Applying to the Clinical Nursing Program - Prospective Nursing Students

Criteria for Application

• Applicants must be a matriculated student at QCC and attend nursing advisement sessions as posted on nursing website.
• Complete the Pre – Clinical sequence with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

  		Credits
  EN 101	English Composition I	3
  PSYC-101	Psychology	3
  *SOC-101	Sociology	3
  *MATH-119	Math	3
  BI-301	Anatomy and Physiology I	4
  	Pre-Clinical Credits	13
  *Math-119 replaces Sociology-101 as a prerequisite only for new incoming QCC students starting the Fall 2013 semester.

  • Only the first grade attained in the pre – clinical sequence will be calculated. However, students are permitted to increase their Application GPA by substituting a grade achieved in a higher level course. This substitution is allowed for one Pre Clinical Course as follows:
    • Bio-302 for Bio-301
    • Eng-102 for Eng-101
    • PSYC-220 for PSYC-101
  • As of fall 2007, Anatomy and Physiology (BI-301 and BI-302) whether taken at QCC or transferred in from another institution will not be accepted for consideration if taken more than six (6) years ago. Microbiology BI-311 must have been taken within the last five (5) years. Students must achieve a C or better in all Biological Science courses (BI-301, 302 and 311)
  • BI-301 and BI-302 (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) must be taken at the same institution.
• Take the National League of Nursing Pre Admission RN exam – RN PAX (refer to nln.org). REGISTRATION END DATE for PAX RN exam will be 2 days prior to TEST DATE at QCC.
  

  Tuesday

  April 16, 2013

  5:30pm

  Test duration: 4 hours (expect to stay for the entire 4 hours)
  Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled exam start time
  ONLY students attending Queensborough Community College are eligible to register
  MUST have a CURRENT VALID Queensborough Community College photo ID (new Current student ID)
  You will be required to present this upon entering the Testing Center
  If you fail to meet this requirement – you will NOT be able to sit for the exam and will FORFEIT the testing fee

• There is no minimum PAX RN composite score for clinical application.. The average composite score  for accepted students is 110-120 with a percentile rank above 50% in each tested area (Verbal, Math, and Science).Students wishing to achieve a higher PAX  RN score can repeat the PAX RN after a waiting period of 6 months .
• All required remedial course work as determined by placement tests taken when entering QCC (reading, writing, mathematics, and/or speech) must be successfully completed. Remedial sequences for individual placement will be determined by academic advisors in the Basic Skills, Mathematics, and/or Speech department.
• Complete the Speech Placement Test. Speech evaluation is required of all entering QCC students. Speech 007 may be recommended.
• Applicants interested in the Evening Program must complete all the biological sciences (BI-301, 302, 311) before entering NU-101 and are encouraged to complete additional core requirements.
• Meet the following Essential Competencies: Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Critical Thinking, Motor Skills, Sensory Skills, Mobility, Good Moral Character
• Provide documentation in one of the following categories:
  • U.S. Citizenship – a passport or birth certificate will suffice;
  • Permanent Residency;
  • International Student with F1 Status;
  • Granted Asylum, Refugee Status, Temporary Protected Status, Withholding of Removal, Deferred Enforced Departure, or Deferred Action Status by the U.S. government.

Prospective students must take the National League of Nursing Pre Admission RN exam  - (RN PAX) at the QCC campus only. Exam scores from other institutions will NOT be accepted. REGISTRATION END DATE for PAX RN exam will be 2 days prior to TEST DATE. Recommended book for preparation: NRN Pre Entrance Exam 3^rd edition ISBN #9781884826278

All undocumented students who are interested in nursing are strongly urged to contact the CUNY Citizenship and Immigration Project which will provide free counseling and assistance to all CUNY students who need help with their immigration status. Their website is http://web.cuny.edu/about/citizenship.html. Students may also visit the QCC Office of International Students & Center for Immigration, Room L-431 in the Library, telephone 718-631-6611.

The Evening Program is only offered in the fall semester. Application forms for the Clinical Program are available in the Nursing Department office, Medical Arts Building, M-302. Consult the nursing website regularly during the semester to check application filing dates. The application form should be completed the semester prior to starting NU-101.

If you have previously made an application and have not been accepted or were unable to accept your seat, you can reapply for the next semester.

Criteria for Admission

Admission to the Clinical Program is competitive.  Eligibility for application does not guarantee admission.   Results on the RN PAX will be reviewed in combination with the students GPA to determine a priority score for applicant selection. Applicants achieve a ranked score for PAX and GPA after all applicants scores are ordered from highest to lowest in each of these areas. The priority score for each student applying for admission during that semester is determined by the average of these two ranked scores.   Potential NU-101 students will be identified based on this priority score and the completion of all other admission requirements.

The final acceptance of qualified applicants will be decided after assessment  of  each candidate’s communication ability. Communication readiness for  safe clinical nursing will be determined by Nursing faculty in collaboration with the Speech Communication and Theatre Arts Faculty.

Transfer Students

Transfer students from other institutions must be in good standing. Students who are on academic probation, or have been dismissed from a nursing program at a previous school are not eligible for admission to the Clinical Program. No transfer credit will be given for nursing courses taken at another institution. All nursing courses must be completed at QCC. All non-nursing courses will be evaluated for credit by the College Registrar. Transfer students seeking entrance can be advised by nursing faculty during regularly scheduled advisement sessions. Consult the nursing website regularly during the semester to check for advisement dates.

Advanced Standing

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s) currently matriculated at Queensborough Community College and who have been accepted to the Clinical Program may attain advanced standing into NU-102 by successfully completing the following examinations:

• The NLN Basic Nursing Care I Achievement Test and NLN Basic Nursing Care II Achievement Test.
• Pass and meet a practicum which is given at the college by a member of the QCC Nursing faculty.

Students who have a current L.P.N. license and believe they qualify to take these examinations should contact the Nursing Department (Medical Arts Building, Room M-302).

Special Requirements

• Student Nurse Liability insurance coverage is required for students taking a nursing course with clinical laboratory experience.
• Students must update their health status records each semester to meet hospital requirements. Updated health status clearance must be presented to the instructor on the first day of clinical or the student will not be permitted in the clinical area.
• Proof of current BCLS Certification for Health Care Professionals is required of all students by the first clinical day of each semester. It is the responsibility of the student to keep his/her certification current.
• Some clinical agencies may require drug and alcohol screening and/or fingerprinting and background checks. The results of these checks maybe used by those sites as a basis for denying practice in their clinical facility. As a result, students must be aware they may be unable to complete course requirements.

CUNY Statement: Notice to Students about Criminal Background Checks:

Current laws generally permit a state licensing board or agency to deny a license to practice nursing if the applicant has been convicted of a felony or other specified crime. Like many state licensing boards, the Office of the Professions of the New York State Education Department requires that a criminal background check be conducted prior to granting a license to practice nursing.

The Department of Nursing at Queensborough Community College does not require a criminal background check for admittance, but the Department’s educational requirements include placement at one or more hospitals or other off-campus clinical training sites, and these sites frequently require a student to undergo a criminal background check before the student can be placed for clinical training. If, based upon the results of a criminal background check, the site determines that a student’s participation in its clinical training program would not be in the best interest of the site, the site may deny that student admission to the training program. Even if the student has already begun the placement when the results are received, the site may elect to dismiss the student, regardless of the student’s performance while in the training program.

Each clinical training site that requires a criminal background check sets its own standards and procedures, and you may be asked by the site to pay the cost of the background check. You may also have to complete more than one criminal background check during the course of the Nursing program at Queensborough Community College, depending on the number of sites where you are placed and the requirements of each site. Please note that if a clinical training site determines that you may not take part in its training program based on the results of a criminal background check, you may be unable to complete your course requirements and to continue in the Nursing program. It is important for you to consider this before you enroll in the Nursing program at Queensborough Community College. The college has no obligation to refund your tuition or fees or to otherwise accommodate you in the event you are ineligible to complete your course requirements based on the results of a criminal background check, or if you are denied a license to practice nursing.

Criteria for Retention /Progression

• A passing final grade in each of the two components of the clinical nursing courses (NU-101, NU-102, NU-201, and NU-202) is necessary to progress to the next nursing course. These two components are:
  Clinical/Laboratory – a passing grade is needed in each of the following: clinical performance, math skills, written assignments and critical elements.
  Theory/Lecture- A student must successfully pass the course examinations with a final average grade of 74% or above to pass the course. (See course manuals for details of examinations).
• Student must achieve a G.P.A. of 2.0 or above to progress to the next nursing course and be eligible for graduation.
• Two (2) Writing Intensive courses are required for the Associated Degree. Both NU-201 and NU-204 are writing intensive courses and meet the criteria for graduation.
• A grade of C or better in all Biology courses is required for progression and graduation.
• A grade of C or higher in BI-302 is a prerequisite for NU-102.
• A grade of C or higher in BI-311 is a prerequisite for NU-201.
• Students may repeat BI-302 and BI-311 in order to obtain a C or better but may not progress until a C is achieved.
• Failure of a “Critical Element Test” in any clinical course, after three attempts, constitutes a clinical failure for the course, and the student will not be allowed to return to the clinical area.

Repeat Policy

• Students may repeat only one nursing course (NU-101, NU102, NU-201 or NU-202) in the Clinical Program, one time only, on a space available basis. This includes students who withdrew from a course after the first day for any reason and students who completed the course with a grade below C. However, a repeat of NU-101 will require an approval from the Nursing Department Appeals Committee.
• Any student who withdraws from a nursing course must notify the lecture instructor and complete an Intention to Repeat Form if he/she is eligible to register again for the course. (Intention to Repeat Forms are located in the Medical Arts Building, M-302).