Nursing Program Practical Nursing Diploma

(January start each year)

A diploma in Practical Nursing is awarded upon successful completion of the program.

The Practical Nursing program is designed to prepare men and women for careers as practical nurses. Classroom and clinical instruction are provided concurrently in all nursing courses.

The nursing program is approved by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) (3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia, 30326; (404) 975-5000). Upon graduation students are prepared to work as entry level members of a multidisciplinary team providing care in a variety of health care settings. Graduates receive a Diploma in Practical Nursing and are eligible to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN® Examination). Graduates may also apply for the LPN-RN Advancement Option after completing the appropriate admissions process and satisfying the specific admission requirements.

All Practical Nursing courses must be completed within two (2) years of the date of entry into the program. Transfer credit for courses equivalent in academic content and credit hours will depend upon the grade obtained, course content, and the length of time since the course was completed. Contact the Admissions Office for information about transfer credit at (603) 271-7134. This program begins in January each year.

Admission to the practical nursing program is very competitive. Selection is determined by a cumulative point system that is based on high school level prerequisite courses and grades, applicable college courses and grades and NHTI placement testing. References are considered critical to the admission process and are evaluated.

As a pre-clinical requirement, students will be required to undergo a background check and drug and alcohol screening. No student will be exempt from this process. Students are provided with procedural and cost information subsequent to admission to the nursing program and are responsible for all costs associated with these testing procedures.

This program is financial aid eligible. To be eligible for federal financial aid, students must submit an official, final high school transcript, or the equivalent documentation that demonstrates high school completion, to the NHTI Admissions Office.

Gainful Employment Disclosure Statement

Transfer Information

• Transferring to other institutions
• Transferring to NHTI

Specific Admission Requirements

Spring 2012
Priority Consideration will be given to students whose applications are complete and received by the NHTI Admissions Office no later than September 16, 2011 for Spring 2012 admission. Candidates will not be considered for admission until all admission requirements have been met.

Spring 2013
Priority Consideration will be given to students whose applications are complete and received by the NHTI Admissions Office no later than September 14, 2012 for Spring 2013 admission. Candidates will not be considered for admission until all admission requirements have been met.

1. High school Algebra I with a grade of “C” or higher or NHTI's MT 103 and MT 104 with grades of “C” or higher;
2. High school biology course with lab with a grade of “C” or higher;
3. High school course in English with a grade of “C” or higher;
4. Submit, on NHTI nursing reference forms (PDF or contact the Admissions Office at (603) 271-7134), two references from professionals, supervisors or teachers;
5. Satisfactory completion of the HESI A2 (Admissions Assessment) Exam with a minimum score of 75% on each of the three required sections (Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary). Information regarding testing locations and registration is available here in PDF or contact the Admissions Office at (603)271-7134 or (800)247-0179. Applicants are permitted to re-take the HESI A2 exam six (6) weeks after the initial testing date; beyond that, students may test every six (6) months; when retaking the test, students must take the entire test and will not be permitted to take individual sections of the test.

Internship Considerations

NHTI has developed excellent practicum opportunities for our students to foster hands-on learning while simultaneously receiving credit. Nonetheless, the college's first priority must be to ensure that patients/clients/children/families are not placed in jeopardy by students during learning experiences. Therefore, students in internship, externship, practicum, service learning, and clinical experiences must demonstrate sufficient emotional stability to withstand the stresses, uncertainties and changing circumstances that characterize patient/client/child/family responsibilities. Furthermore, the student is expected to have the emotional stability required to exercise sound judgment, accept direction and guidance from a supervisor or faculty member, and establish rapport and maintain sensitive interpersonal relationships and confidentiality with employees, customers, and/or patients/clients/children and their families.

Health, Character, and Technical Requirements

Technical Standards
Standards have been established to provide guidance to students as to skills and abilities required to function successfully in the program and ultimately in the profession of nursing.

General Abilities: The student is expected to possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and smell so that data received by the senses may be integrated, analyzed, and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. A student must also possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration, and movement that are important to the student's ability to gather significant information needed to effectively evaluate patients. A student must be able to respond promptly to urgent situations that may occur during clinical training activities and must not hinder the ability of other members of the health care team to provide prompt treatment and care to patients.

Observational Ability: The student must have sufficient capacity to make accurate visual observations and interpret them in the context of laboratory studies, medication administration, and patient care activities. In addition, the student must be able to document these observations and maintain accurate records.

Communication Ability: The student must communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally to elicit information and to translate that information to others. Each student must have the ability to read, write, comprehend and clearly speak the English language to facilitate communication with patients, their family members, and other professionals in health care settings. In addition, the student must be able to maintain accurate patient records, present information in a professional, logical manner and provide patient counseling and instruction to effectively care for patients and their families. The student must clearly communicate effectively verbally and in writing with instructors and other students in the classroom setting as well.

Motor Ability: The student must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to perform complete physical examinations utilizing the techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A student must develop the psychomotor skills reasonably needed to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medication, management and operation of diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment, and such maneuvers to assist with patient care activities such as lifting, wheel chair guidance, and mobility. The student must have sufficient levels of neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination as well as possess the physical and mental stamina to meet the demands associated with extended periods of sitting, standing, moving, and physical exertion required for satisfactory and safe performance in the clinical and classroom settings including performing CPR if necessary. The student must possess the ability of manual and visual dexterity such as to draw up solutions in a syringe.

Intellectual, Conceptual, and Quantitative Abilities: The student must be able to develop and refine problem-solving skills that are crucial to practice as a nurse. Problem solving involves the abilities to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize objective and subjective data, and to make decisions, often in a time urgent environment, that reflect consistent and thoughtful deliberation and sound clinical judgment. Each student must demonstrate mastery of these skills and possess the ability to incorporate new information from peers, teachers, and the nursing and medical literature to formulate sound judgment in patient assessment, intervention, evaluation, teaching, and setting short and long term goals. Students must demonstrate arithmetic competence that would allow the student to read and understand columns and/or writing, tell time, use measuring tools, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide.

Behavioral and Social Attributes: Compassion, integrity, motivation, effective interpersonal skills, and concern for others are personal attributes required of those in the nursing programs. Personal comfort and acceptance of the role of a nurse functioning under supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor is essential for a nursing student. The student must possess the skills required for full utilization of the student's intellectual abilities; the exercise of good judgment; the prompt completion of all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical settings; and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients and other members of the health care team. Each student must be able to exercise stable, sound judgment and to complete assessment and interventional activities in a timely manner to assure patient safety and well being. The ability to establish rapport and maintain sensitive, interpersonal relationships with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural and intellectual backgrounds is critical for practice as a nurse. The student must be able to adapt to changing environments; display flexibility; accept and integrate constructive criticism given in the classroom and clinical settings; effectively interact in the clinical setting with other members of the healthcare team; and learn to function cooperatively and efficiently in the face of uncertainties inherent in clinical practice.

Examinations: Certain courses in the nursing programs require students to take timed and/or online examinations. Students may be required to take timed, online and/or other types of examinations in a proctored, secure setting that is acceptable to the program.

Ability to Manage Stressful Situations: The student must be able to adapt to and function effectively in stressful situations in both the classroom and clinical settings, including emergency situations. Students will encounter multiple stressors while in the nursing programs. These stressors may be (but are not limited to) personal, patient care/family, faculty/peer, and or program related.

NOTE: The health care environment contains substantial amounts of latex. Applicants with latex allergies place themselves at risk of reaction. The Nursing Department does not recommend that individuals with a latex allergy pursue a career in health care.

Program Comments
All Practical Nursing courses integrate theory and clinical experience. Failure to receive a satisfactory grade in either theory OR the clinical experience portion of the course will result in a failing grade. All practical nursing major field courses must be passed before proceeding to the next level. A grade of “C” or higher is required in the required science courses, BI 108 & BI 109 or BI 195, BI 196 & BI 202, and the math course, MT 129, to enter or progress in the practical nursing courses.

1. Prior to the start of the clinical nursing courses, students are required to have on file in the Health Services Office ((603)271-7153) documentation of: current medical insurance; a complete physical examination; current immunizations; current CPR certification for one and two person adult, infant and child. Professional liability malpractice insurance is arranged by the College and will automatically be charged to the student's account.
2. Depending on clinical site availability, students may be required to do an alternative clinical rotation (day or evening).
3. All students enrolled in a nursing course will be charged a $350/semester Nursing Clinical Surcharge. The following courses carry this charge: PN 101, PN 102 and PN 103.

# Indicates major field courses.
* Higher level science courses may be recommended as substitutions for students considering admission to the NHTI RN program in the future.
** A $26 testing fee will be assessed for all students taking PN 101, and a $45 testing fee will be assessed for all students taking PN 103. This fee will cover the cost associated with program testing to prepare students for licensure testing.

Revised: 26 Jan 2012

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