| NOTE:
Any student who has a history of mental illness or
substance abuse or who has been convicted
of a felony must file paperwork with the
Board of Nursing BEFORE entering the
ADN Program. BON regulations stipulate that a person
convicted of a felony may not be permitted
to take the state licensing exam. Don't spend
two years in school and then discover that
you cannot take the exam. Check it out BEFOREHAND.
Any student who has ever been arrested for anything
other than a minor traffic violation will need to
submit a Petition for a Declaratory Order
to the Board of Nursing. Contact
the ADN Program Coordinator for more details.
Criminal background checks will be completed
on all applicants to the program.
The following histories will disqualify an
individual from consideration for clinical rotations:
1) felony convictions, 2) misdemeanor convictions
or felony deferred adjudications involving
crimes against persons (personal or sexual),
3) felony deferred adjudications for the sale,
possession, distribution, or transfer of narcotics
or controlled substances, and 4) registered
sex offenders.
To
Earn Your Associate Degree
To
successfully complete the ADN program, earn an Associate
of Applied Science Degree and apply to take the state
licensing exam for Registered Nurses, students at
NCTC must complete a total of 71 semester credit hours
-- 41 in Nursing courses and 30 in prerequisites and
required support courses.
Remember
that nursing courses are grouped in progressive levels
of complexity, and students must successfully complete
all course work in one level before progressing to
the next. If students remain on the prescribed track,
completing all coursework and clinicals required to
graduate normally takes two years from the time they
enroll in the first clinical course.
Graduation:
An External Exit Exam must be passed within two attempts in order to graduate from the program. Students must also complete a state mandated jurisprudence exam with a score of 75 in order to take the NCLEX - RN. ADN students completing requirements for their Associate
of Applied Science Degree are required, as are all
graduates, to participate in the college's formal
commencement ceremonies. Students must also complete a state mandated jurisprudence exam with a score of 75 in order to apply to take the NCLEX-RN. Graduates may apply
to write the National Council Licensure Examination
administered by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the
State of Texas. After passing this exam, they
are ready to begin their careers as Registered Nurses.
About
Clinicals
Applicants
to the ADN Program should understand that clinical
courses require students to travel to sites off the
college campus. Clinical sites include, but are not limited to, hospitals
and other health care facilities in Gainesville, Denton,
Lewisville, Grapevine, Carrollton, and Decatur. Students
must be prepared to drive to ANY of these locations
for clinicals; sites close to your home are not always
available.
About
Transfer Credit
Admission
by Transfer is considered on a space available basis.
Applicants must meet all requirements of the nursing
program in addition to those of North Central Texas
College. All college credits from other institutions
will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine
their possible application to the nursing curriculum
requirements. A letter grade of "C" (75) or
better is required for transfer for all previous nursing
courses and academic support courses. Students
who have not been academically successful in other
nursing programs will not be considered for transfer.
Previous nursing courses must be from an accredited
program of nursing. A transfer will not be considered
if the student
has
missed a full semester of enrollment in a nursing
program. The student must submit
-
A letter stating the reason
for transfer
-
Course descriptions and/or
course syllabi for previous nursing courses.
-
Resume of previous clinical
experience to include documentation of skills
provided by the faculty of the transferring school.
-
Letter of recommendation from
the Department Head of the school from which the
applicant is transferring.
Students
will be evaluated on an individual basis by the Program
Coordinator to determine their level of entry.
Succeeding
In the ADN Program
Progression
Criteria: To remain in good standing and progress
within the ADN curriculum, students must:
•
Make a grade of "C" or higher in all required
courses and maintain an overall grade point average
of 2.0;
•
Have already taken the support courses required in
the degree plan for that level or be enrolled concurrently
•
Maintain current CPR certification and immunization
status.
Any
student not satisfying these criteria will not be
allowed to continue enrolling in ADN courses. However,
when deficiencies are corrected, the student may be
readmitted to the appropriate courses but ONLY on
a space-available basis.
Readmission
Students
who have an interruption in the normal progression
of their nursing studies--whether by withdrawal from
a nursing course or earning a grade lower than a "C"
in a nursing course - will no longer be enrolled in
the Associate Degree Nursing Program. The ADN
Admission, Progression, Advisement Committee considers
grievances and appeals for readmission on an individual
basis. Refer to the NCTC Associate Degree Nursing
Student Handbook for more detailed information about
this procedure.
Grading
Policy
Grades
in classroom (non-clinical) work are based on numerical
average with corresponding letter grades. A
grade of "C" or higher is required in ALL
courses in the ADN curriculum.
91-100
= A
82-90 = B
75-81 =C
66-74
= D
65 or lower = F
Grades
for clinical courses are based on performance in the
clinical area. Failure to successfully complete the Clinical Math Exams will result in clinical failure and dismissal from the nursing program.
Cost
Considerations for ADN Students
Summary of Costs: The total per-semester
cost of enrolling in the ADN Program at North Central
Texas College is the sum of: (1) tuition;
(2) "combined" student fees; (3) laboratory
fees; (4) textbooks; (5) supplies & incidentals;
and (6) nursing kits. Except for items 5 and 6, charges
are figured just as they are for all other students.
However, ADN students should be aware that, due to
the special nature of the program, expenses in categories
3-6 will probably be considerably higher than those
paid by students in most other majors. Estimated cost
for the entire Associate Degree Nursing program is
approximately $8000 - $9000.
Laboratory
Fees: These are extra fees charged for all
courses requiring a lab (in addition to the classroom
lecture). For ADN students, a lab fee of $24 will
also be charged for each clinical
course. Lab fees for other non-nursing science
courses are normally $24.
Textbooks:
Nursing textbooks are highly specialized
medical books and can be expensive -- as much as $900
or more the first semester of clinicals. Keep in mind
that the ADN program is an integrated course of study,
meaning you'll buy most of your nursing books during
the first semester of clinicals. Therefore, book costs
will be considerably less in later semesters. For
students not yet officially admitted to the ADN Program
and who will be taking general education courses,
textbook costs will vary according to which particular
courses are taken, but on average plan to spend a
minimum of about $35 per semester hour for books.
Supplies
& Incidentals: Once admitted to clinicals,
ADN students will need to buy uniforms, patches, a
lab coat, shoes, stethoscope, lab kit and bandage
scissors. A good wristwatch with second hand
is essential. Also, the student will need normal school
supplies, and other costs will include such items
as major medical insurance, physical examination (including
immunizations), Hepatitis B vaccine, CPR training,
assessment test fees, graduation fees, state board
fees, and school pin. Additional fees for Malpractice
Insurance and Drug Screening will be added to the tuition/fees bill.
Additional costs may include Criminal Background Testing and a State Board Review Course. Some of these expenses
will not be incurred until the latter part of the
program. A computer with internet access, printer, ink, and computer paper are a necessity during the nursing program.
NOTE:
All tuition rates, fees and other elements of expense
for attending North Central
Texas College are subject to change
by the NCTC Board of Regents.
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