Practical Nursing (PN12) Diploma
Campus Availability and Advisement:
- Floyd and Walker County Campuses
NOTE: Fall 2024 Will Be the Final Cohort for the Practical Nursing (PN12) Diploma Program. The Ongoing Practical Nursing Program Will Be the Practical Nursing Certificate (PN21).
Students are assigned advisors based on the first letter of the student's last name:
Program Video
Program Description:
The Practical Nursing program is designed to prepare students to write the NCLEX-PN for licensure as practical nurses. The program prepares graduates to give competent nursing care. This is done through a selected number of academic and occupational courses providing a variety of techniques and materials necessary to assist the student in acquiring the needed knowledge and skills to give competent care. A variety of clinical experiences are planned so that theory and practice are integrated under the guidance of the clinical instructor. Program graduates receive a Practical Nursing diploma and have the qualifications of an entry-level practical nurse.
The Practical Nursing Program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is accredited by the:
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 Continuing Accreditation.
View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at
http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm
Entrance Dates:
Students may enter any semester for pre-occupational curriculum.
Entrance is the spring and fall semesters for the occupational curriculum
Entrance Age Requirements:
| Age: |
17 years old for entrance into pre-occupational curriculum |
|
18 years old for entrance into Nursing and Allied Health Technology programs |
For additional entrance requirements see guidelines below.
Pre-Occupational Curriculum (16 Credit Hours)
Occupational Curriculum (41 Credit Hours)
Total Credit Hours: 57 Minimum Credit Hours for Graduation
Practical Nursing Guidelines
The Practical Nursing program gives students the knowledge, skills, and work ethics necessary to succeed in practical nursing. The program provides educational opportunities regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, academic disadvantage, or economic disadvantage. Program graduates are to be competent in communications, math, interpersonal relations, anatomy and physiology, drug calculations, administration of medications, nutrition and diet therapy, nursing ethics, patient care, and wellness and prevention of illness. The PN program strives to meet the health care needs of the community which it serves, working in conjunction with specific agencies that employ its graduates. The following guidelines have been established in considering applicants for admission to the PN program. They may be evaluated and revised as necessary by faculty and administration. Students are selected based on a point system that considers course grades, number of core courses completed at GNTC, and pre-entrance exam scores. The deadline to have all guideline requirements completed to enter into the spring cohort is September 15th of the preceding year. The deadline to have all guideline requirements completed to enter into the fall cohort is June 15th.
Assessment Results: If the placement test results indicate that the student is not academically prepared to enter the program, the student may be granted Learning Support or provisional admission status to the college and be placed in one or more Learning Support classes.
Other:
- To apply to the program, students must complete the Practical Nursing Eligibility Request form after they have completed all 5 of the pre-requisite classes with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Practical Nursing Eligibility form is found on the Practical Nursing website here, and can also be found in Forms under My Resources on the GNTC website here;
- Take the Practical Nursing HESI A2 entrance exam and meet the required scores. The student is allowed to test twice per academic year;
- Have at least a minimum GPA of 3.0 on all core curriculum which includes all of the following: ENGL 1005 or ENGL 1010, MATH 1012, PSYC 1010, ALHS 1011, and ALHS 1090;
- Attend the PN program orientation after acceptance and prior to the first nursing course.
Retention Policies:
- Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better. A “C” must be achieved in each course in order to progress to the next semester of the nursing program. In all nursing courses students must attain a 75%-unit test average. PNSG 2010 requires an 85% score on the drug calculation exam Unit 3 exam;
- Students must attain an EXAM average numerical grade of 75% or better for all Nursing courses and satisfactory on all clinical requirements to progress in the nursing program.;
- Students must maintain CPR and First Aide American Heart certification and carry professional liability insurance while enrolled in nursing courses.
Readmission Policies:
- All current admission requirements must be met before applying for readmission;
- Students must continue to be in good standing with the college and the nursing program (i.e., no disciplinary or academic misconduct on record);
- Unsuccessful students will be allowed only one readmission into the nursing course in which they were unsuccessful;
- After an unsuccessful course, the student is required to wait at least one semester before re-entering that course;
- After the second failure, the student will be dropped from the nursing program, and faculty will assist the student in selecting another career path.
Program Final Exit Point:
Graduates from the Practical Nursing program are eligible to take the NCLEX-PN Exam for Georgia State Board to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
Graduation Requirements
All courses in the nursing curriculum must be completed in order to graduate. Only students who have completed required course work and are eligible to receive their diploma are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN.
The PN program allows only one (1) re-entry into the Practical Nursing Program at GNTC.
NOTE: Student needs to return to the program within 1 academic year of unsuccessfully completing a module/semester and students cannot defer re-admission acceptance.