LVN to RN 30 Unit Option

MISSION

The Porterville College Licensed Vocational Nursing toRegistered Nurse (LVN-RN) 30 Unit Option Certificate of Achievement endorsesthe mission of Porterville college which is: "With students as our focus,Porterville College provides our local and diverse communities qualityeducation that promotes intellectual curiosity, personal growth, and lifelonglearning, while preparing student for vocational and academic success."

The Porterville College nursing program adheres tothis mission when offering the LVN-RN 30 Unit Option Certificate ofAchievement. The mission of the nursing program is to provide an innovative,student-centered educational program that prepares diverse students ascandidates to become Registered Nurses to provide safe, quality, evidence-basednursing care in the current healthcare environment. The program ismarket-conscious as it prepares students to practice nursing in a variety ofhealthcare environments with input from the community represented through theprogram's Advisory Committee. The 30-unit option provides the LicensedVocational Nurse (LVN) the opportunity to prepare and sit for the NationalCouncil Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) after completing 30 college semesterunits.

This option is available to all LVN’s entering the PCNursing Program. This is a two-semester Program.  Students do not need to complete all thePorterville College General Education Requirements for the LVN-RN 30-UnitCertificate of Achievement. This option does not lead to an Associate Degree inNursing.

Agrade of “C” or better is required in each nursing course for progressiontoward the 30-unit option certificate.

NOTE: The California Board of Registered Nursing(BRN) protects the public by screening applicants for licensure in order toidentify potentially unsafe practitioners. The law provides for denial oflicensure for crimes or acts, which are substantially related to nursingqualifications, functions or duties. Conviction of any offenses other thanminor traffic violations must be reported to the Board of Registered Nursing atthe time of application for licensure. Business and Professions Code 480 andNursing Practice Act article 3 section 2761. For clarification contact the ADNProgram Director or the Board of Registered Nursing, P.O Box 944210,Sacramento, California, 94244-2100, (916) 322-3350.

NOTE:Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification NumberRequirement: Pursuant to Section 30(c) of the Business and Professions code theCalifornia Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) will not process any applicationfor licensure unless the applicant provides a United State SSN or IndividualTaxpayer Identification Number. The Nursing Practice Act provides for a unifiedexamination and licensing application. Once an applicant passes theexamination, a license is automatically issued. Under these circumstances theBRN cannot accept applications for the examination and licensure without a SSNor Tax Payer Identification Number.

Career Opportunities

Employmentin the field for registered nurses is excellent locally and nationally. The registerednurse enjoys a well-compensated, rewarding, highly flexible career, whichshould continue in the future. The State of California provides the LVN with anoption to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) aftercompleting 30 college semester units. The LVN seeking this path to RN licensuremay not receive reciprocal RN licensure in other states. LVN’s consideringmoving out of state are encouraged to consult with that state’s board ofnursing for RN licensure requirements before committing to the 30-unit option.

PROGRAMLEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Providesafe, quality, evidence-based, patient-centered nursing care to diversepatients across the lifespan in a variety of healthcare settings.

2. Exerciseclinical judgment to make increasingly complex patient-centered care decisions.

3. Participate in quality improvementprocesses to improve patient care outcomes.

4. Participate in teamwork and collaborationwith members of the interprofessional team, the patient, and the patient’ssupport persons.

5. Useinformation management systems and patient care technology to communicate,manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.

6. Incorporateleadership, management, legal, and ethical principles to guide practice as aRegistered Nurse.

7. Promote aculture of caring in all healthcare environments.

    

   ENROLLMENTELIGIBILITY

   To be eligible for enrollment in theprogram, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Possession of a current clear and active California Vocational Nurse (LVN) license at the time of application and throughout program completion.
• A grade of “C” or better in the following science prerequisites
• PHYL P101 Introductory Physiology with Lab 5, units at Porterville College or equivalent 4-5 semester unit physiology course at another accredited college.
• MICR P106 Microbiology with Lab, 5 units at Porterville College or equivalent 4-5 semester unit microbiology course at another accredited college.
• Completion of NURS P171 LVN Transition to RN Program, 3 units at Porterville College or equivalent course at another accredited college.

ENROLLMENTPROCESS

Eligible students are selected forthe program according to the following steps:

• Contact the Health Careers Division at 559-791-2321 for an appointment to see the Program Director.
• At the time of this appointment, the student will be provided objective counseling. The counseling will include the admission process, course requirements, the advantages/disadvantages of this route to licensure, and that high school graduation or equivalent is required in order to take the RN national licensing examination.
• An individual evaluation of the applicant’s academic deficiencies irrespective of time such courses were completed will occur at the appointment.
• If physiology, microbiology, and previous LVN program were taken at another accredited college, provide official transcripts and course descriptions of courses at the time of the appointment.

• After appointment with Program Director, submit completed application packet during the appropriate application period.
• Pre-enrollment applications and deadlines are available in the Health Careers office and on the program website.
• Only students who meet the educational and pre-nursing requirements and follow the pre-enrollment procedures will be considered for the program. Meeting all these requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
• Selection is based on a random selection process from among the qualified applicants and is subject to space availability. Students must reapply each semester. There is no waiting list.

NOTE:As a condition of enrollment into the Nursing program, the student is requiredto have a physical examination, inoculations, tuberculosis clearance, drugscreen, background check, and current BLS card (at the student’s expense).

NOTE:The student is responsible for providing uniforms, laboratory fees, necessaryequipment and transportation to off-campus laboratory locations. There aremorning, afternoon, evening, and weekend clinical experiences that may changewith limited notice.

PROGRAM APPROVAL

The Board of Registered Nursing approves the Porterville CollegeLVN to RN 30 Unit Option Certificate.

LVN to RN 30 UNIT OPTION NURSING CURRICULUM

ThirdSemester

• NURS P135 Concepts of Mental HealthNursing

• NURS P136 Concepts of Nursing Care of theAdult and Older Adult III

FourthSemester

• NURS P138 Concepts of Nursing Care of theAdult and Older Adult IV

• NURS P139 Transition to Registered Nurse

   

Challenge/Advanced Placement into the Nursing Program forMilitary Personnel

Incompliance with Senate Bill 466, Military Personnel and Veterans may beeligible for advanced placement into the Porterville College LVN-ADN Program.Three pathways have been established to assist with obtaining nursing creditfor previous education and experience for the Basic Medical TechnicianCorpsman, the Basic Medical Technician Corpsman with an active California LVNlicense, and the Independent Duty Corpsman/Advanced Army Medic/AdvancedAirforce Medic.

Allapplicants must meet all general entrance requirements of the Associate DegreeNursing Program, including completion of designated prerequisites. Studentsmust pass the first and/or second semester written challenge exams with 75% orhigher and obtain a satisfactory level of achievement on skills competency.Military Challenge students will not be admitted if they have previously faileda nursing course at another nursing school.

Porterville College will continue to admit 20 nursing students each fall semester into first semester of the ADN Degree program.  LVN-RN Students are admitted 3rd semester based on space availability. Projected Average Annual LVN-RN 30 Unit Option Completers -3

The Porterville College Licensed Vocational Nursing to Registered Nurse (LVN-RN) 30 Unit Option Certificate of Achievement endorses the mission of Porterville college which is: "With students as our focus, Porterville College provides our local and diverse communities quality education that promotes intellectual curiosity, personal growth, and lifelong learning, while preparing student for vocational and academic success."

The Porterville College nursing program adheres tothis mission when offering the LVN-RN 30 Unit Option Certificate ofAchievement. The mission of the nursing program is to provide an innovative,student-centered educational program that prepares diverse students ascandidates to become Registered Nurses to provide safe, quality, evidence-basednursing care in the current healthcare environment. The program ismarket-conscious as it prepares students to practice nursing in a variety ofhealthcare environments with input from the community represented through theprogram's Advisory Committee. The 30-unit option provides the LicensedVocational Nurse (LVN) the opportunity to prepare and sit for the NationalCouncil Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) after completing 30 college semesterunits.

This option is available to all LVN’s entering the PCNursing Program. This is a two-semester Program.  Students do not need to complete all thePorterville College General Education Requirements for the LVN-RN 30-UnitCertificate of Achievement. This option does not lead to an Associate Degree inNursing.

Employmentin the field for registered nurses is excellent locally and nationally. Theregistered nurse enjoys a well-compensated, rewarding, highly flexible career,which should continue in the future. The State of California provides the LVNwith an option to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN)after completing 30 college semester units.

PertinentStatutes & Regulations

Porterville College hasan established Associate Degree Nursing program. The Nursing Practice Actmandates schools of nursing to provide LVN to RN education that shall notrequire more than 30 units.

Business&Professions Code 2736.6  The boardshall determine by regulation the additional preparation in nursing, in aschool approved by the board, which is required for a vocational nurse,licensed under Chapter 6.5 (commencing with section 2840) of this division tobe eligible to take the examination for licensure under this chapter as aregistered nurse.  The board shall notrequire more than 30 units in nursing and related science subjects to satisfysuch preparation.

B&PCode 2786.6 The board shall deny the application for approval made by, andshall revoke the approval given to, any school of nursing which:

(b)Is operated by a community college and discriminates against an applicant foradmission to a school solely on the grounds that the applicant is seeking tofulfill the units of nursing required by B&P Code section 2736.6.

CCR1429. These courses shall be taken in a board approved prelicensure program andshall not include courses required for vocational nurse licensure.  This option shall:

1. Offer objective counseling regarding thepotential consequences of obtaining a registered nursing license as anon-graduate.

2. Require successful completion or challengeof physiology and microbiology courses that are comparable to such coursesrequired for licensure as a registered nurse.

3. Determine completion of courses equivalentto the required registered nursing content, including advanced  medical-surgical, mental health, psychiatricnursing and geriatric nursing, as prescribed in CCR sections 1426(d) and 1426(e).

4. Design the courses in such a manner thatthe LVN who completes the program will have the knowledge and skills necessaryto function in accordance with the minimum standards for competency set forthin CCR section 1443.5.

    

   Entry Criteria and Selection Process

   Referto enrollment eligibility and enrollment process unit Item 2 CatalogDescription section.

    

   Program Learning Outcome

• Provide safe, quality, evidence-based, patient-centered nursing care to diverse patients across the lifespan in a variety of healthcare settings.
• Exercise clinical judgment to make increasingly complex patient-centered care decisions.
• Participate in quality improvement processes to improve patient care outcomes.
• Participate in teamwork and collaboration with members of the interprofessional team, the patient, and the patient’s support persons.
• Use information management systems and patient care technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
• Incorporate leadership, management, legal, and ethical principles to guide practice as a Registered Nurse.

Promote a culture of caring in all healthcare environments.

Display of Program Requirements

Display of Proposed Sequence

TOTAL UNITS: 30