Nursing (Generic-RN), A.S.

Location(s): Highlands Campus, Online Selective Courses

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Program Code: 1550

This academic program is designed to prepare you as a registered Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) and/or to continue your education to earn a baccalaureate or an advanced degree. The program provides you the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, attitude, and skills needed to be eligible to take the NCLEX^® exam for licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN). The SFSC Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc., 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326.

Length: 72 credit hours (48 credit hours following the completion of the 24 credit hours of prerequisites)

This is a limited access program. Admission to this program occurs twice per year*. Online applications will be accepted until the posted deadline date at 11:59 p.m. Visit southflorida.edu/healthsciences for important application information and deadlines.

* NOTE: The Nursing (Generic-RN) program admits students for the fall term and the spring term with alternate scheduling.

Application Requirements

1.	Completed online SFSC Admissions Application
2.	Official high school transcript, GED^®, or equivalent verifying proof of high school graduation
3.	Official college transcript(s) verifying the completion of the following courses and all other college work attempted:

	Course Name		Hours Completed	Grade	Gen Ed
	BSC 1085C - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 cr. hrs.
	BSC 1086C - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4 cr. hrs.
	DEP 1004 - Human Development 3 cr. hrs.
	ENC 1101 - Freshman English I 3 cr. hrs.
	MCB 2010C - Microbiology 4 cr. hrs.
	PSY 2012 - Introduction to Psychology 3 cr. hrs.
	MAC 1105 - College Algebra 3 cr. hrs. ^ + OR
	STA 2023 - Elementary Statistics 3 cr. hrs.

	^	It may be necessary to first enroll in a lower-level English, math, or reading course depending on college placement test scores.
	+	MAC 1105 - College Algebra is preferred.

	NOTE: Must earn a grade of C or higher in each of the courses listed under the Application Requirements.

	The program prerequisites must be completed by the application deadline. The acceptability of equivalents for any of the courses will be determined by SFSC’s dean of health sciences.

4.	Human Anatomy and Physiology I, Human Anatomy and Physiology II, and Microbiology must have been taken within seven years of admission to the program. All science courses must have a lab.
5.	All required developmental courses must be completed prior to application to the nursing programs.

Admissions Procedures

You are responsible for the following admissions procedures and for ensuring that your records are complete in the Admissions, Registration, and Records Office. No application will be considered unless it is complete.

I.	Submit the following to apply to the program:
	A.	Completed online SFSC Admissions Application, select Nursing (Generic-RN) major/program.
	B.	Official high school/GED^® transcript.
	C.	Official transcript from each postsecondary institution attended.
	D.	Take ATI TEAS^® entrance exam.
	E.	Submit references from the following sources may be mailed or delivered by hand if in a sealed envelope:
		^●	Current or most recent employer or instructor.
		^●	Person of your choice other than a relative.

II.	Once accepted into the program, you will receive instructions to complete the following:
	A.	Physical health exam and a record of immunizations from a licensed physician or nurse practitioner (forms will be provided after acceptance into the program).
	B.	Florida Department of Law Enforcement fingerprinting (will be scheduled prior to enrollment).
	C.	CPR Certification.
	D.	10-panel drug screen.
	E.	You will be required to submit program documentation through a third-party compliance company throughout the program.

NOTE: Failure to complete these requirements will result in loss of enrollment into the program.

Selection Criteria

There are specific criteria which will be used when making selections for the program. These criteria are as follows:

1.	Completion of the 24 prerequisite hours with a grade of C or higher in each course and a cumulative prerequisite GPA of 2.5 or higher. Prerequisite courses are as follows:

	BSC 1085C - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 cr. hrs.
	BSC 1086C - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4 cr. hrs.
	DEP 1004 - Human Development 3 cr. hrs.
	ENC 1101 - Freshman English I 3 cr. hrs.
	MCB 2010C - Microbiology 4 cr. hrs.
	PSY 2012 - Introduction to Psychology 3 cr. hrs.
	MAC 1105 - College Algebra 3 cr. hrs. ^ + OR
	STA 2023 - Elementary Statistics 3 cr. hrs.

	^	It may be necessary to first enroll in a lower-level English, math, or reading course depending on college placement test scores.
	+	MAC 1105 - College Algebra is preferred.

2.	The ATI TEAS^® is the entrance exam for limited access nursing programs (PN, LPN to RN, and Generic RN). The Test of Essential Academic Skills (ATI TEAS^®) measures basic essential skills in the academic content area domains of reading, mathematics, science, and English and language usage.

	You will have 209 minutes to complete the exam which consists of the following four subtests:
	^●	The READING subtest covers paragraph comprehension, passage comprehension, and inferences/conclusions (53 questions).
	^●	The MATH subtest covers whole numbers, metric conversions, fractions and decimals, algebraic equations, percentages, and ratio/proportion (36 questions).
	^●	The SCIENCE portion of the exam covers science reasoning, science knowledge, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, basic physical principles, and general science (53 questions).
	^●	The ENGLISH and LANGUAGE usage subtest measures knowledge of punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, contextual words, and spelling (28 questions).

		ATI TEAS^® components target scores:

Test Content Areas Target Score

Reading 75%

Math 65%

English 65%

Science 65%

The target scores to be considered for admission to the program are competitive. Scores in the mid-70 range and higher are predictive of program acceptance and success; however, scores in this range do not guarantee acceptance. Scores are reviewed annually and are, therefore, subject to change based on current ATI^® data.

Applicants who wish to retake the exam to achieve a higher score must retake the entire exam. There must be a minimum of three (3) months between test dates. Each test is considered a combined complete entity. There will be NO combination of scores from separate tests. ATI TEAS^® exam results are valid for five (5) years.

Test preparation materials are available in the SFSC Campus Store (Highlands Campus), SFSC Library, and online at atitesting.com.

3.	Review of professional references.

Selection Process

I.	If you meet the minimum requirements by the application deadline, you will be ranked highest to lowest, a score devised by multiplying the pre-admission exam score by the cumulative prerequisite GPA in the following courses:

	BSC 1085C - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 cr. hrs.
	BSC 1086C - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4 cr. hrs.
	DEP 1004 - Human Development 3 cr. hrs.
	ENC 1101 - Freshman English I 3 cr. hrs.
	MCB 2010C - Microbiology 4 cr. hrs.
	PSY 2012 - Introduction to Psychology 3 cr. hrs.
	MAC 1105 - College Algebra 3 cr. hrs. + OR
	STA 2023 - Elementary Statistics 3 cr. hrs.

	+ MAC 1105 - College Algebra is preferred.

	NOTE: Must earn a grade of C or higher in each of the courses listed above.

II.	In cases where all credentials are equal, the following criteria will be used in the given sequence to determine who will be admitted into the program:
	A.	Completion of any of the additional general education courses.
	B.	Residence in service district.
	C.	Completed application date.

General Information

1.	SFSC reserves the right to deny admission to you if you lack required qualifications for the ADN Program. You must reapply if you wish to be considered for a subsequent class. Each class is selected from a new applicant pool.
2.	Completion of all or part of the general education courses required in the degree does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
3.	The nursing program at SFSC has a stringent attendance policy. It is imperative that you understand and agree to abide by the published attendance standards prior to entering the program. The attendance policy is published in the Nursing Student Handbook which specifies the number of allowable absences for each portion of the program. If you have life or health conditions that might hinder attendance, you may wish to consider another program or delay application until a strong commitment to attendance can be made.
4.	An official criminal history background check and drug screen are required for entry into the Nursing program. Be aware that some providers of clinical experiences will not allow individuals with certain types of criminal history into their facilities. This may prevent entrance into the program, because such individuals would not be able to successfully complete clinical portions of the nursing program. A criminal history may also prevent you from being allowed to take the NCLEX^® examination for licensure by action of the Florida Board of Nursing. For more information or questions regarding your status, contact the Board of Nursing at 850-245-4125 or access information at doh.state.fl.us/nursing.
5.	SFSC is a drug-free campus. As a student, you may be required to submit to random drug testing at your expense.
6.	Expenses (approximate) incurred upon acceptance to the program include a Level II background screening, a 10-panel drug screen, and online document manager.

	CPR	$ 65
	Drug Screen/Document Tracker	$ 70
	FDLE Level II Background Check	$ 62
	Physical examination	Variable
	Required titers and immunizations	Variable

Academic Requirements

An overall GPA of 2.0 (C grade) or higher in all general education courses and a grade of 3.0 (B grade) in each and every nursing course is required. Theory and clinical grades are computed separately. Minimal passing grade for each is 80%; achievement in either theory or clinical of less than 80% constitutes a failure in the course.

Approximate Program Costs

Admission fee	$ 15
Background check/drug screen/ document management	132
CPR	65
Graduation fee	15
Laboratory fees which include uniforms, clinical lab skills kit, NCLEX^® Review, and NCLEX^® testing fees	2,694
Medical Costs	500
Resident tuition	7,590
Textbooks	1,775
Approximate Total	$12, 786

Required Courses

First Term

Total Credit Hours: 12

Second Term

NUR 1710C - Medical-Surgical Nursing for Adults and Children I
Humanities Core 3 cr. hrs.* ~

Total Credit Hours: 12

Third Term

Total Credit Hours: 12

Fourth Term

Total Credit Hours: 12

Note:

*	It is your responsibility to meet with the instructional supervisor or counselor to select the proper course to fulfill this requirement.
~	Must earn a grade of C or higher.
-	POS 1041 American Government is preferred.
#	Computer competency skills and Fundamentals of Speech Communication general education requirements are covered within the Nursing curriculum for the associate degree.