Associate Degree in Nursing

Documents

• Degree Plan- Basic (PDF)
• Degree Plan- Transition (PDF)
• Pathway (PDF)
• Points System Admission Process form
• Health Science Student Handbook (PDF)

ADN Transition Program

Students who have been unsuccessful in the Basic ADN will be able to apply for the ADN Transition program after successful completion of a VN program and one year of employment as a vocational nurse.  If unsuccessful in a transition course, a student is not eligible for readmission into the Transition program. The student is eligible for application to the ADN Basic Program.

Candidates must be a licensed vocational nurse with one year of employment as a vocational nurse.

Candidates must have the following on file in the Office of Admissions by the posted deadline. 

1. All basic admission criteria.
2. An official transcript from the VN program. 
3. A copy of the LVN or LPN license. 
4. Proof of employment for one year as an LVN or LPN.

Associate Degree Nursing Admission Requirements

Candidates for the nursing program are expected to be proficient in communication skills, math, science, computer, and learning skills, as well as have physical and mental abilities to practice nursing. To be considered for admission, the candidate must complete the procedures listed below. (Incomplete files are not considered). Download the Points System Admission Process form (.pdf).

Steps for Admission to be completed by the 1st Friday in March.

1. Register for a mandatory information session with the Enrollment Advisor (903) 823-3351.
2. A completed Apply Texas (www.applytexas.org) application with Texarkana College listed as college of choice.
3. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or above on all college-level work.
4. TSI met.
5. Schedule an appointment with the Enrollment Advisor, Karen Holt (dated after January 1st for Basic and after July 1st for Transition applicants).  (Call Health Sciences Division to schedule an appointment 903-823-3401).
6. An Overall score of 60 or greater on the TEAS is required for admission. The TEAS must be within 2 years of the program application date. A maximum of three TEAS attempts within a 12-month period is allowed. TEAS exam scores taken at proctored testing sites other than Texarkana College may be submitted. A minimum of 15 days is required between testing attempts. Students may pay and register for the TEAS on-line at www.atitesting.com.
7. A score of “Proficient” level 69 or greater on the Reading portion of the TEAS.
8. An official high school transcript, GED scores or transcripts from all colleges attended.  High school seniors must submit a current transcript with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (one a 4.0 scale) by the program application deadline.Additional requirements:
9. A current physical examination on the “Nursing Physical Examination” form, negative drug screen, and “satisfactory” Texas Board of Nursing background check.  NOTE:  The physical includes proof of childhood immunizations, including a completed hepatitis B vaccine series which takes a minimum of 4 months, a meningitis vaccine (unless age 22 or above), as required by Texas law, and a negative TB screening. This is required after notification in writing of “Conditional Acceptance” into the nursing program. The applicant must bring proof of having at least begun the Hepatitis B series when completing their interview.
10. American Heart Association Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider course.  (AHA/BLS-HCP).  Must be current throughout enrollment in the program.  Must be completed prior to enrollment in RNSG 1413 (Basic students) and RNSG 1327 (Transition students).  Students are encouraged to take the course after the “Conditional Acceptance” is received to ensure the course is current throughout the program enrollment.  Contact the Continuing Education office regarding registration.

Additional Information

1. If all required documentation (TB test/CPR/drug screen/fingerprinting) is not submitted by the deadline, the student will be removed from the “Conditional Acceptance” list and will have to reapply to the program. The “Conditional Acceptance” spot will be forfeited.
2. If a Declaratory Order is required by the Board of Nursing (BON) for a prior offense on the criminal background check, the applicant will be given until July 1st to obtain clearance from the BON, otherwise the “Conditional Acceptance” to the program will be revoked.
3. If low grades earned early in the applicant’s college career are making the GPA less competitive, the student is encouraged to ask about the “Academic Fresh Start”. See Academic Fresh Start Policy in the TC Catalog/Handbook.
4. Turn in the Admission Checklist to the Enrollment Advisor with an original signature and date.

Process for Selection of Students

Points System

1. Students applying to the Associate Degree Nursing Program will be ranked according to the “Points System Admission Process”. (Download a copy of the ADN Points System Admission Process form) Students will be accepted until all available spots are filled. Students not accepted will be placed on an alternate list. Alternate list applicants may be admitted if another student’s “Conditional Acceptance” is forfeited or revoked, provided they have met the other application requirements.

Notification of Selected Applicants

1. Selected applicants will be sent notification of their “Conditional Acceptance” pending receipt of the required documentation to the Office of the Health Sciences Enrollment Advisor.
2. Applicants who were not selected initially will be placed on an alternate list.
   • In the event of cancellations or forfeitures, eligible applicants from the alternate list will be notified.
   • The alternate list will be maintained until the current class begins the semester.
   • Applicants who are not selected for admission and those that decline a position must re-apply to the program to be considered for admission.
   • Any questions regarding the status of an application should be directed to the Health Sciences Enrollment Advisor.

Re-Entry Admission Procedure

Any student who is dismissed from the ADN program due to professional and/or ethical violations is not eligible for re-entry. In addition, any student who has had a clinical failure due to unsafe clinical practice is not eligible for re-entry into the program.

Re-entry candidates should submit paperwork for re-entry no later than mid-term of the Fall or Spring semester prior to re-entry.

Paperwork for re-entry includes:

1. All Basic Admission Criteria (retake of the TEAS is not required).
2. A completed “Health Science Re-Entry Counseling Interview form.” See the Dean or designated faculty member of the Health Sciences Division.
3. Students must re-enter within 2 years to retain credit for nursing courses. Some testing and remedial work may be required prior to re-admission.
4. Credit will not be granted for nursing courses taken more than 2 years prior to application for re-entry. A student applying for re-entry after 2 years will be required to retake the TEAS for admission.

Under extenuating circumstances, the student may petition the Admissions Committee for an additional admission. Students with professional and/or ethical violations on prior admissions are not eligible for petition.  Students with prior clinical failure due to unsafe practice are not eligible for petition.

Transfer Procedure

Transfer candidates should submit paperwork for transfer no later than midterm of the Fall or Spring semester prior to entry.

Paperwork for transfer includes:

1. All Basic Admission Requirements (pg.1), including the TEAS Proctored Assessment (passing results of the TEAS taken within two years of application may be accepted).
2. A “New Applicant Counseling Interview” completed with the Dean or designated faculty member of the Health Sciences Division.
3. An official transcript and nursing course syllabi, or outlines with earned grades.
4. Written permission and the address of the previous school of nursing for Texarkana College to obtain a letter of reference. (Late applications may result in delay of transfer process).

NOTE: Credit will not be granted for nursing courses taken more than 2 years prior to application. Some testing and remedial work may be required prior to admission as a transfer student.

Degree Requirements 

A minimum of 60 semester hours of credit with a 2.0 GPA, A grade of “C” or above in academic support and nursing courses, and a passing score on a comprehensive exit exam.  Students must see policy in Health Sciences Student Handbook for details.

Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination against a “qualified individual with a disability.” This term is defined as an individual with a disability who can perform the “essential functions” of a position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

In order for a student with a disability to be admitted to any nursing program at Texarkana College, the student must:

1. Meet the prerequisite admission standards defined in the college catalog.
2. Perform the essential functions for participation in the associate degree in nursing program with or without reasonable accommodation.

Generally, the term essential functions includes those fundamental duties that the individual who holds the position must be able to perform, either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation.

A reasonable accommodation is “any change in the student environment or in the way this are customarily done that enables an individual with a disability to enjoy equal opportunities.” In order to be considered for appropriate accommodations, the student must make a request with the advisor designated to deal with students with disabilities (located in the Advising Center in the Administration Building). Since the ADA expressly prohibits inquiries regarding disabilities, the responsibility of disclosure is borne by the individual having the disability. The reasonableness of an accommodation is determined on a case by case basis, the Accommodation offered does not have to be the “best available” but needs to be sufficient to meet the needs of the individual being accommodated.

The nursing faculty has determined that to successfully complete the classroom and clinical components of the associate degree in nursing programs, the student must be able to perform defined essential functions. These essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

Attendance:

Regular classroom and clinical attendance as defined by the Health Science Student Policies.

Essential Mental Abilities:

1. Maintain reality orientation accompanied by short and long-term memory.
2. Adapt to school and clinical environment.
3. Follow rules and instructions.
4. Assimilate and apply knowledge acquired through lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and readings.
5. Comprehend and apply basic mathematical skills.
6. Demonstrate safe nursing practice within the defined clinical time period.
7. Demonstrate critical thinking skills by the comprehension and application of abstract concepts.

Essential Communication Skills:

1. Speak clearly in order to communicate with clients, families, health care team members, peers, and faculty.
2. Interact appropriately and communicate effectively with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
3. Communicate and organize thoughts in order to prepare written documents.
4. Prepare written documents that are correct in style, grammar, and mechanics.

Essential Physical Abilities:

1. Stand and walk for six to eight hours/day.
2. Walk for prolonged periods from one area to another over an eight hour period.
3. Bend, squat, and kneel.
4. Assist in lifting or moving clients of all age groups and weights.
5. Perform CPR, i.e., move above client to compress chest and manually ventilate client.
6. Work with arms fully extended overhead.
7. Use hands for grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation.
8. Demonstrate eye/hand coordination for manipulation of equipment, i.e., syringes, procedures, etc.

Essential Sensory Abilities:

1. Possess tactile ability to differentiate changes in sensation.
2. Possess tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment.
3. Possess auditory acuity to note slight changes in the client’s condition, i.e., lung sounds, etc.
4. Possess auditory acuity to hear client calls for assistance without facing the client.
5. Possess auditory acuity to interpret various equipment signals and use the telephone.
6. Possess visual acuity to read and distinguish colors, to read handwritten orders, and other handwritten and printed data.
7. Possess visual acuity to clearly view monitors and scales in order to correctly interpret data.
8. Possess olfactory ability sufficient to detect differences in odor.

• The faculty believes that the associate degree in nursing education should be an integral part of a community college. We therefore accept the democratic philosophy and objectives of Texarkana College as it fulfills its mission to meet the diverse educational needs of the community. In keeping with the goals of the college, the associate degree in nursing program prepares a graduate for immediate employment, provides courses that may be acceptable for transfer to other colleges should graduates seek a higher degree and provides programs for development and/or expansion of skills.

  We believe that humans are holistic beings who are unique and complex with biological, psychological, sociological and communication needs that vary throughout life. The faculty believes that health, defined as the process of well-being, is the right of every individual. Health services should be available to each through the cooperative efforts of a wide range of professions and disciplines, commonly called the interdisciplinary health team. The inherent dignity of the individual gives one the right to actively participate with the health team in decisions which affect one’s state of health.

  Nursing works independently as well as collaboratively with other health disciplines to provide individualistic and cost effective care with clients of all ages. The faculty believes that nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of the ill, disabled, and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, and education are also key nursing roles. (Adapted from the International Council of Nurses, 2003). Furthermore, the faculty believes that nursing should constantly encourage client independence.

  The knowledge base and practice of the nursing profession include promotion of health, management and monitoring of health and management of common, uncommon, complex and rehabilitative problems with predictable and unpredictable outcomes. The knowledge base and practice of the associate degree in nursing student is directed toward use of the nursing process to provide or coordinate direct nursing care for a limited number of clients with common, complex, or rehabilitative problems in structured acute and long-term health care settings. Such clients are identified as individuals or family/significant others.

  Acute and long-term healthcare settings, for which the graduate of the associate degree in nursing program is prepared to enter, include geographical or situational environments where the policies, procedures, and protocols are established to support critical thinking decisions, and there is available consultation. The associate degree in nursing student functions in accordance with the differentiated essential competencies of graduates of Texas nursing programs in the role of member of the profession, provider of

  patient-centered care, patient safety advocate, and member of the healthcare team. Upon graduation, the associate degree in nursing student is prepared for a beginning staff position under supervision in various healthcare settings.

  The faculty believes that individuals learn in a variety of ways and come into the learning situation in different stages of development; therefore, learning is believe to be:

  1. Composed of cognitive, affective and psychomotor components.
  2. An additive process, progressing from simple to complex.
  3. Demonstrated by a change in behavior.
  4. Enhanced by a multi-sensory approach.
  5. Individualistic, according to life experiences and personal characteristics.

  As the effort and energy put into learning is under personal control, learning is ultimately the responsibility of the student. The faculty shares the responsibility to the extent that they are accountable for curricular planning and for the creation of the learning environment. Throughout the learning process, the faculty will encourage development of a nursing conscience based upon professional, moral, ethical and legal standards.

  The faculty further believes that as needs of society change, so do learning needs of the professionals who serve it. Continuing education after graduation is an inherent part of one’s professional obligation. In coordination with existing college continuing education services and with community groups, the nursing faculty responds to learning needs by identifying, planning, and otherwise ensuring implementation of continuing education opportunities for health care personnel.

The following Associate Degree in Nursing student achievement data is published in compliance with the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, ACEN, Policy 29.

NCLEX-RN Pass Rates

Basic ADN Program Completion Rates

Transition ADN Program Completion Rates

Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLO) and General Education Core Competencies

The following associate in nursing degree program objectives are the outcomes, which shape the curriculum and are the criteria for measurement of its success.  This reflects the Differentiated Essential

Competencies of graduates of Texas nursing programs as a member of the profession, provider of patient-centered care, patient safety advocate and member of the healthcare team.  The graduate will:

1. Utilize critical thinking skills to provide patient-centered nursing care using evidence-based outcomes and the nursing process to accommodate society/cultural differences and communicate the same to other members of the healthcare team.
2. Demonstrate a personal responsibility to respect a patient’s right to participate in decisions affecting their health by promoting patient-centered care and ensuring confidentiality.
3. Employ therapeutic communication skills to act as a patient safety advocate by establishing compassionate, caring and therapeutic relationships in a physically and psychologically safe environment.
4. Accepts and makes assignments and delegates tasks to other members of the healthcare team using empirical and quantitative skills that take into consideration patient safety, organizational policies, and scope of practice and demonstrated abilities.
5. Demonstrate professional and social responsibility as an associate degree nurse by assuming responsibility and accountability for quality of nursing care, maintaining continued competence, adhering to ethical and legal standards and promoting a positive image of professional nursing.
6. Serve as an advocate for continuity of care through teamwork and promote quality and access to healthcare for the patient and family.

*Competent is defined as the ability to do; proficient is defined as the ability to do well; and mastery is defined as the ability to do brilliantly at every occasion.

Rev. 08.2019

• Critical Thinking 
• Leadership 
• Adaptability 
• Management 
• Problem Solving 
• Technical Proficiency 
• Life-long Learning 
• Cultural Awareness 
• Ethical Decision Making 
• Professionalism 
• Time Management 
• Organization 
• Safety Awareness