Practical Nursing, Certificate

Nursing Department

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Program Overview

Practical Nursing, Certificate

The Certificate in Practical Nursing (C.P.N.) is an intensive program designed to be completed in 18 months (three semesters). It provides focused, entry-level training for nursing care, enabling graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN licensing exam and begin their careers as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs).

Credits Required
GPA Required
2.0 or higher
Degree Designation
Certificate

Major

Description

The curriculum emphasizes fundamental nursing skills, pharmacology, nutrition, and medical/surgical care. It includes intensive lab work and clinical practice in areas like Maternal-Child Health and Psychosocial Nursing. The program prepares students to provide safe, direct patient care under the supervision of a registered nurse or physician.

Course

Requirements

The following courses total 39 credits and are required for the Certificate in Practical Nursing program:

  1. Semester I
    • ENGL 112 College English I (3)
    • BIO 104/BIOL 104 Human Body Structure And Function + Lab (4)
    • NUR 23 Intro to Practical Nursing (2)
    • NUR 24/NURC 24/NURL 24 PN Fundamentals of Nursing + Lab/Clinical (5)
  2. Semester II
    • NUR 25 Nutrition (3)
    • NUR 26 PN Pharmacology and Calculations (3)
    • NUR 27/NURC 27/NURL 27 Medical and Surgical Nursing I + Lab/Clinical (6)
  3. Semester III
    • NUR 28/NURC 28/NURL 28 PN Maternal Child Health/Psychosocial Nursing + Lab/Clinical (5)
    • NUR 29/NURC 29/NURL 29 PN Medical Surgical Nursing II: Specialties + Lab/Clinical (7)
    • NUR 30 PN State Board Review (1)

Admission

Requirements

Satisfactory score on the National League for Nursing Pre-Admission Examination-RN (Verbal Ability, Mathematics, Science and Composite Score). General, NLN benchmark is an overall score of 100. However, the Admission, Retention and Progression Committee will evaluate the testing cohorts NLN scores to ensure that candidates are given an opportunity for admission.

Applicants to the Medgar Evers College PN Program at Medgar Evers College must:

  1. Hold a High School Diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
  2. Meet all requirements for admission to Medgar Evers College (MEC).
  3. All Science courses must have a grade of “B-”, or higher.
  4. Science courses must be current (within 5 years).
  5. Any college courses attempted must have a letter grade (no INC)

Program

Purposes

  1. Provide a program of study designed for students who wish to qualify to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for the Practical Nurse (NCLEX- PN).
  2. Provide a foundation for upward mobility in Nursing.

Faculty Statement

Our diverse faculty often teaches across our programs. You may encounter 9-10 shared faculty.

Degree Map
To help you stay on track and graduate on time, Medgar Evers College has developed four-year degree maps for all its majors. These guides are designed to help you plan your studies efficiently and make the most of your academic journey.

View Degree Map

Retention/Progression through the Certificate in Practical Nursing (CPN) Program

Each candidate in the PN Program must satisfactorily complete the PN Certificate curriculum as outlined:

  1. Sequential completion of all pre-requisite, co-requisite, and nursing courses as required.
  2. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 and a grade of B- or better in all biology courses.
  3. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 and a grade of B- or better in all nursing courses.
  4. Achieving less than a B- in a nursing course is considered a failing grade. Only one failure in a nursing course is allowed. A second failure in a nursing course will result in dismissal from the nursing program.
  5. Schedule advisement sessions each semester with assigned nursing faculty advisor while enrolled in the clinical phase of the nursing program.
  6. Pass all three (3) course components lecture, skills lab & clinical to progress. If you fail any component, you must repeat that component during the next available offering.
  7. A student who fails the lecture component of a course but successfully passes the skills lab and clinical components is required to complete ten (10) independent hours during the semester they are repeating the lecture.
  8. Students are allowed only two opportunities to withdraw from any nursing course during their time in the program. Withdrawing from two classes in the same semester is considered equivalent to one withdrawal.
  9. Subsequent withdrawals from a nursing course constitute a dismissal from the nursing program.
  10. Complete the program within 3 semesters.

Practical Nursing Program Nclex Scores

Year Total number Taking Exam Number Students Passed Pass Rate
2024 4 4 100%
2023 12 9  75.0%
2022 9 8 88.89%
2021 2 2 100%

Completion and Job Placement Rates

Year 2024 2023 2022 2022
Completion Rates 45.5 83.33 53.85 42.86
Job Placement Rates 100 100 95 100

*More than 90% of graduates obtain jobs within six months of licensure.

Credit/Clock Hours

Credit to clock Hours Definition

Didactic: 1 credit hour of didactic equals 50 minutes clock time Didactic- courses can be 2 or 3 credits depending on the course

Skills Lab: 2 credits – 1 hour (is 50 minutes x2) for skills lab this equals of 100 minutes

Clinical: 1 credit hour (is 60 minutes) x 6hrs

Financial Aid Default Rates: Rates are calculated by the United States Department of education every three years.

Cohort Fiscal Year Official Default Rate Number of Borrowers in Default
2021 0 0
2020 0 0
2019 3.3 27

NSLDS: Official Cohort Default Rate – Schools (ed.gov)

MEC OEPID number : 010097