Raritan Valley Community College ADN-RN Nursing Program Prerequisites & Reviews.

Nursing Program

The Associate of Applied Science Degree training course in Nursing prepares pupils for entry-level roles in nursing and to sit and take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The training program is certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and also by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, initially National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).

The nursing training program consists of nursing courses, general education courses and also clinical experiences. These experiences are in a number of health-care functions in acute, sub-acute, and long-term care with community-based experiences under the guidance of nursing faculty. Furthermore, pupils practice nursing intervention skills in the fully-equipped institution laboratory. Night time and day sections are available

About The School

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is an accredited, coeducational, two (2) year, public, community college situated in North Branch (within Branchburg Township), New Jersey, United States. It was founded in 1965.

Raritan Valley Community College offers Associate’s degree (A.D.) programs resulting in an Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Fine Art (A.F.A) and an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), along with certificate programs and continuing education classes.

Total estimated program cost is USD $13,770

Following are the minimum requirements for ADN-RN Nursing Program. Minimum admission standards include:

• Completed all ESL courses and Reading and Writing Developmental courses, if required.
• Completed college-credited laboratory sciences in Anatomy and Physiology I and II with a grade of “C” or better in each course. Each course must be four (4) college credits. Please note that two grades of D, F, W or AU in any of these courses, and/or any required science or nursing course, disqualifies a student from the clinical nursing program.
• Completed mathematics through Elementary Algebra (MATH 020 at RVCC). Intermediate Algebra (MATH 030 is also recommended, but not required).
• Demonstrated computer literacy by the successful completion of CISY102 or equivalent. Applicants may take a proficiency exam for this requirement. The technological competency must have been demonstrated within the last seven (7) years, as per the Computer Science Department Policy.
• To be considered for entry into the RVCC nursing program, candidates must have attained an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher at RVCC. Applicants with prior college experience only from a school other than RVCC must have an overall GPA of at least 2.75 from the last college attended. Those with a lower GPA may qualify by completing at least six credits at RVCC with an overall GPA of 2.75 or above.
• Completed ATI – Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), with all four parts of the test. For Fall 2017 admission, ATI TEAS must have been taken no earlier than September 1, 2016. The ATI TEAS is a nursing entrance test developed by Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI). The ATI TEAS evaluates four specific content areas: Reading, Math, Science, English and Language Usage. The applicants overall ATI TEAS score, as well as the ATI TEAS English and Reading section scores, will be used for evaluation. Some students choose to take ATI TEAS at a PSI testing center. Please visit the ATI website at www.ATITESTING.COM for more information about the ATI TEAS Testing. Students can take ATI TEAS once every four months. This includes testing on and off campus. The RVCC nursing program will not accept ATI TEAS Version V test results for Fall 2017 admission. For the latest information about testing please contact Nadine Larson.
• Attend the Nursing Information Session at RVCC to obtain the” Application to Clinical Nursing Courses” form. Clinical Applications will only be made available to qualified students who attend the entire Nursing Information session. This application may only be submitted by qualified students who have completed all the nursing prerequisites, and must be accompanied by proof of permanent residency in either Hunterdon or Somerset County, or permanent, sustained employment with a company located in one of these two counties. If the ATI TEAS was taken anywhere other than RVCC, please submit a copy of your scores with the clinical application. The clinical application must also be accompanied by criminal history background check (CHBC) results – see below. If the application and needed documents are NOT submitted together as requested, the application will be considered incomplete and will be mailed back to the student to apply for the following year or admission period. The dates for the Nursing Information Sessions can be found by clicking here.
• Submit the completed “Application to Clinical Nursing Courses” form to Nursing Admissions, in H-220 via postal mail with residency or employment proof, and the results of the CHBC*. Once the completed application has been received, the academic records/transcripts and documents are reviewed to verify that the candidate has met the requirements for the nursing program. PLEASE NOTE: Any transcripts from prior institutions must be evaluated BEFORE a clinical application is handed in. Candidates will receive notification as to the status of their application into the nursing program via the US Postal Mail system within 21 days after the posted application deadline date- please be sure your postal mailing address is correct on file with RVCC and make any necessary changes via the LIONS DEN.
• Admission into the nursing program is determined by a ranking score of each applicant which is based on selective criteria. The mentioned ATI TEAS scores will be factored in with the applicants overall GPA and grades earned in BIOL 124 and BIOL 125 to determine each score. Seats will be offered to the highest ranking eligible applicants first.
• Early and Late Admission: The majority of the seats will be filled at the Early Admission deadline of February 1, 2017. Students who are completing a prerequisite course in the Spring semester may apply by the Late Admission deadline of May 09, 2017 to be considered for the remaining seats. The Late Admission applicants will be ranked with the remaining Early Admission applicants and seats will be offered to the highest ranking applicants.
• If a student is accepted to the nursing program, they will need to comply with all mandatory deadlines and requirements, including a mandatory Pharmacology Clinical Calculation testing period that will be given and/or disclosed to them within 21 days of the application deadline. A failing score on the exam will mandatorily require a student to take a Pharmacology Clinical Calculations class. Students not adhering to mandatory deadlines/requirements jeopardize their eligibility status in the program and could be removed from the program by the HSE Chairperson.
• Waitlist/Rollover: Any applicant who is not admitted to the Nursing Program must reapply and repeat the entire application process in order to be considered for the next year’s incoming class. There will be no waitlist and no rolling over of applicants. Applicants are encouraged to improve their ranking score by taking courses or retaking the ATI TEAS.
• ALL students are required to complete criminal history background checks (CHBC) no later than 45-60 days before applying to the clinical nursing program. This is done in order to be authorized to attend clinical site rotations to fulfill clinical course objectives. This is a requirement of the clinical agencies and the New Jersey Board of Nursing for RN licensure and is intended to protect patients in all practice setting. It is important to know that if you have an unfavorable criminal history, you will not be admitted to the nursing program at RVCC. The results must be attached to the clinical application. In addition to the criminal background check, a mandatory drug screening will also be required ONLY after the student is admitted to the clinical nursing program. Students with positive drug screen results or refusal/non-compliance of drug testing during designated testing periods will not be permitted to be admitted or continue in the nursing program. The cost of the criminal history background check and mandatory drug screening is the responsibility of the individual student.
• Clinical agencies mandate immunizations for all individuals engaged in patient care. A student may be exempt from any required immunization if they have a medical contraindication or religious exemption. Failure to receive immunizations may prevent fulfillment of the nursing course objectives. The nursing department shall provide reasonable accommodations to those students whose medical conditions or religious beliefs prevent them from being immunized. However, failure to be immunized may prevent the student from meeting the nursing course objective, and therefore, jeopardizes the students’ successful completion of the course and nursing program.

CONTACT:

Raritan Valley Community College

Address: 118 Lamington Rd, Branchburg, NJ 08876, USA

Phone: 908-526-1200

Website: http://www.raritanval.edu/