Practical Nursing
Purpose:
The purpose of this program is to prepare students for a successful career as a practical nurse. Students give nursing care in local hospitals, geriatric facilities, home health care, hospice, doctors’ offices and clinics.
Description:
Course completion skills include personal; family and community health; structure and function of the human body; nutrition; human growth and development; nursing needs of the patient; fundamentals of nursing; geriatric nursing; medical/surgical nursing; pharmacology/administering medication; maternal and neonatal nursing; pediatric nursing and comprehensive nursing.
Reciprocity Agreement:
Big Bend Technical College (BBTC) does not have a reciprocity agreement with any other state. BBTC does not offer postsecondary education through distance education or correspondence courses to students located in a state in which the institution is not physically located or in which the institution is otherwise subject to that state's jurisdiction as determined by that state.
BBTC’s Practical Nursing (PN) program is a Florida Board of Nursing (FBON) Licensed approved Nursing Education program (License # NPPN701104 ) that meets the educational requirements for a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Florida, that is required for employment in that field. Successful completion of the BBTC PN Program, passage of the NCLEX exam and fingerprints submitted electronically to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) via Livescan for a national criminal history are required to meet licensure requirements in Florida for occupation as an LPN. The requirements for licensure by examination can be found in Section 464.008, F.S.
The Florida Board of Nursing website address is: https://floridasnursing.gov
Completion Requirements:
- Students must pass all required coursework and maintain an 80% average in each major unit, maintain an 85% average in the clinical rotation and be absent no more than 30 hours per semester in the scheduled 1350 hours of the program. Additionally, the student must have satisfied all financial obligations before he/she is eligible to receive a certificate of completion.
Application Requirements:
The following criteria must be met before applications will be accepted for consideration:
| Complete and submit an application to the BBTC Student Services Office | |
| Schedule and take the ATI-TEAS (ASSESSMENT TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE – TEST OF ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC SKILLS) All applicants must take the ATI-TEAS Nursing Entrance Exam. ATI-TEAS scores are valid for two (2) years: however only the most recent scores will be considered for admission. There is a fee for this exam. Once accepted, students will be required to take the ATI Standardized NCLEX-PN Teasing Preparation Exam. The current desired proficiency level for the Practical Nursing Program is 58.7. The TEAS is designed to provide assessment data regarding a student’s overall academic preparedness for nursing related content. | |
| Pass a drug screening, at the student’s expense. Students with positive drug results will not be admitted. Random drug screenings will take place during enrollment and students with positive results will not be allowed to continue in the program. | |
| Pass a level II Criminal Background Screening, at the student’s expense. Clinicals and licensure require clear backgrounds. | |
| Have earned a standard high school diploma or high school diploma through the GED® Diplomas will not be accepted from non-accredited sources. | |
| Complete and return all required components of the Practical Nursing application prior to the deadline to the Student Services Director. | |
| Be at least 18 years of age. |
Important note:
Only 30 students can be accepted into the program. The selection process is based on the applicant’s score, prior education and/or medical employment.
