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PRACTICAL NURSING – CERTIFICATE

The Practical Nursing Program will prepare the graduate to take the NCLEX PN for a position as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Licensed practical nurses function as an integral and important part of the health team, providing patient care.

The licensed practical nurse performs tasks and responsibilities within the framework of case finding, health teaching, and health counseling and provides supportive and restorative care under the direction of the registered professional nurse or licensed physician.

Clinical experiences are provided in a variety of WNY health care settings including hospitals and community health care agencies. Transportation to and from the College and/or the clinical affiliates is the responsibility of the individual student. Students may be required to complete a background check for clinical placement. Students must meet the clinical partners requirements in order to attend and complete nursing clinical requirements. The Catherine McAuley School of Nursing is not obligated to find an alternative clinical experience for a student if they are not allowed to attend a required clinical rotation. If requirements are not met, this will result in removal and will impact course completion.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification completed through the American Heart Association or a provider who meets the ILCOR standards is accepted. The CPR course may be hybrid (online lecture with in-person hands-on skill demonstration) or face-to-face training. Online only CPR courses are not accepted.

NYSED Office of Professions states, under the Professional Nurse Obligations, NYSED does not permit online CPR courses.

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurse Licensure.

Licensure: When a Nursing student completes an application for licensure and first registration as a licensed practical nurse or registered professional nurse, questions are asked by the State Education Department about conviction of a crime and pending charges. These questions appear on the application form. If the answers are in the affirmative, there is an automatic referral to the State Education Department, Office of Professional Discipline and the case is assigned to an investigator. Depending upon the results of the investigation, the case may or may not require a hearing. The National Council Licensure Examination may be taken. However, the licensing process and issuance of a license will be held until the process described above is completed.

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to progress in program.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

All students completing this program are expected to achieve the General Education outcomes described in the General Studies section of the catalog as well as the following learning objectives:

  • Coordinate a client plan of care utilizing the Clinical Judgement Model to safely meet the physical, psychosocial, cultural, spiritual, social determinants of health, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings. 

  • Apply critical thinking and the Clinical Judgement Model to contribute to solutions to individualized care while assuring accurate and safe nursing care, which moves the client towards positive outcomes across the life cycle. 

  • Engage in the pursuit of knowledge, self-reflection, and life-long learning by incorporating pertinent data that leads to evidence-based practice to improve care across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings.

  • Exemplify caring attitudes, behaviors, therapeutic communication, functional competence, safety, ethics, and the professional scope of practice of the practical nurse to clients across the life cycle in a variety of health care settings.

  • Collect pertinent data on clients across the life cycle to engage in critical thinking and decision making in the coordination of client care. 

  • Incorporate the principles to safe medication administration while monitor client care outcomes. 

Practical Nursing – Certificate Curriculum

BIO130 Anatomy & Physiology I - 3 credits
BIO130L Anatomy & Physiology I Lab - 1 credit
BIO131 Anatomy & Physiology II - 3 credits
BIO131L Anatomy & Physiology II Lab - 1 credit
EN101 English Composition - 3 credits
GS100 or GS 102 College Seminar or College Success - 1 or 3 credits*
PN100 Fundamentals in Practical Nursing - 8 credits
PN101 Fundamentals in Practical Nursing Clinical - 6 credits
PN200 Health Restoration – 8 credits
PN201 Health Restoration Clinical- 6 credits
PSY101 General Psychology - 3 credits
SOC101 Principles of Sociology - 3 credits
Total Program Credits - 46 credits

*GS100 College Seminar or GS102 College Success must be taken at the main campus

Additional Degree Requirements

All courses require a minimum grade of “C” and a Quality Point Average of 2.0.

Program Accreditation

The Practical Nursing Certificate is accredited by the New York State Board of Regents, a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Board of Regents, Room 110 EB
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 474-5889
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/

BIO (Biology) Courses
EN (English) Courses
GS (General Education) Courses
PN (Practical Nursing) Courses
PSY (Psychology) Courses
SOC (Sociology) Courses