Practical Nursing (Fall Admission)

DIPLOMA IN APPLIED SCIENCE
PRACTICAL NURSING
46 SEMESTER HOURS

The Practical Nurse (PN) is the basic level of nursing that applies principles of therapeutic, rehabilitative , and preventive care for people of all ages and culture in the physical, mental, and emotional needs of their patients under the guidance of a registered nurse or physician in a variety of healthcare settings.  Practical Nurses focus on basic health science, technical skills, general knowledge, and judgement necessary to organize and provide caring interventions to patients with commonly occuring medical conditions.  

PNs are caring and exhibit a spirit of inquiry with a commitment to life-long learning.  They must be accountable, able to accept responsibility, follow orders precisely, and determine when consultation in required.  Threaded throughout this very rigorous curriculum are the components of interdisciplinary collaboration, technology, compassionate holistic care, accountability within the legal and ethical framework of nursing, and clinical judgement while providing safe care to all patients. 

The overall purpose of the Diploma in Practical Nursing program is to assist the student in developing the intellectual and technical competencies necessary to function as a safe practitioner of nursing. The PN has the knowledge and skills to function as a beginning-level nurse in a variety of structured healthcare settings such as hospitals, clinics, long-term care agencies, physicians' offices, and community agencies under the direction of the registered nurse.  Throughout the curriculum, the students has planned clinical and laboratory experiences to complement didactic learning in order the become skilled in the art and science of nursing.  The Nursing faculty are committed to student success.  The PN program uses extensive technology including computers, Simulation Lab, ATI, and other online resources to achieve these goals. 

Admission criteria is competitive, and students are admitted accordingly.  Weighted admission criteria is used in the selection of students for entry into the PN program. Current weighted admission criteria are listed on the OCtech PN webpage.  Please see the OCtech public website under Academics - Health Science and Nursing - Practical Nursing, at the bottom of the page you will find the program-specific competitive admissions criteria.  Students are enrolled in the nursing program in fall and spring.  In order to apply, a student must have a completed certificate in either Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Medical Assisting (MA) program. 

Unique Aspects of the PN Program

Students must maintain an 80% (“B”) competency and satisfactory clinical performance in order to progress through the program.  Students must also meet the Core Performance Standards for the didactic and clinical environment regarding mental and physical demands, as well as communication skills.  Students must meet all the clinical requirements per each facility's policies in order to progress in the program.

The Practical Nursing Program offers two options.  Both must meet the competitive admissions criteria.  The two options include Traditional and Flex programs. 

Traditional route:

• offers face-to-face classes up to two days per week and lab/clinical up to two days per week, per course.

Flex route: 

• offers online classes and onsite lab/clinical one day per week, per course.

Graduates of the Practical Nursing program  are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Licensed Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

The Practical Nursing Program is approved by the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina and has full accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA, 30326; Phone: 404-975-5000; Fax: 404-975- 5020. Web: www.acenursing.org.

CRIMINAL RECORD CHECK AND DRUG SCREENING

All direct caregivers must obtain a criminal record check and drug screen as designated by clinical agencies.  Persons convicted of or pled no contest to, including, but not limited to, child or adult abuse, sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, neglect, or mistreatment or misappropriation of property, are not permitted to work as direct caregivers.  More stringent requirements are often enforced by individual clinical agencies.  Students who have convictions as described above will not be allowed to attend clinical experiences in these clinical agencies.  Clinical agencies reserve the right to deny privileges for convictions other than stated.  Based on this information, students should be aware of the consequences of a positive criminal record check, which may include dismissal from the program.  Students who are impacted by this constraint should consider career counseling. 

NOTE: Students who have prior convictions of a crime (excluding minor traffic violations) and/or have had disciplinary action against his/her license may not be granted the privilege to take the NCLEX-PN for licensure.  Those affected by this should contact the SC, LLR, Board of Nursing for clarification. 

In addition to a background check and drug screen, the following are required for admission into the PN program:

• Health form that includes an admission physical validating physical and mental health status
• American Heart Association BLS CPR Certification (updated every 2 years)
• Out-of-town travel for selected clinical experiences will be required.
• Annual two-step PPD/QuantiFERON gold and flu immunization
• Updated vaccinations and blood titer values based on clinical facility policies
  • Vaccinations include: Hepatitis, Varicella, MMR, Tdap, and COVID or approved exemption by each clinical facility, if allowed.
• CPR certification and required immunization must be current at all times during enrollment in NUR courses. 

Allergies

Students with allergies, such as betadine and latex, may be exposed to chemicals in various forms in the lab and hospital environment. It is recommended that a health care provider be consulted regarding any allergies to determine if nursing is the appropriate choice for you. 

Transfer

Acceptance of transfer general education credits into the PN curriculum will be at the discretion of the Registrar.  Non-OCtech nursing courses cannot be transferred into the program. 

Practical Nursing cohorts begin in both Fall term and Spring term.

PRACTICAL NURSING - FALL ADMISSION
46 SEMESTER HOURS