*Nursing courses must be taken in the semester listed.

 

Mission Statement Values Statement Admission to the VN Program Promotion

Returning Students Readmission Transfer to the TC VN Program from Another Nursing Program Prioritization Listing for Readmission and Transfer

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This one-year Vocational Nursing (VN) program is designed to prepare students with the experience and education to function in a variety of health care settings under the supervision of a registered nurse. Upon successful completion of the program, a certificate is awarded by Temple College, and allows graduates to apply to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing licensing examination for vocational nursing (NCLEX-PN). The VN program is approved by the Texas Board of Nursing. http://www.bon.state.tx.us/

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Nursing Department is to foster student success for professional licensure, lifelong learning, and entry-level practice which provides quality, compassionate care within the respective ADN or VN scope of practice to the diverse community we serve. 

Values Statement

Learning – Temple College Nursing Department is committed to preparing students for a profession that requires lifelong learning to promote quality compassionate care. Articulation agreements are in place to facilitate academic progression.

Opportunity – Temple College Nursing Department provides three different entry points into nursing in order to provide opportunity for students to enter the profession.

Integrity – Temple College Nursing Department demonstrates legal-ethical principles expected within the ADN and VN entry level scope of practice.

Community – Temple College Nursing Department serves the local community by partnering with local healthcare facilities to provide care and participating in community events.

Equity – Temple College Nursing Department is dedicated to a fair, impartial, and inclusive educational environment.

Admission to the VN Program

Students applying to the Vocational Nursing program must meet the following requirements:

1. Complete the Temple College (TC) admission procedure.
2. Students must be TSI complete to apply to the VN Program.
3. Enroll in the prerequisite courses. These courses are BIOL 2401  Anatomy & Physiology 1 and  BIOL 2402  Anatomy & Physiology 2. These prerequisites must be completed by the Fall semester to apply for admission. 
4. Complete the application procedure for the VN Department:  

         Schedule to take the HESI A2 Admission Assessment Test.  This test score is valid for one year.  A minimum composite score of 80 is required on the admission test in order to file an application. 

• Complete the VN application by the deadline.  The application with instructions for applying are found on the VN Web page. 
• You must furnish official transcripts to the Nursing Office for all colleges attended.  Biological Science courses must have been taken within the past ten years.    

    4. After satisfactory completion of the above application process, individuals will be notified by email of whether or not they were conditionally accepted into the program. 

    5. If conditional acceptance to the VN Program, the following requirements must be completed:

• An acknowledgment that you are able to meet the core performance Standards for nursing.  The Standards are available on the nursing website. 
• A satisfactory background check (specific instructions will be given).  The Texas Board of Nursing will conduct a background check.  Students must be cleared before being allowed to register for and attend Vocational Nursing Classes.  Any healthcare facility associated with Temple College may also require background checks.  Permission to perform the background check must be given by the student.  Failure to give permission could result in dismissal from the program.  It may be necessary to dismiss students from a program if they are barred from practicing at any healthcare facility.  The Vocational Nursing student/graduate is held to the Vocational Nursing standards set by the Texas Board of Nursing. 
• Written documentation of successful completion of an American Heart Association CPR course designed for health care providers (e.g., Basic Cardiac Life Support for Health Care Providers.  No student will be permitted in the clinical setting without current documentation on file (must remain current throughout the VN program).  All courses must include a hands-on skills portion.
• A satisfactory drug screen and documentation of current negative TB Skin Test or chest x-ray is required (specific instructions will be provided).
• Required immunizations: 2 injections Measles, 1 injection Mumps, 1 injection Rubella, 2 injections Varicella, 3 injections Hepatitis B, OR positive titers for any of the preceding immunizations and be fully vaccinated for COVID 19. Also required are Tetanus (valid for 10 years), and the flu vaccine is required annually when it becomes available.

    6. In the event the application is rejected, the applicant may request a review by Department Chair of Nursing. 

Note:  Admission to Temple College does not constitute automatic acceptance into the nursing program.  Admission to the nursing program is determined during the early spring for the summer semester.  In the case of competitive admissions, requirements over and above the minimum may be necessary.  Applications will not be processed if any of the stated admission requirements are missing or incomplete.    

Students seeking admission to the VN program are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria, with maximum point totals awarded as indicated:

POINTS *	HESI A2 Composite Score	Highest grade in either A&P 1 or A&P 2	Service Area Resident
1	80-83	B	Yes
2	84-87	A
3	88-90
4	91-93
5	94-96
6	97-100

•  Any one nursing course failure within the last 10 years in any program (RN or VN) will result in a deduction of an admission point.
•  If there is a nursing course failure in any program (RN or VN) during the two years prior to admission, the applicant will receive one admission only to the Temple College VN Program.
• The applicant is ineligible for admission/readmission if there are two or more nursing course failures in any VN program during the two years prior to the start date of the program. 
• A nursing course failure is any grade lower than a “C”.                      

Promotion

Once a student is accepted into and begins the VN curriculum, it is expected that the student will continue to progress directly to the next semester’s courses. In order to do this, the student must:

1. Have completed all previously required courses with a “C” grade (2.0 based on a 4.0 scale) or better;
2. Be concurrently enrolled in required non-nursing courses scheduled for that semester or have previously passed these courses with a minimum grade of “C” (2.0).
3. Maintain good academic standing (see the College catalog, Minimum Academic standards, Scholastic Probation, & Scholastic Suspension policies);
4. Meet all general Temple College requirements (be approved for registration).
5. Failure in any required nursing course indicates the possibility of failure on the board exam.
   Therefore, no more than one nursing course may be repeated during the program, due to failure, and that course may be repeated only once.  

In all nursing courses, the following grading scale will be used.

	Numerical Value	Letter Grade	Points
	90-100	A	4.0
	80-89.99	B	3.0
	75-79.99	C	2.0
	74.99 & below	F	0

Grades are not rounded in the program.

The minimum passing grade in each nursing course is a “C” or 2.0 on the 4.0 scale. Further grading criteria can be found in each course outline.

Returning Students

If a student is unsuccessful in one course, the student must return within one academic year. A student is allowed to withdraw from courses one semester only and the student must return within one academic year. Upon returning, the student must be successful in all remaining coursework throughout the program. If the student does not return within that time frame, they must reapply to the program as a new student and repeat all nursing coursework.

Students that are returning must sign a contract and successfully complete an Academic Success Plan in order to remain in the VN Program.

Readmission

If a student is unsuccessful in two or more courses, or withdraws from any course as a returning student, then they will be dismissed from the program. The student must wait two years to reapply. At that time, they will be required to apply as a new student and repeat any previous nursing courses. All policies specified by Temple College for readmitting students will apply (see the College Catalog). Students who were dismissed from the nursing program for unsafe practice or for unprofessional conduct are not eligible for re-admittance

Transfer to the TC VN Program from Another Nursing Program

Transfer students who have been successful  in an approved VN level nursing school will be considered by the Department Chair of Nursing for admission on a space available basis.  All policies specified by Temple College for accepting transfer students will apply (see the College catalog section on transfer students under Application for Admission and Academic Honors and Standards policies).

Required non-nursing courses will be evaluated for transferability by the Director of Admissions & Records. The student must arrange for all official transcripts to be sent directly to the Admissions and Records office for any non-nursing course they wish to have considered for transfer. In addition, if a course description is not readily available in the Admissions and Records office, the student will be responsible for providing a copy of the appropriate course description prior to the final determination. An official copy of the transcript and course description should also be sent to the Nursing Department office. Required nursing courses will be evaluated for transferability by the Department Chair of Nursing. In addition, the student will be responsible for providing a copy of the course description, syllabus, objectives, and an official transcript to the Department Chair of Nursing. Nursing courses in consideration for transfer from other programs must have been completed within two years of the request for transfer. The time from first transferred VNSG classes until successful graduation from the TC program cannot extend beyond two years. Some learning activities may be required to review and validate the student knowledge and skills. 

Upon final determination of the transferability of any courses, the Department Chair of Nursing will approve the curriculum plan to be followed by the transfer student. Any student transferring into the nursing program from another nursing program will enter Temple College VN program with only one attempt to complete the program.

Prioritization Listing for Readmission and Transfers

Request for readmission or transfer students will be prioritized as follows:

1. First priority: Former Temple College students with a passing grade in previous nursing courses.
2. Second priority: Transfer students with passing grades in previous nursing courses.
3. Third priority: Former Temple College students with a previous nursing course failure.
4. Fourth priority: Transfer students with a previous nursing course failure.

Within each priority group, preference is given based on nursing GPA.

Note: This is a full-time program. All individuals admitted to this program must enroll in a prescribed set of courses for three consecutive semesters. Individuals may not enroll on a part-time student basis.