Practical Nursing Diploma

The Practical Nursing curriculum provides knowledge and skills to integrate safety and quality into nursing care to meet the needs of the holistic individual which impacts health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Course work includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes safe, individualized nursing care and participation in the interdisciplinary team while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.

Graduates are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) which is required for practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Employment opportunities include hospitals, rehabilitation/long term care/home health facilities, clinics, and physicians’ offices.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Hours
NUR-101	Practical Nursing I	11
BIO-163	Basic Anatomy & Physiology	5
NUR-117	Pharmacology	2
	Hours	18
Spring
NUR-102	Practical Nursing II	10
PSY-150	General Psychology	3
	Hours	13
Second Year
Fall
ENG-111	Writing and Inquiry	3
NUR-103	Practical Nursing III	9
	Hours	12
	Total Hours	43

All co-requisite courses may be taken prior to the semester they are scheduled. Otherwise, they must be completed in the scheduled semester in order to progress to the next semester.

*Co-requisite course for NUR-101 Practical Nursing I

‡Co-requisite course for NUR-102 Practical Nursing II

^Co-requisite course for NUR-103 Practical Nursing III

Pre-requisite courses: One unit of high school or college algebra I and one unit of high school or college general biology.

Course Substitutions

BIO-163 Basic Anatomy & Physiology: BIO-168 Anatomy and Physiology I & BIO-169 Anatomy and Physiology II

The admission pre-requisite requirements for the PN program include the following: 1) one unit of high school or college level algebra I; and 2) one unit of high school or college level general biology. The student applying to enter the PN program should have a basic understanding of math, in order to be successful in medication dosage calculations. In addition, the applicant for the PN program should have a basic understanding of the principles of biology, in order to be successful in the general anatomy and physiology, as required in the plan of study for the PN program.