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 state licensing examination for vocational nursing. The VN program is fully approved by the Texas Board of Nursing.  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. 

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. 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 VN Office for all colleges attended.  Biological Science courses must have been taken within the past ten years. 
• If you do not have college course work, you must furnish evidence of an official high school transcript to the VN office showing evidence of graduation or an official General Education Development Equivalency certificate.    

3.   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. 

4.  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.  Also required are Tetanus (valid for 10 years), flu vaccine is required annually when it becomes available.

5.  In the event the application is rejected, the applicant may request a review by Executive Director 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 awaraded as indicated:

POINTS *	HESI A2 Composite Score	# of Co-Reqs Completed	Service Area Resident
1	80-83	1	Yes
2	84-87	2
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. (Summer 2017-2019)
• 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.

Readmission

Eligible students may apply for readmission to the VN program following their withdrawal or dismissal by writing a request for readmission letter to the Executive Director of Nursing.  Students will also be required to complete an Academic Success plan in order to be readmitted to the program.  Students requesting readmission who have successfully completed any nursing courses more than two years prior to the request will be required to repeat the admission process and re-enroll in all nursing program courses. The time from first VNSG classes until successful graduation from the program cannot extend beyond two years. All policies specified by Temple College for readmitting students will apply (see the College catalog section on readmission under the Application for Admission policy). Applicants being readmitted to the first semester of nursing courses will be considered using the same criteria as new applicants.  Applicants being considered for readmission to other semesters will be considered on a space available basis by the Executive Director of Nursing. The Director will review the applicant’s record and make the recommendations as to placement in the program. A student who was dismissed for an unsatisfactory grade in a nursing course (class and/or clinical) will be asked to discuss the problems that led to dismissal and actions that have been taken that would enable him/her to reasonably expect success in completing the program, passing the licensing exam, and contributing to the profession of nursing.  After a second nursing course failure or withdrawn a student is not eligible for readmission.  Nursing VN courses expire in 2 years therefore the student may apply again at that time.

Students who were dismissed for unsafe or unprofessional conduct are not eligible for readmission to the program.

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 Executive Director 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 Executive Director 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 Executive Director 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 Executive Director 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.

(TSI WAIVED*)

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.