Mar 08, 2025  
2019-2020 College Catalog 
    
2019-2020 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Nursing-Practical


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Campus Location: Calmar, Peosta

Program Entry: Enrollment may occur during any term. Fall and Spring terms are the start of the program course sequence.

Award: Diploma

Description: This program of classroom, lab and clinical experience will prepare you for employment in hospitals, nursing homes and a variety of other healthcare facilities. The practical nurse gives nursing care to patients under the supervision of the registered nurse (RN) and assists RNs in providing care to patients in more complex situations. Following successful completion of the program, you are eligible to write the National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). The program is approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing.

Nursing courses with a clinical component may not be taken by a person who has been denied nursing licensure by a board of nursing; whose nursing license is currently suspended, surrendered or revoked in any U. S. jurisdiction; or whose nursing license/registration is currently suspended, surrendered ,or revoked in another country due to disciplinary action.

The Northeast Iowa Community College Practical Nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20037.

Program Admission: In addition to the College enrollment process , applicants must complete the HESI A2 admission assessment and achieve a score of 80 on both the reading and mathematics
portions. The following courses must be completed with a grade of “C-” or above within five years from the date of application:

BIO 168 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I  

BIO 173 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II  

PNN 200 - Dosage Calculations  

PNN 270 - Introduction to Nutrition  

Students may transfer into the freshman year only after transcript review, space availability and Dean of Nursing approval. All nursing students are required to attend a program orientation prior to entrance into the program. Notification of dates and times will occur after acceptance to the Nursing program. In addition, the following requirements must be satisfied prior to term one of the NICC Nursing program.

Academic Requirements: Students who plan to enter the NICC Associate Degree Nursing program must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.2 in all Nursing core courses (as noted above by 1) and achieve a minimum score of 850 on the HESI PN Exit examination as an admission requirement to progress into the ADN program.

Program Requirements: The College has contracted the services of CastleBranch to review and monitor background checks, health records, training requirements and drug testing. Students will submit the following documentation to their website prior to the designated date:

  • Background check - includes a nationwide criminal history search and child, dependent adult and sex offender registry checks.
  • Health records - physical and immunizations (MMR, varicella, Hepatitis B, 2 step TB, Tdap and influenza).
  • Training - CPR (American Heart Association Health Care Professional BLS or American Red Cross CPR for Healthcare Providers), mandatory reporter of child and dependent adult abuse, HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens
  • Drug testing - prior to clinical participation, random, post incident/accident and suspicion. Students are required to be substance free throughout the program.
  • Certification of completion of a minimum 75-hour Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) course from a community college or an approved CNA course provider
  • Documentation of the written and skill competency test for the CNA registry.

A student who fails to meet this deadline will forfeit his/her seat and it will be offered to another student. The student will then be placed at the bottom of the wait list.

In addition to meeting the above listed requirements upon admission, students must maintain these requirements throughout the program. Failure to remain compliant will result in denial for clinical participation. Clinical participation is required for program completion.

Note: Background checks will be evaluated per NICC’s Program Compliance policy and by the Iowa Department of Human Services, if applicable. Clinical participation is dependent on this evaluation.

All students enrolled in a healthcare program will be required to complete a drug screen prior to entrance into a clinical rotation with a clinical affiliate. Random drug screens will also be conducted on students while enrolled in the program.

Note: A positive report on the criminal, dependant adult abuse, child abuse background screening or drug screen may prevent you from acceptance into clinical and completion of the program.

Students may be required to provide documentation of health insurance coverage. Please be aware of the following physical demands during your clinical education courses. Daily activities require bending, stooping, squatting, reaching, pushing and pulling in all directions. You will be asked to lift and carry objects weighing up to a minimum of 35 pounds and also shared weight. Clinical tasks require use of hands for repetitive action, such as simple and firm grasping and fine manipulation and walking, including stair stepping. You may also be in contact with communicable diseases and chemical/biohazardous materials and odors. For clinical assessments, visual and hearing acuity is essential. Travel to clinical sites in outlying areas is required at times throughout the program. Students are responsible for any travel costs. You will need to show proof of high school graduation or equivalent prior to taking the NCLEX licensure exam. The Iowa Board of Nursing will no longer review criminal history prior to application for licensure.

Exit requirement: Students are required to pass the established benchmarks on the HESI exam in order to graduate from the program. The established benchmarks are stated in the annual District-Wide Policy and Procedure Manual for the Administration of Nursing Programs.

Class Hours: Classes are scheduled two or three days a week at the campus. Clinical experiences are scheduled the remaining days in hospitals, nursing homes and other care settings and can occur on either the day or evening shift.

Minimum Credits: 42.75 including nursing admission requirements

Note:The following year rules exist for nursing program coursework. If exceeded, the course(s) will need to be repeated. Nursing courses identified with a PNN prefix and Anatomy and Physiology courses cannot be greater than five years old.

Concurrent Enrollment Program Option (CEP): See Nursing-Associate Degree  

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