A Brief Overview of Admission to the ADN Program

The information listed below is only a brief summary.  Please check out the other links on the nursing web site for details regarding the program.   

You may find the step-by-step process to enter the nursing program (including dates and times for information sessions) on our web site at

http://www.nctc.edu/What_We_Teach/AppSci/ADN/adn.html The information listed below is only a brief summary. Please check out this web site for details regarding the program.

There are several prerequisite courses which must be taken before you apply. These are: Chemistry, Computer Literacy requirement, Anatomy & Physiology I & II, and Math Statistics or College Algebra. Microbiology, Developmental Psychology, Composition I, Composition II, a 3-hour Humanities or Fine Arts Elective and Speech may be taken while you are in the program; however, we strongly recommend that students get most of them out of the way before they apply so that they can just concentrate on nursing while they are in the program. Most students spend a year trying to get as many of the non-nursing courses out of the way as they can before they apply. It would then take 2 more years of nursing. Non-nursing courses may be completed at any of the campuses; however, the actual nursing courses (and usually Microbiology) are only offered at the Gainesville campus. The non-nursing courses may be taken one or two at a time or as a full load, if you desire. Usually, there are several sections of these courses offered so you may choose to take them during the day or in the evening. (Register early to get the best selection.) Most courses from other colleges transfer. You will need to have official copies of your transcripts sent to the Registrar's Office and request a Degree Audit. The Degree Audit will show which courses have transferred. If you are not currently enrolled at NCTC when you apply to the nursing program, you will need to fill out an application to the college, also. This may be done on-line at www.nctc.edu

When you have completed the prerequisite courses, you will go to the nursing office at the Gainesville campus between the dates listed below to fill out an Associate Degree Nursing Application to apply for the next nursing class and submit official copies of your transcripts and a copy of your Degree Audit to the nursing office. Applications for August admission are due between May 1 and June 1. Applications for January admission are due between September 15 and October 1. A priority point system will determine which applicants will take the pre-admission exam. Those with the highest scores on the exam will be admitted into the program. (See the nursing web site for more detailed information). Admission into the Nursing Program is very competitive at this time so you will want to do well in the non-nursing courses (particularly Anatomy & Physiology I & II) in order to increase your priority point score and be eligible to take the exam.

Proof of a number of immunizations will be required prior to entering the nursing program. Hepatitis B is a series of 3 vaccines given over a 6 month period. This series must be started no later than February 15 for Fall admission or July 6 for Spring admission so that it is complete prior to entering the program. Other immunizations needed include: Tetanus/Diphtheria within 10 years and a TB Test within one year. Proof of immunity to Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (chicken pox) must also be submitted at the time of admission. Flu Shot will be required by October 1st of each year.

Background checks are obtained on all students. Hospitals may not allow students to participate in clinicals at their facilities due to results of background checks. If a student is not able to attend clinicals, the student will be dismissed from the program. Applicants who have ever been arrested should review the information on the nursing web site link Applying for the Next Class prior to applying to the program.

Approximate cost for the ADN Program is around $10,000. This includes tuition, fees, books, uniforms, lab coat, shoes, stethoscope, watch, nursing kit, physical exam with immunizations, insurance, state board fees, graduation fees, etc. The first semester of actual nursing courses will be the most expensive as you will need to pay for most of your books, uniforms, physical exam, insurance, nursing kit, etc. at this time. Expect the first semester of nursing to cost approximately $3500.

Once admitted to the program, nursing lecture courses are taught at various times two days per week. You will also have a half day of lab and a full day of clinical each week during the first semester and 2 days of lecture and 2 days of clinical in other semesters. For hospital clinicals, students will be required to go to the hospital to pick patients and complete the prep work the day prior to the scheduled clinical day. The program is full-time with lectures and most clinical courses taught during daytime hours. A one week minimester Psychiatric Nursing course will be taught following the second long semester. Most students try to work as many hours as possible during the summer so that they can cut back on work hours during the program to allow a sufficient amount of time for studying.

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PRIORITY POINTS

Sample # 1 ......................................Student # 1 is applying between May 1 and June 1 for a Fall class.

*Chemistry and Computers are not figured in the priority points.

83 divided by 24 = 3.458 GPA

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Students who have taken Anatomy & Physiology at a college where the lecture and lab have separate grades will need

to figure their points accordingly. The lecture grade counts for 3 hours and the lab counts for 1 hour when figuring GPA's.

Example: If you have a B in lecture and an A in lab, it would count 3 hours of B's and 1 hour of A's and priority points

for the A&P course would be 2.25. If this is the case, be sure to mark it on the ADN Application that they were separate as the

degree audit would probably list it as a B but that extra .25 might put you just high enough to allow you to test.

If you have a B in lecture and a C in lab, it would put you at 1.75 priority points for that A&P course.

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Sample # 2 .......................Student # 2 is applying between September 15 and October 1 for a Spring class.

*Chemistry and Computers must be completed with a "C" or better prior to beginning the program. These two courses are

not figured in the priority points.

68 divided by 23 = 2.956 GPA

Fill in your courses below to figure your points.

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It is becoming more competitive to be eligible to test. Apply to the program only if you have a minimum of 9 points for the generic program.

(Transition applicants may be eligible with fewer points as there is less competition).

WIA Financial Assistance

Students who live in Cooke, Grayson or Fannin counties may be eligible for WIA Assistance if they are

• dislocated workers,
• low income (on food stamps) or need
• Summer Youth jobs (ages 16-24). See the web site www.workforcesolutionstexoma.com

For assistance in other counties, do a search for Workforce Solutions and list the county in which you reside.