• The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program is considered one program but is offered, in its entirety, on both the Hudson and Watauga campuses. This program comprises five semesters of class, lab, and clinical work, including one summer semester.
• The Practical Nurse Education (Diploma) program comprises three semesters of class, lab, and clinical work, including one summer semester. It is planned for the Practical Nurse (PN) program to expand to Watauga in spring 2020.
• To capitalize on learning opportunities from class presentations/ professional speakers and faculty, students may be required to travel between campuses at specific times.
• Students are able to complete general education classes on each campus.
• Classes may be conducted via synchronous Distance Learning Modalities.
• Each new ADN class starts in August of each year; each new PN class starts in January of each year

General Admission Requirements

1. Program GPA of 2.5 or greater
2. College application completed, indicating nursing as course of study
3. Official documentation of high school graduation/high school equivalency
4. College transcripts
5. Gateway English and math readiness
6. Current NA I certification
7. TEAS exam
8. Completion of the online nursing information session

Competitive Admissions Procedure - ADN

• Acceptance of each new fall class is based upon a point ranking system.
• Points are awarded based upon applicants’ general education classes completed and TEAS test score.
• March 1st is the deadline by which the student must meet all admissions requirements to be included in the ranking of applicants for admission to the fall cohort.
• The current nursing admissions requirements and point calculation work sheet can be found at this link:
  https://www.cccti.edu/Nursing/Documents/NursingAdmissonInfo.pdf

Competitive Admissions Procedure - PN

• Acceptance of each new spring class is based upon a point ranking system.
• Points are awarded based upon applicants’ general education classes completed and TEAS test score.
• September 1st is the deadline by which the student must meet all admissions requirements to be included in the ranking of applicants for admission to the spring cohort.
• The current nursing admissions requirements and point calculation work sheet can be found at this link:
  https://www.cccti.edu/Nursing/Documents/LPNadmissionInfo.pdf

Nurse Aide I Requirement for Admission

• The following documentation is required for admission to the ADN or PN program:
• Current NA I listing from www.ncnar.org must be submitted.

Maintaining Nurse Aide I Eligibility

• Students are eligible for NA II listing at end of NUR 112—first of March
• Must keep NAI current to apply for NA II listing

Entrance Testing for Nursing Programs at CCC&TI

• Successful completion of the ATI-TEAS exam (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is required.
• Please contact the testing center at either the Caldwell or Watauga campus for information and scheduling of exam. The exam is computer generated. Please see general admission guidelines for further details.
• Students may refer to www.atitesting.com for studying materials. Make sure that any materials ordered refers to latest version of ATI-TEAS for RN education.

Background Checks/Drug Testing

• Clinical facilities require drug testing prior to the student’s clinical rotation. This may have to be completed more than once while in the program due to clinical facility requirements.
• It is required that each student complete a drug and background check process outlined in orientation and information sessions. This is not completed prior to being accepted to the nursing program and is therefore, not a condition for acceptance or declination to the program. However, results of these tests could prevent a student from attending clinical and would forfeit the student’s place in the program.
• There is a cost for the background and drug testing; all costs associated with background or drug testing is the responsibility of the student.
• Please do not complete the background check or drug screen prior to admission and orientation.

Nurse Faculty

• Program Director: April Cline, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE
• All full-time nurse faculty have MSN education
• Part-time nurse faculty (clinical instructors) are included as part of the nurse faculty group.
• Faculty are student advocates & are committed to delivering quality nursing education to students

Specific Nursing Courses

Complete programs of study can be found in the college catalog.

Typical Class Schedule

• First nursing course is NUR 111—for ADN; NUR 101 for PN.
• The student is in class two days/week with labs on other days for up to 6 weeks of the first semester.
• After skill check-offs in lab, the student is permitted to proceed to the clinical setting.
• Typical clinical days can be 10 to 12 hours in length.
• Other semesters have fewer required labs than the first nursing course.
• Typical class/clinical schedules consist of 2 days in class and 1 day of clinical each week, although there may be occasions where the student will have two clinical days in one week.

Clinical Component

• Each Nursing course has a clinical component for which satisfactory performance must be achieved.
• The student is required to meet clinical objectives outlined in the course syllabus.
• An unsatisfactory grade for the final clinical evaluation means that the student does not progress to the next semester.

Absences

• The Nursing program requires specific hours in which the student must be present for classroom/lab/clinical. The Nursing faculty and Director are committed to the success of each student which means being present for simulations/labs/lectures/clinicals.
• Attendance policies are covered with each specific nursing course but a student with 2 absences in any semester may be dismissed from the program. Clinical absences cannot be made up.

Program Progression

• In order for the student to progress to the next semester, an average of 80 must be achieved. This average includes major exams, assignments and final exams.
• Program policy and procedures do not allow for any rounding of this average, so an average of 79.9 is not passing.

Suggestions

• If nurses make mistakes, people can die. For this reason, all Nursing programs are rigorous to ensure patient/public safety.
• It is highly suggested that students limit outside and personal work obligations while in the program. Due to the amount of course work and clinical hours required, students earn better grades and are more likely to be successful with passing the NCLEX-RN/NCLEX-PN examination when managing school as a priority.

Example of School Week

Working and Nursing School

Student Responsibilities

• Clinical rotations include travel to surrounding agencies.
• The student should prepare for travel costs and responsibilities arriving on-time.
• It is highly suggested that child/parent care be managed prior to admission and to have back up plans.

Equipment/Uniforms

• Each student is required to purchase a lab kit for the first nursing course. Approximate cost is $110.00.
• Each student is required to purchase at least one complete uniform consisting of (tops, pants, shoes, lab coat). The required uniform is selected by the faculty. Details and ordering are included at orientation.
• The admitted nursing student is required to have ready access to a computer. All nursing courses have a supplemental online component.

Estimated Program Costs--ADN

Estimated Program Costs--PN

Nurse Licensure

• Completion of this program allows the student to take the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN exam for North Carolina
• Upon passing NCLEX, the new graduate is eligible for job placement as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse in the state of North Carolina.
• Please see www.ncbon.com for details of the NC Nurse Practice Act.

NCLEX Testing

• An NCLEX review study is scheduled at the end of the student’s course of study. It is mandatory that students attend this lab workshop and complete related assignments.
• Successful performance of first time takers of the NCLEX exam is crucial to the success of the nursing program.
• Costs of NCLEX-RN exam and licensure vary but can range from $350.00 to $500.00

Continuing Education Opportunities

• RIBN—dual enrollment option with Lenoir-Rhyne University
• Articulation agreements—with all NC state universities (Appalachian, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, Western Carolina University, etc.).
• RN-BSN options—many are on-line
• PN-ADN bridge—transition option for PN students to complete ADN requirements.

Program Professional Commitments

• North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON)—ADN program currently has full state board approval with no stipulations; PN program currently has initial board approval with plans for full approval in January 2020.
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)—ADN program currently has accreditation from this national/international accrediting body for nursing with no stipulations
• Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN)—honor society for ADN students

Questions

Any student having questions about admission to the nursing program should contact the Health Sciences Admissions Office:

Caldwell Campus

• Ruthie Price rprice@cccti.edu 828-726-2711

Watauga Campus

• Movita Hurst mhurst@cccti.edu 828-297-3811

Nursing Program Information Confirmation

If you are applying for any Nursing program at CCC&TI and you have reviewed the contents of this webpage, please complete the Nursing Information Session Forms. The forms will automatically be emailed to Ruthie Price once you click the submit button on the second form.