PRACTICAL NURSING  (PRN1)
DIPLOMA: HEALTH SCIENCE
Credit Requirements: 52 Credit Hours

The Practical Nursing curriculum is designed to prepare students to function in hospitals, extended care facilities, doctors’ offices, clinics, schools and private industry under the supervision of a registered nurse or physician. The program prepares students to care for acutely and chronically ill patients, to help rehabilitate patients and to share in the prevention of illness. The curriculum combines classroom instruction with laboratory practice and clinical experience in various settings. To obtain a diploma, a student must complete 52 credit hours with a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average and minimum grade of “C” in all courses required for Practical Nursing.

The Practical Nursing (PN) program at Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) is approved by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Board of Nursing and accredited by the NLNAC (National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission), 61 Broadway – 33^rd Floor – NY, NY 10006 (1-800-669-9656).

Graduates of the program may apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses. Upon successful completion of this examination, the candidate will be designated as a Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (L.V.N.)

Acceptance Requirements

Applicants will be accepted to the Practical Nursing Program on a first qualified, first accepted basis. Acceptance will be in a two-stage process – “Preliminary Acceptance” and “Full Acceptance”.  Applicants are considered to be qualified for acceptance to the next available class when they meet all acceptance requirements.


Requirements for Preliminary Acceptance to the Practical Nursing Program

Once students have completed the following requirements, they will be granted “Preliminary Acceptance” into the Practical Nursing Program.

   1.  Meet the criteria for admission to HGTC. This includes submission of admission application fee of $25; official high school transcript, including graduation date or copy of GED; and official college transcripts;

    2.  Minimum placement test scores from one of the following tests:

SAT, ACT or COMPASS (College placement test); the Developmental Studies course sequence will be required if minimum placement test scores are not achieved;

3.  Transfer students must meet the College transfer student admission requirements; and

4.  An applicant must be at least 17 years of age by August 1 of the year of acceptance. Students are admitted into the Practical Nursing program in the Fall Semester only;

5.  GPA of 2.0 or better on all required general education and support courses.

Requirements for Full Acceptance to the Practical Nursing Program

·         A copy of a certified birth certificate;

·         Attendance at an orientation seminar;

·         A Health Sciences Division physical examination form, completed 30 days prior to the first day of classes, indicating the student is physically and mentally able to enter the program;

·         CPR certification (BLS Health Care Provider) valid until graduation, must be updated annually;

·         Payment of a non-refundable tuition deposit of $100; and

·         Pass a criminal background check prior to entry into the program (estimated cost $25).

Additional Acceptance/Technical Standards

The following standards are considered essential criteria for participation in the Nursing Program. Students selected for the Nursing Program must be able to independently engage in educational activities and clinical training activities in a manner that will not endanger clients/patients, other students, staff members, themselves, or the public. These criteria are necessary for the successful implementation of the clinical objectives of the Nursing Program. In order to be admitted, or to be retained in the Nursing Program after admission, all applicants with or without accommodations must:

·         Possess sufficient visual acuity to independently read and interpret the writing of all sizes;

·         Independently be able to provide verbal communication to and receive communication from clients/patients and members of the health care team, and be able to assess care needs through the use of monitoring devices, stethoscopes, infusion pumps, fire alarms, audible exposure indicators, etc.;

·         Possess sufficient gross and fine motor skills to independently position and assist in lifting clients/patients, manipulate equipment, and perform other skills required in meeting the needs of nursing care; and

·         Submit a complete Health Sciences Division Physical Examination Form.

Program Requirements

In order to progress in the nursing curriculum, the student must:

·         earn a minimum grade of “C” in all general education, support and nursing courses. Failure of one required course will result in the student being dropped from the program with eligibility for readmission. A student who has a second failure in any one of the required courses, or failure in any two of the required courses will not be eligible for readmission to the nursing program. Failure is defined as receiving a grade below “C” in any course;

·         maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on all required courses;

·         submit evidence of current CPR certification (Health Care Provider). CPR certification is required to start each nursing course, and must be updated annually;

·         be covered by professional liability insurance (included in the tuition fees for each nursing course);

·         submit a completed Health Sciences Division Physical Examination Form prior to enrollment in the first nursing course. Evidence of an updated annual physical examination/health record is required;

·         meet all program and course requirements according to the Practical Nursing Student Handbook and course syllabi; and

·         be cognizant that certain general education courses have credit time limits. For the Practical Nursing Program, the following course time limits apply: Practical Nursing courses: 1 year; Biology 210 and 211 courses: 5 years. See the transfer credit time limit section of the catalog.

Any student who fails to meet the requirements for progression will be dropped from the nursing program and must apply for re-acceptance. (This re-acceptance process occurs through application to the Nursing Department Chair. For further information regarding re-acceptance, see Practical Nursing Student Handbook.)

Selected learning experiences will be provided in a number of health care agencies located within the geographical area served by the College, such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, nursery schools and day care centers. Students are assigned to clinical agencies based on a space available basis as well as appropriate learning experiences. Students will be solely responsible for transportation to and from the College and to and from the health care agencies utilized for clinical experiences.

Because competency in nursing is a critical component of safe nursing practice, the grading scale for practical nursing is higher than the general college grading scale. The grading scale for all Practical Nursing courses is:

93  –  100  =  A
85  –    92  =  B
77  –    84  =  C
69 –    76  =  D
Below 69   =  F

Transfer Students from another Practical Nursing Program

To be accepted for transfer, nursing courses must have been part of a parallel program at a regionally accredited post-secondary institution and completed within the past year. Each course will be considered on an individual basis and the student may be required to submit course descriptions or College catalog to describe previous work. Transfer credit for general education courses will follow College policy.

Students who meet the following criteria will be considered on an individual basis. Candidates for transfer must:

·         submit an application for admission to the College including the $25 non-refundable application fee;

·         meet the minimum acceptance requirements for the program;

·         submit a letter to the Nursing Department Acceptance Committee requesting the transfer into the program;

·         have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 (4 point scale) and a grade of “C” or better in each of the HGTC required general education and support courses taken in the program from which the student is transferring;

·         have earned a grade of “C” or better in all nursing courses for which the student seeks transfer credit. Students who have failed any required course twice or have failed two different required courses are not eligible for transfer into the nursing program. Failure is defined as receiving a grade below “C” in any course. Nursing courses older than one calendar year will not be accepted;

·         submit proof of course content equivalent to nursing courses at HGTC; and

·         complete at least the last two semesters in the PN nursing program at HGTC.

FIRST SEMESTER (Fall)

BIO   210   Anatomy & Physiology I                      4
MAT  155   Contemporary Mathematics                3
PNR   110   Fundamentals of Nursing                    5
                       (accelerated)
PNR   120   Medical/Surgical Nursing I                 5
                       (accelerated)
PNR   122   Pharmacology                                     3
                      TOTAL                                           20


SECOND SEMESTER (Spring)

BIO   211   Anatomy & Physiology II                  4
PNR  112    Nutrition                                           2
PNR   130    Medical/Surgical Nursing II             5
                        (accelerated)
PNR   140   Medical/Surgical Nursing III            5
                        (accelerated)
PNR   170   Nursing of the Older Adult               2
                         (accelerated)
                       TOTAL                                       18

THIRD SEMESTER (Summer)

ENG  101   English Composition I                        3
PNR  165    Nursing Care of Family                     6
PNR  182    Special Topics in PNR                      2
PSY   201   General Psychology                          3
                         TOTAL                                     14

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS                                52