Holmes Community College

GRENADA & RIDGELAND

GENERIC DAY TRACK

ADN Application Brochure

*May substitute CHE 1114 Intro to Chemistry

Enrollment in NUR courses is limited to students who have been admitted into the ADN program. Nursing courses must be taken in sequence. The prescribed curriculum plan is to be followed unless exceptions are approved by the ADN Director and Academic Dean. Without this approval, the student may not be allowed to progress. Once students are accepted into the program, they are required to take all remaining coursework with Holmes Community College.


Graduation with an Associate of Applied Science Degree from the AD Nursing program qualifies the graduate to apply to the Mississippi (or other state) Board of Nursing to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). That board of nursing will process the application. Applicants are subjected to the State of Mississippi (or other state) Law and Rules and Regulations: Regulating The Practice of Nursing in Mississippi. The ADN Program also provides for Advanced Placement of LPN's in this program.



Associate Degree Program Options
(Accelerated Programs for LPN)

Individuals who have completed  an accredited practical nursing program and hold the practical nursing licenses may be eligible to enter the Accelerated Program for LPN; i.e. upon completion of this program, the student is qualified to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Option One - 12 Month Program

Prerequisites: Students are required to have all academic core courses required in the two-year ADN curriculum. They are BIO 1514 & 1524 OR BIO 2514, & BIO 2524, BIO 2924 or CHE 1114, ENG 1113, Humanities/Fine Arts Elective, EPY 2533, PSY 1513, BIO 1613/FCS 1253, & SPT 1113 and evidence of 500 hours of work as an LPN on a hospital medical/surgical unit.

Option Two - Four Semester Program

*May substitute CHE 1114 - Intro to Chemistry

Click here for a list of course descriptions

Click here for program descriptions from the most current HCC catalog


ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING MISSION STATEMENT

The purpose of the Holmes Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program is two-fold:

1. To prepare registered nurse generalists who have attained competency. Competency is identified as a performance standard, which includes knowledge, abilities, and understanding that goes beyond specific tasks and is guided by commitment to ethical and scientific principles of nursing practice.
2. To provide equal access to higher education for traditional and nontraditional students while promoting excellence in all areas of nursing.


ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING ADMISSION POLICY

The associate degree nursing program is a two-year program designed to provide educational opportunities to qualified students for a career in nursing. The program responds to the expanding health care needs of the community. The curriculum includes a balance of general education, nursing theory, and laboratory/clinical experience. Graduates receive an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS). Graduates that meet the requirements of the State Board of Nursing are eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. The associate degree nursing program is accredited by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning of Mississippi and the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission. The National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission can be contacted at 61 Broadway, New York City, New York, 1-800-669-1656 for specific program information.

Students who are accepted but who have not had Anatomy and Physiology I and II must take and successfully pass these courses with at least a grade of 'C' before beginning nursing classes.

Nursing students must meet the same general admission requirements as those required for all applicants to Holmes Community College. In addition they must meet the requirement outlined below:

In accordance with the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning's Associate Degree Nursing admission criteria, a student must have an ACT composite score of 15 if taken before October, 1989, or 18 if taken in October, 1989, or after.

The applicant must have an 18 or higher composite on the ACT with an 18 Reading subscore; a 17 Math subscore or have passed a 3-hour College Algebra or higher math course. For ACT scores before 10/28/89, please see the ACT Concordance Table under Academic Policies and Regulations in the HCC Bulletin. The number of students admitted is based on the number of nursing faculty. Standards for Accreditation of Schools of Nursing for the State of Mississippi require that total enrollment be limited to a maximum of fifteen students for each full-time or equivalent qualified nursing faculty member and that the student-faculty ratio in the clinical are be no more that ten to one. The selection of those to be admitted is done using the Weighted Scale ADN Admission Policy.
All applicants are ranked and are offered positions according to their score. If the school receives funds designated for students who must also meet additional criteria, (i.e. financial need or agreement to work in a rural area of Mississippi after graduation) then these positions are available to those who qualify for them. Preference is still given, however, according to their position on the point system.

Weighted Scale ADN Admission Policy

Enrollment in the ADN Program is limited; therefore. the selection of applicants is done on a point system.

Selection is academically competitive based on the following categories: ACT, plus college hours and college GPA from a regionally accredited school.

If two people have the same score, preference will be given according to their rating on the ACT or, these being equal, their GPA.

Notification of acceptance in the nursing program must come from the Director of the program - not the Admissions Office.

An applicant must be in generally good health. Upon admission, satisfactory reports from a family physician will be required, as well as currently recommended immunizations, a drug screen, and TB skin test. Applicants must also be CPR certified, and pass a criminal background check.

A letter of acceptance to the nursing program will be sent to each applicant selected for each class. It is required that an applicant confirm his/her intention to attend nursing classes for the year designated. Failure to notify the Associate Degree Nursing Department Director within a designated period of time indicates that the applicant no longer wishes to enter the program.

In addition to regular college fees, an associate degree nursing student will incur expenses for such items as uniforms, textbooks, supplies, insurance, and the expense of travel to some clinical sites.

Those applicants with the highest scores will be accepted.

Progression Statement

The very nature of the profession of nursing requires that one be able to master the theoretical as well as the clinical components of the curriculum. In view of the fact that individuals providing nursing care may adversely affect the maintenance and quality of human life, the nursing faculty have established a progression policy. The progression policy is in each nursing syllabus and the nursing student handbook. A summary of the progression policy is as follows:

Students must successfully complete all required components as designated in each nursing course. The student may refer to each syllabus for details. Attendance at clinical is mandatory for progression. The faculty for each course will have a statement in each syllabus regarding attendance at clinical and at what point a student will be cut out due to clinical absences.

Students must make a "C" or better in all required nursing courses, science courses and nutrition. Nursing students must maintain an overall 2.0 GPA or above on all non-science, non-nursing courses, to remain in the prescribed curriculum. A student making a "D" or lower in one nursing course is automatically excluded from the Associate Degree Nursing Program and must apply for re-admission to the Holmes Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program if they wish to return.

Associate Degree Nursing Grading Scale

A        93 - 100
B        85 - 92
C        78 - 84
D        69 - 79
F        Below 69

2009 NCLEX-RN Total Program Pass Rate ~ 94.94%