Health Technology: Nursing, AAS

Length: 68 Credits

Purpose: The two-year Associate in Applied Science Health Technology Nursing degree curriculum is a competitive entry program designed for accepted students to learn the essential knowledge and skills of the nursing discipline to render patient care as entry level practitioners of nursing in a variety of health care settings.

Employment Objective: Program graduates who subsequently obtain licensure as a Registered Nurse may be employed in a variety of health care settings including but not limited to acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, community and public health centers, skilled care facilities, home health agencies, long-term care facilities, outpatient care facilities, schools, military, and other comparable agencies.

Potential Certification: Upon satisfactory completion of the curriculum, graduates will be eligible to apply for licensure as a registered nurse through the state licensing board. A student who resides outside of Virginia and plans to apply for licensure as a registered nurse subsequent to completion of this education program must comply with the licensure requirements mandated by the student’s state of residence. The P&HCC ADN program s designed to meet the requirements leading to professional licensure in the state of Virginia. Each state has its own requirements concerning licensure where passing the NCLEX-RN is one of those requirements; other requirements may differ from those in Virginia. Additional information regarding out of state licensure can be found on their professional licensure website or the NCSBN webpage for professional licensure requirements: Board of Nursing Licensure Requirements | NCSBN 

End of Program Learning Outcomes: Students who complete the Nursing AAS degree will be expected to:

• Client- Centered Care- Provide client centered care promoting therapeutic relationships, caring behaviors, and self-determination across the lifespan for diverse populations;
• Safety- Practice safe nursing care that minimizes risk of harm across systems and client populations;
• Clinical Judgement- Integrate clinical judgement when collaborating wiht the healthcare team in the management of care for complex clients;
• Professional Behaviors- Practice professional behaviors that encompass the legal/ethical framework while incorporating self-reflection, leadership and a commitment to recognize the value of life-long learning;
• Quality Improvement- Manage client care through quality improvement processes, information technology, and fiscal responsibility to meet client needs and support organizational outcomes; and
• Collaboration- Demonstrate principles of collaborative practice within the nursing and healthcare teams fostering mutual respect and shared decision-making to achieve stated outcomes of care.
• Pharmacology- Manage the appropriateness, accuracy, and client response to pharmacology principles for clients with complex conditions.

End of Program Outcomes

Patrick & Henry Community College is committed to the overall excellence of its ADN nursing program:

• The most recent annual licensure pass rate will be at least 80% for all first-time test takers during the same calendar year.
• Fifty percent (50%) of all associate degree nursing students who begin NSG 200 will complete the program in four (4) semesters.
• Fifty percent (50%) of all advanced placement associate degree graduates who begin in NSG 115 will complete the program in three (3) semesters.
• Eighty percent (80%) of program graduates will indicate working in the field as an RN within 12 months of graduation.  

Program Accreditation and Approvals:  

• The Associate Degree Nursing Program has conditional approval with terms and conditions by the Virginia State Board of Nursing, The terms and conditions are given in the order, Report and Recommendation of the Education Special Conference Committee.
  • Virginia Board of Nursing, Perimeter Center

                 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300,

                 Henrico, Virginia 23233-1463, 

                 (804) 367-4515;

                 https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Nursing/ 

• The associate degree nursing program at Patrick & Henry Community College located in Martinsville, Virginia is accredited by the:

  Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)

  3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326

  (404)975-5000

  https://www.acenursing.org/

  The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate degree nursing program is continuing accreditation.

   

NCLEX RN First Time Licensure Pass Rates for P&HCC, State and National for the last 5 years:

	P&HCC	State	National
2023	100%	90.04%	88.56%
2022	70%	82.32%	79.90%
2021	65.52%	83.06%	82.48%
2020	76.09%	87.01%	86.57%
2019	71.11%	89.47%	88.18%

Admission Procedure: Interested students must apply and be accepted as a student to the college. In addition, the nursing program will tentatively offer two application periods per year during specified and advertised application periods. Nursing applications will only be accepted and processed during the advertised application periods. Each nursing applicant must include and submit all required documents specified in the application to the Nursing and Health Science office at the designated time. Admission testing will be offered to students meeting the pre-application and pre-requisite requirements. Students who score at or above the 50th percentile rank score on the ATI exam (66% or higher overall score) and earn a science score of 51.1% or higher will move to step two of the admission process. At step two, students will be scored using a rubric which awards points for: cumulative GPA, pre-admission science performance; ATI overall score, specified ATI category scores, course success and status of residence. 

Program Notes: When admission must be limited because the number of qualified applicants exceeds program seats the highest overall rubric score of remaining applicants will be the deciding factor. If overall rubric scores of multiple remaining applicants are equal, the following will be used as a determining factor: individual science score. If further determination is needed, the reading score will be used followed by math and English & language usage as needed. If all category scores noted are equal among the remaining applicants the cumulative GPA will be the deciding factor. Re-testing may be offered when program seats remain unfilled during an admission cycle. Re-testing criteria would require that current applicants who achieved one of two minimum scores (Overall or Science) on first round- admission testing would be eligible to retest.   Applicants who did not earn at least one minimum passing score would not be eligible for re-testing. 
 

Board of Nursing: The Virginia State Board of Nursing has the authority to deny licensure to any applicant who has violated any of the provisions of 54.1-3007 of the Code of Virginia.

Drug Testing and Criminal Background Screening: As a part of program admission, all students who are offered a seat in the nursing program must undergo mandatory drug screening and criminal background checks. The drug screen and/or the background check may be repeated during the program of study. The cost of the drug screen and background check are the responsibility of the student. Clinical agencies may deny a student participation in direct patient care based on the results of drug screen and/or background check. Inability to participate in direct care at any clinical site will result in automatic program dismissal.

Seat Availability:
The nursing program addresses the educational needs of students with a variety of experience and prior education. A limited number of entering class positions may be designated for experienced Licensed Practical Nurses who graduated from an approved program or for prospective high school graduates who also have been enrolled at P&HCC and meet all the required admission requirements. Interested high school students should meet with their counselors prior to planning their junior and senior year courses to ensure they are enrolled in all required courses. High school seniors who wish to apply to the program during their senior year must meet all of the outlined admission requirements. The college GPA will be utilized in the admission process.

Admission Requirements: All applicants must meet the following requirements for admission to the required clinical courses (NSG 100 , NSG 106 , NSG 130 , NSG 200 , NSG 115 , NSG 170 , NSG 210 , NSG 211 , NSG 252 , NSG 230 , and NSG 270 )

STEP ONE: PRE-APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. Be accepted as a student to the college.
2. Submit an official high school transcript, GED, or certificates of completion of home schooling transcripts to the Nursing office or college admissions office.
3. Submit official college transcripts from colleges other than Patrick & Henry Community College. College transcripts must be provided in order to determine GPA based on transfer courses from other colleges.
4. Student placement in ENG 111 or ENG 111/EDE 11. Deficiencies must be completed prior to submitting program application.
5. Evidence of high school algebra I and II with a grade of C or higher. If five years have passed since high school completion and no history of college level math course MTH 154 or higher with a grade of C or higher, students must successfully complete MDE 10 prior to applying to the program. (If a student has successfully completed MTE 1-5 in the last five years, MDE 10 is not required). 
6. Students must provide proof of two high school college preparatory sciences, including Biology and Chemistry, both with a grade of “C” or higher. Deficiencies must be completed prior to submitting program application.
7. Students must attend a Nursing Program Information Session prior to application submission. The attendance date may be no longer than 6 months from the application period.  
8. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

STEP TWO: PRE-REQUISITE SEMESTER
At the completion of STEP ONE, students will need to complete the following actions during the semester they submit the program application:

1. At the time of program application, all students (including high school seniors) must be enrolled or have previously completed the following courses with a grade of “C” or higher: BIO 141 ; ENG 111 ; SDV 100  ; MTH 155  ; and PSY 230 ;
2. Applicants must maintain a 2.5 curricular GPA in the pre-requisite courses and earn a grade of “C” or higher in the pre-requisite courses listed in STEP TWO. Failure to maintain the curricular GPA and/or pass the designated pre-requisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher; and/or maintain an overall GPA of 2.0, will void any program application and program acceptance. 

STEP THREE: APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Applicant may submit a program application at posted application times when student has met STEP ONE: Pre-application requirements, and STEP TWO: Pre-requisite Semester is in progress or complete.
2. Applicants must submit all required documentation with the nursing application during the posted application week or the application will be void. Late applications will not be accepted.
3. Qualified applicants will be invited via written communication from the Nursing Program Director to take the designated nursing admission test, such as ATI, or designated equivalent. Qualified applicants may only test once per application cycle. ATI admission scores from previous applicant testing periods may be used in lieu of retesting, if the scores are no more than one year old. If the student tests during the current application cycle the current test score will be used to determine admission status. A student may not test more than once during a spring or fall application cycle, regardless of the program the student is applying to. 
4. Admission will follow the admission procedure detailed above.
5. Students who are not accepted to the Nursing Program may apply at the next posted application time.

Readmission Requirements: Any student wishing to re-enroll in the nursing clinical courses must follow the outlined readmission process in the Nursing Student Handbook. Students who fail a nursing course, or withdraw failing, or withdraw for non-academic reasons may be readmitted to the nursing program only once. All re-admissions are at the discretion of the nursing faculty committee. A grade of “C” or higher is required in all courses of the Associate of Applied Science Nursing Degree. A student who does not earn the required grade(s) will be subject to nursing program dismissal. A student may be required to enroll in and satisfactorily complete specific courses for readmission. Additional data may be required. The nursing faculty committee will consider each student’s request for readmission and the decision to readmit will be based on additional data, prior program performance, and space availability.

Advanced Placement – Licensed Practical Nurses that meet the admission requirements may be eligible for advanced placement on a space available basis. To be considered for advanced placement, an LPN must meet the following listed below:

1. A graduate from a Board of Nursing approved Practical Nursing School.
2. Candidate must have passed the NCLEX-PN licensing exam and hold a current unencumbered Virginia license to practice as a Practical Nurse, and maintain licensure throughout the duration of the program.
3. Candidate must have met Step ONE and STEP TWO of the Admission Requirements, and also be enrolled in BIO 142  at the time of program application, as this is a pre-requisite course to one of the nursing courses for which LPN’s will receive advanced credit.
4. Upon meeting the above (numbers 1-3) submit a nursing application during the posted Transition Application periods.
5. LPN’s who are accepted and receive advanced placement will be required to take NSG 115  (4 credits); NSG 200  (3 credits) and BIO 150   (4 credits) during the first semester of clinical courses. Successful students will then complete the last two semesters of the Associate Degree Nursing program.
6. Students must complete all program and general education courses with a grade of “C” or higher.

Physical Requirement – The minimal functional requirements for all entering nursing students include:

• sufficient eye-hand coordination and manual and finger dexterity to provide direct patient care and to manipulate and operate equipment in the delivery of patient care;
• sufficient ability to fully observe patients/patient conditions and provide patient care, read medical records, and observe and manipulate equipment, including in dimly lit environments;
• sufficient hearing to communicate with patients and healthcare team members, including ability to detect and interpret sounds when operating equipment and gathering data;
• satisfactory communication skills, to include competence in reading, writing and speaking in English, in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings;
• ability to perform patient care activities that require full range of motion including handling, lifting, or moving patients and/or equipment;
• ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds;
• ability to successfully perform all required duties and responsibilities in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings in stressful situations or conditions; and
• ability to participate in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings during irregular hours (day/evening/night shifts, weekends, more than 8 hours at a time).

Upon acceptance, students must complete a medical physical examination. Students must provide proof of all required immunizations as mandated by clinical agencies. 

Financial Requirements – In addition to the usual college tuition and fees, the nursing program requires additional expenses. Approximate costs include:

• Uniforms $130-$160
• Physical examinations and required immunizations $150- $350
• Pearson Text and MyLab $573.50 
• ATI Resources $2985
• Drug screen $38 minimum (may be repeated)
• Criminal background $48 minimum (may be repeated) 
• Central Registry and Fingerprinting $60 minimum
• Application for licensure and criminal background $430
• AHA LBS CPR certification $162
• Digital Reading/Laptop $200
• Graduation Pin- cost depends on price of gold or silver minimum $25

Transfer Options: Students interested in program transfer must meet all admission requirements of the program and may be accepted on a space available basis. The following additional requirements will be used for transfer consideration:

• Transfer applicant is currently accepted and enrolled in an approved associate degree nursing program or equivalent whose graduates are candidates for licensure;
• Nursing student transfer applicants must have successfully completed (grade of “C” or higher) didactic, clinical laboratory and clinical nursing major courses within the previous 12 months; and
• Nursing student transfer applicants must submit a written statement from the dean or director of the nursing program from which the student is leaving, that indicates the student is in good standing and eligible to return to complete the program of nursing at the current college.

Curriculum Requirements: In addition to didactic, laboratory experiences, selected clinical experiences within driving distance of the college will be scheduled during day, evening, and/or weekend times, depending on availability of facilities.

Clinical nursing students are required to complete end of semester cumulative examinations and those scores will be counted as a percentage of the final course grade. Students must pass the general education and nursing laboratory and clinical courses with a grade of “C” or higher to continue in the program. Pre-requisite and co-requisite course enrollment must be adhered to during completion of the nursing program. Grading guidelines and the nursing program grading scale are specifically addressed in the course syllabi, and Nursing Student Handbook issued upon program acceptance. Clinical/field/preceptor experiences require access to contracted clinical agencies.

* Applicants to the Associate Degree Nursing program please note: Effective academic year 2024/2025 students must have MTH 155 and ENG 112 to graduate from the Associate Degree Nursing program.