the pre-occupational curriculum (example: did not earn a grade of “C” or higher in any required preoccupational course or did not attend the mandatory Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs orientation), the student’s name will not be placed in the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs eligibility pool for their program of choice. Once the student’s transcript has been reviewed, and it is determined that all requirements have been met for placement in the Nursing and Allied Health Programs Eligibility Pool, students will be notified to contact the Nursing and AlliedHealth Technologies administrative assistants to take the appropriate entrance exam for their program of choice. Once that is completed, each student’s total score will be calculated and he/she will be entered into the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs eligibility pool. During the semester, before the program selected will be admitting students, the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies administration staff will use the competitive admissions policies and procedures for each individual program to select those most qualified for entry into the program. All students in the eligibility pool will be notified of their status and advised of their options.
  4. Upon completion of all items above, students will receive official notification of acceptance and directions on how to complete enrollment into the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies program of choice. Or, the student will be notified of his/her non-selected status and invited to make an appointment with the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies administration offices to discuss their options.
  5. Steps to enter the Nursing and Allied Health program of choice. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following:
    • Return completed Medical Report Form certifying ability to meet physical and mental performance requirements.
    • Obtain approved Criminal History Report if selected by a program. A completed report from an approved provider must be submitted prior to entry into any Nursing and Allied Health Technologies program. Contact the Health Technologies administration office for the Floyd County campus or the Nursing and Allied Health Division for the Catoosa and Walker County campus for an approved list of providers.
    • Complete a Health Stream or Tennessee Clinical Placement System TCPS orientation if attending the Walker County Campus. The cost is ten dollars ($10). This fee for online in-services is required by all area hospitals that serve as clinical sites for GNTC in Walker County, Whitfield County and Hamilton County, TN.
    • Pay the Nursing and Allied Health Liability Insurance Fee:

      Class I Level Student $15
      Class II Level Student (EMT/Paramedic Only) $51

II. Admissions Categories

Admission to the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Division will be in one of the following categories. Minimum admission requirements are implemented for each standard degree, diploma, or certificate program.

  1. Learning Support/Provisional (During pre-occupational curriculum only)
  2. Nursing and Allied Health - (Pre-occupational)
  3. Occupational

  1. Learning Support/Provisional Admissions: Persons who seek to enroll at Georgia Northwestern Technical College and do not satisfy required admission standards for entry into the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Programs are classified as Learning Support or Provisional admission status as defined in the Admissions Status section of the Admissions Policy. Upon completion of Learning Support or Provisional status requirements, students will be classified as Regular status.
  2. Nursing and Allied Health - Pre-occupational: All students taking pre-occupational curriculum in preparation for admission into a Nursing and Allied Health program are enrolled in either Health Care Assistant (HA21), Health Care Science (HS21), and/or Technical Specialist (TC31). This qualifies the student to receive financial aid while taking the required courses for admission into the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies program of choice.
  3. Occupational Program: These students are accepted into their respective programs and have completed all pre-occupational curriculum, all program specific requirements, and are either awaiting occupational course start or are currently taking occupational curriculum.

III. Course Validity Duration

Certain pre-occupational curriculum are considered to be of key importance to program completion and are only valid within a set time frame preceding occupational program entry. Students who have completed bachelor degrees, been employed 3 of the past 5 years in an allied health occupation, involved in direct patient care, or are currently in the Nursing and Allied Health - (program designated) category may apply for a duration extension at the discretion of the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Division faculty. Students may take and pass an exam covering the objectives of the course if the duration of acceptance time has elapsed.

Course Duration of acceptance
Anatomy & Physiology with lab 5 years
College Chemistry 5 years
College Algebra 5 years
College Physics 5 years
Introduction to Microbiology with lab 5 years

Competency Tests

Competency tests are administered each semester for persons wishing to establish credit for courses they have taken, for which they received a grade of “C” or better, which have exceeded the course validity limit. These courses may be transfer courses or courses taken at GNTC. The competency test establishes that they still retain competency in that subject.

For details on competency testing at GNTC, refer to the “Academic Information” section of this catalog.

Upon petition from a student, credit by examination may be given. If circumstantial evidence, such as experiential learning, indicates the probability of special technical aptitude or knowledge on the part of the petitioning student, a written, oral, and/or performance examination will be developed and administered by an instructor of the course. Permission to take such an examination must be granted by a Health Technology or Nursing and Allied Health Technologies instructor. Students who score 80% or higher on all components of the examination will be awarded a grade of “EX” for the course. The “EX” indicates credit by examination. The “EX” carries no grade points, but the number of credit hours normally assigned to the course will be awarded. A student is eligible to challenge a course only one time. The challenge exam must be taken before the first day of the class in which the student is enrolled. If the student misses his/her scheduled exam appointment, he/she must complete another application with payment and reschedule with the instructor.

Entrance Requirements for Nursing and Allied Health Technologies

I. Age:

17 years old for entrance into Nursing and Allied Health pre-occupational curriculum 

18 years old for entrance into Nursing and Allied Health programs (For Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) (EMJ1) program, no high school student younger than 16)

II. Education:

A high school diploma or GED® is required for all Nursing and Allied Health programs. Detailed information about education requirements is found under the Education section of the Admissions Policy.

III. Health:

Applicants must be able to attend school regularly and meet the physical and mental performance requirements of their course, including those required at the medical affiliates. All Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs require completion of the Medical Report Form after receiving official acceptance into the program. Medical Report Forms cannot be issued prior to program entry.

IV. Assessment Results:

Applicants for all health programs must make the minimum required scores in reading, writing, and numeric skills (including algebra for some programs) on the Admission Placement Test (ASSET/COMPASS) or one of the approved entrance tests (example, SAT, ACT) to be admitted as regular students. Generally, students are not admitted to Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs on a provisional basis. An applicant who has completed, with a “C” grade or better, transferable English or math courses from an accredited institution may be exempt from taking the entrance examination.

Minimum Required Scores

Refer to the Placement Cut Scores charts for required placement test scores for Health Technology programs. The charts are available online at http://www.gntc.edu/admissions/testing.php.

V. Criminal Background Results:

Upon being accepted into the occupational curriculum of your program of study each student in Health Technology must have a criminal background check and a drug screen conducted by an approved agency. You will be notified by your program faculty of when these actions must be completed. Students may contact the Health Technologies Division administration staff (Floyd County Campus) at 706-295-6882 or 706-295-6966 or the Health Technologies Division administration staff (Walker County Campus) at 706-764-3851 or 706-764-3520 to obtain a list of approved agencies. Once the approved background check and drug screen have been completed, any questionable results will be reviewed by the clinical affiliates at which the students would be performing their clinical practicum. If the clinical affiliates cannot allow a student to participate at their sites due to the results of the criminal background check and/or drug screen, the program faculty will make an effort to place the GNTC student at another clinical affiliate. If the faculty is unable to find a clinical affiliate that will allow the student to participate in clinical practicum at their sites, the student will not be able to enter or complete the Health Technology program.

Note: Some Health Technology programs have additional requirements, such as additional course completion, additional test scores, professional credentials, or state licensure prerequisites. Please refer to the specific program description for more detailed information. Also, some clinical affiliates may require a specific background vendor and/or drug testing in order to attend clinicals at that institution.

Physical and Mental Essential Requirements

The Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Division faculty has specified the following non-academic criteria (technical standards) which all applicants and enrolled students are expected to meet in order to participate in the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Division programs and professional practice. Please refer to the specific program description for more detailed or specific information.

All candidates for any Nursing and Allied Health Technologies program must meet intellectual, physical, and social core performance standards necessary to provide safe patient care in an independent manner. The areas below include examples of necessary activities and skills but are not all-inclusive.

  1. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking ability sufficient for clinical judgment. Examples include identification of cause/effect relationships in clinical situations, development of plans of care, transferring knowledge from one situation to another; evaluating outcomes; problem solving; prioritizing; and using short and long term memory. *, **
  2. Interpersonal: Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural and intellectual backgrounds. Examples include establishing rapport with patients/clients, families, and colleagues; negotiation of interpersonal conflict; and respect of cultural diversity.
  3. Communication: Communication abilities sufficient for verbal and written interaction with others. Examples include explanation of treatment procedures; initiation of health teaching, documentation and interpretation of nursing actions and patient/client responses; and written and oral reports to other health care professionals.*
  4. Mobility: Physical abilities sufficient for movement from room to room and in small spaces. Examples include moving around in a patient’s room, work spaces and treatment areas; administration of cardiopulmonary procedures such as resuscitation; sitting or standing and maintaining balance for long periods; twisting, bending, stooping; moving quickly in response to possible emergencies; pushing, pulling, lifting or supporting a dependent adult patient; squeezing with hands and fingers; and repetitive movements.
  5. Motor Skills: Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient for providing safe, effective nursing and patient care. Examples include calibration and use of equipment, positioning of dependent adult patients/clients, grasping and manipulation of small objects/instruments, using a computer keyboard, and writing with a pen.*
  6. Hearing: Auditory ability sufficient for monitoring and assessing health needs. Examples include hearing monitor and pump alarms, emergency signals fire alarms, auscultatory sounds, and cries for help.
  7. Visual: Visual ability sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in nursing care. Examples include observation of patient/client responses such as respiratory rate and depth, skin color, and other physical signs; visualization of monitors, watches with second hands, medication labels and vials, and increments on a medication syringe; visualization of objects from twenty inches to twenty feet away; use of depth perception and peripheral vision; distinguishing colors; and reading written documents.
  8. Tactile: Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment. Examples include performance of palpation, functions of physical examination (such as discrimination of pulses and detection of temperature), and functions related to therapeutic intervention (such as insertion of a catheter).
  9. Emotional: Emotional stability sufficient to tolerate rapidly changing conditions and environmental stress. Examples include establishment of therapeutic interpersonal boundaries, providing patients/clients with emotional support, adapting to changing conditions in the work environment and stress, dealing with unexpected or unpredictable events, maintaining focus on task, performing multiple tasks concurrently, and being able to handle strong emotions.

Taken from Southern Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing (1993, reapproved 2004) and National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc: Guidelines for Using Results of Functional Abilities Studies and Other Resources (1999).

Work Environment Associated Risks

These include

  1. Handling sharp instruments;
  2. Exposure to infections (communicable diseases);
  3. Strains (heavy lifting);
  4. Exposure to latex;

OSHA Risk Factor - Category A

Includes

  1. Exposure to blood and other body fluids.
  2. Exposure to noxious smell, either toxic or non-toxic.
  3. Exposure to toxic fumes, gases, vapors, mists, or liquids which could, depending on the chemical, cause general or localized disabling conditions as a result of inhalation, ingestion, or action on the skin.

*Is additionally documented by satisfactory completion of the pre-occupational course requirements.

**Is additionally documented by satisfactory completion of the ASSET/COMPASS Entrance Exam requirements of the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies programs.

Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Program Accreditations

Some individual programs within the Nursing and Allied Health Technologies Division hold program specific accreditations or state required department approvals. Individual program accreditations and approval are identified below:

Associate of Science in Nursing

The Associate of Science in Nursing program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing (https://sos.ga.gov/georgia-board-nursing).  

Georgia Office of Secretary of State Professional Licensing Boards Division

237 Coliseum Drive

Macon, GA 31217-3858

Telephone: 478-207-1300

The Associate in Science nursing program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College at the Walker County Campus located in Rock Spring, Georgia is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (http://www.acenursing.org/). 

Accreditation Commission for Education In Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Associate of Science in Nursing program is Continuing Accreditation.

 

Medical Assisting

The Medical Assisting diploma program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

9355 – 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775

Phone: 727-210-2350

Fax: 727-210-2354

www.caahep.org

Paramedic Technology

The Paramedic Technology program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Commission on Accreditation of Education Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP) www.coaemsp.org

CAAHEP: 25400 U.S. Highway 19 North, Suite 158, Clearwater, FL 33763
Phone: 727-210-2350

CoAEMSP: Suite 111-312 / 8301 Lakeview Pkwy Rowlett, TX. 75088

Phone: 214-703-8445

In addition all paramedic courses must be approved by State Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which is governed by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

State Office of EMS

2600 Skyland Dr., Lower Level

Atlanta, GA 30319

Phone | 404-679-0547

Fax | 404-679-0526

http://dph.georgia.gov/EMS

EMT / AEMT Program

All EMT/AEMT courses must be approved by State Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which is governed by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

State Office of EMS

2600 Skyland Dr., Lower Level

Atlanta, GA 30319

Phone | 404-679-0547

Fax | 404-679-0526

http://dph.georgia.gov/EMS

Patient Care Assistant(CNA)

The Patient Care Assistant program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is approved by the Georgia Health Partnership (www.ghp.ga.gov).

Georgia Health Partnership

Nurse Aide Training Program

1455 Lincoln Parkway E., Suite 750

Atlanta, GA 30346-2200

Telephone: 678-527-3607

1-800-414-4358

Practical Nursing

The Practical Nursing program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is approved by the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nursing (https://sos.ga.gov/georgia-board-nursing).

Georgia Office of Secretary of State Professional Licensing Boards Division

237 Coliseum Drive

Macon, GA 31217-3858

Telephone: 478-207-1300

 

The Practical Nursing program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College at the Walker County Campus located in Rock Spring, Georgia is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (http://www.acenursing.org/). 

Accreditation Commission for Education In Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Practical Nursing program is Initial Accreditation.

 
Surgical Technology

The Surgical Technology program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA) (www.arcst.org).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

9355 – 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775

Phone: 727-210-2350

Fax: 727-210-2354

Pre-Occupational and Occupational Course Requirements

Degree and Diploma Programs

Courses taken during a student’s pre-occupational period provide a foundation of knowledge built upon later during the occupational program courses. Pre-occupational courses must be taken before a student enters the program of choice for which they qualify. Occupational courses must be taken after a student is accepted and enters the program for which they qualify. Specific pre-occupational and occupational course requirements for each degree and diploma program are listed on the following pages. See the individual program advisor for more information.

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