The Practical Nursing program is designed to prepare students for the NCLEX-PN and licensure as practical nurses. The program prepares graduates to give competent nursing care. This is done through a selected number of academic's and occupational courses providing a variety of techniques and materials necessary to assist the student in acquiring the needed knowledge and skills to give competent care. A variety of clinical experiences are planned so that theory and practice are integrated under the guidance of the clinical instructor. Program graduates receive a practical nursing diploma and have the qualifications of an entry-level practical nurse.
A full-time student can complete this program in 5 semesters. To graduate, students must earn a minimum of 60 semester credit hours.
All candidates for the Practical Nursing program will be required to take the TEAS test (Test of Essential Academic Skills).
Employment Outlook
Employment Opportunities
Graduates can find employment at hospitals, doctors; offices, school nurse clinics, nursing homes, home health, and other public and healthcare agencies.
Program Costs
Tuition & Fees: $7,655.00
Books & Supplies: $1650.00
Uniform & Supplies: $300.00
Liability Insurance (per year): $11.00
Additional Fees:
PN Meridys Skills Pack: $169.53
Malpractice Insurance: $11.00
Drug Screen: $50.00
Criminal Background Check: $51.50
ATI Testing Fees: $1,975.00
BLS for Healthcare Provider: $7.00
HCA Clinical Fee: $59.50
Navicent Clinical Fee: $169.50
(Costs are estimated and are subject to change.)
Certain facilities require clinical students to have an active health insurance policy during clinical rotations. Therefore, all students are required to obtain health insurance coverage prior to submitting pre-clinical onboarding documents for clinical rotations.
HOPE Career Grant: The HOPE Career Grant, formerly known as the Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant, is available to HOPE Grant-qualified students who enroll in select majors specifically aligned with one of 12 industries in which there are more jobs available in Georgia than there are skilled workers to fill them. To qualify, an OFTC student must be fully admitted to the college, enrolled in one of the approve programs and receiving the HOPE Grant for the same term. The amount of the HOPE Career Grant award is a fixed amount for each term of enrollment:
- 9 or more credit hours – $500/semester
- 3-8 credit hours – $250/semester
- 1-2 credit hours – $125/semester
- Commercial Truck Driving – $1,000 one time award
High School students in dual enrollment and joint enrollment are NOT eligible.
Admission Requirements
Program Admission Requirements
OFTC may accept a student’s official entrance score on the following validated assessment instruments if the scores meet the required minimums:
- COMPASS/ASSET,
- SAT,
- ACT,
- PSAT,
- PACT,
- Accuplacer/Accuplacer Next Generation/Companion,
- HOPE GPA after completion of 10th grade of 2.6 or higher, or High School GPA of 2.6 (for occupational programs), or 2.0 for Workforce Entry Level programs, or GED.
The College may accept transfer credit for other courses according to the College’s transfer policy.
Additional Admission Requirements:
- Completion of Health Care Assistant Technical Certificate of Credit.
Competitive Admission Requirements
All steps of the competitive selection process must be completed for students to be considered for admission into program classes. Access links and forms for Competitive Admissions Programs.
Applications to compete must be submitted no later than the specified deadline. Students without an application on file in the Admissions Office will NOT be considered for competition. Applications signify that the student:
- has completed or will complete the designated courses,
- has registered for and will complete TEAS (nursing, radiologic technology, and diagnostic medical sonography programs) test prior to the published deadline,
- understands the competitive process including deadlines for work experience forms and official college transcripts.
If designated core courses and additional curriculum/other requirements listed are not completed by the published deadline and/or if the student is not in satisfactory academic standing at OFTC, then the application will not be considered. The student is responsible for the payment of the drug screen fee and criminal background check fee that will be assessed when students register for classes with such requirements. All newly accepted students will be required to attend an orientation session prior to the beginning of the program. No new students will be accepted after program orientation occurs. The updated Guidelines for Entry into Allied Health Programs can be found on the OFTC website under Admissions.
Program Outcomes
Practical Nursing Program Outcomes
NCLEX-PN success rates for first time test takers:
Graduation Year 2020 – 90.91% Pass Rate
Graduation Year 2021 – 94.11% Pass Rate
Graduation Year 2022 – 95.23% Pass Rate
Program Completion Rate (3 Semesters):
Year 2020 – 55%
Year 2021 – 42.5%
Year 2022 – 70%
Job Placement Rates:
Year 2020 – 98%
Year 2021 – 100%
Year 2022 – 90.47%
Accreditation
Effective July 15, 2020, this Practical Nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000
https://www.acenursing.org/candidacy/
Curriculum
General Education Courses
Occupational Courses
Program Pathway: Fall Start
North Campus AND South Campus
Semester 1
| ENGL 1010 | Fundamentals of English I | 3 | 45 |
| COLL 1060 | Introduction to College and Computers | 3 | 50 |
| ALHS 1090 | Medical Terminology for Allied Health Sciences | 2 | 30 |
Semester 2
Semester 3
Semester 4
| PNSG 2010 | Introduction to Pharmacology and Clinical Calculations | 2 | 60 |
| PNSG 2030 | Nursing Fundamentals | 6 | 165 |
| PNSG 2035 | Nursing Fundamentals Clinical | 2 | 90 |
| PNSG 2210 | Medical-Surgical Nursing I | 4 | 75 |
Semester 5
Semester 6
Program Pathway: Spring Start
South Campus
Semester 1
| ENGL 1010 | Fundamentals of English I | 3 | 45 |
| COLL 1060 | Introduction to College and Computers | 3 | 50 |
| ALHS 1090 | Medical Terminology for Allied Health Sciences | 2 | 30 |
Semester 2
Semester 3
Semester 4
| PNSG 2010 | Introduction to Pharmacology and Clinical Calculations | 2 | 60 |
| PNSG 2030 | Nursing Fundamentals | 6 | 165 |
| PNSG 2035 | Nursing Fundamentals Clinical | 2 | 90 |
| PNSG 2210 | Medical-Surgical Nursing I | 4 | 75 |
Semester 5
Semester 6