You set your sights on a career in nursing. You’re motivated to give back. And driven to care for others. At Penn College, you’ll meet your passion head-on with our comprehensive practical nursing program. Delivered by dedicated masters-prepared faculty, coursework includes 900+ hours of hands-on training in labs, classrooms, and clinical experiences. When you’re done, you’ll be well-prepared to take the Practical Nursing licensing exam (NCLEX-PN).
Acceptance in this major is based upon additional requirements beyond College admission.
At Penn College, we believe your educational experience should go beyond specialized skills. Real-world ready means taking a broader approach that builds communication skills, inspires collaboration, and encourages exploration of arts, history, and science.
Specialization requires in-depth knowledge and high-level proficiency. Students learn and apply major-specific concepts, skills, and methods.
Perspectives are points of view, offering a variety of ways of understanding, interacting, and influencing the world. Students identify, explain, and utilize the approaches used by academics and professionals to study, analyze, or understand problems, and offer solutions.
Foundations are the practical, intellectual, and social skills: communication, collaboration, critical and ethical thinking, quantitative thinking, and technological literacy that are crucial to every student at every stage of education and at every stage of life.
Gain valuable hands-on skills working in six different nursing labs outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment including a series of high fidelity patient simulators: Nursing Anne, SimBaby™, SimJunior®, SimMan® 3G, SimMan® ALS, and SimMom®.
"The classroom and clinical instructors did more than prepare and educate me – they inspired and motivated me. They made me think outside of the box, helping mold me into the nurse leader I am today."
Andrea Reed, Director of Nursing, UPMC Susquehanna Muncy
Nursing
Penn College's strong partnerships impact every step of your journey – from your first day in the classroom and labs, to career placement (oftentimes before graduation) and beyond.
Associate of Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.)
Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) Online
Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.)
The SNA’s mission is to explore professional growth, promote mutual respect in collaboration between the different levels of nursing, and serve as a channel for the exchange of ideas to promote holistic health and provide for both patient and student education.
Your college experience is about more than the classroom. Join one of 65+ clubs and organizations, or create your own.
An Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to a nursing faculty member during Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Summer ...
Pennsylvania College of Technology presented a Mentorship Award to alumna Andrea (Niklaus) Reed, director of nursing/patient ...
Physician assistant students recently visited the surgical technology lab for the last of three simulated patient cases that ...
Explore the field of nursing beyond the classroom with international learning experiences to Guatemala and Belarus.
Get career defining exposure to diverse specialties through clinical experiences at all types of healthcare facilities within a one-hour radius of campus. As a Practical Nursing student, you’ll further define your specialization with a preceptorship experience at a facility of your choice.
Students have the option of dual majoring in the Pre-LPN to RN associate degree program once they are accepted into the Health Arts Practical Nursing major.
The Student Nurses’ Association teamed up with six other campus organizations and Student Activities to raise about $1,800 at Tuesday’s “Penn College for a Cure” cancer benefit walk.
The Health Arts: Practical Nursing Emphasis is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. For further information, contact ACEN at 3343 Peachtree Rd. NE, Suite 850, Atlanta GA 30326; 404-975-5000.
Students who do not meet the recommended high school subjects can work with a college advisor to prepare for the major. One criteria required for selection into the nursing major is the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS exam). Prospective students can register for the TEAS exam by creating an account at www.atitesting.com and purchasing the TEAS exam through the ATI Testing online store. The TEAS exam is offered at Pennsylvania College of Technology several times each semester. See the ATI Testing online store for other testing dates and locations. Students may take the TEAS exam up to three times, with a minimum of 30 days between attempts, in a one year time period. The TEAS exam score is valid for one year. Applicants with less than 12 college credits will be evaluated for selection into the major based upon the high school selection criteria. Please refer to the special admission information for a complete list of selective admission criteria.
All students offered a seat in this major are required to maintain a math/science grade calculation of 2.0 or greater and a cumulative graduation GPA of 2.25 or greater prior to entering the first nursing course. If a student does not maintain the required grade calculations, the student will relinquish his/her seat and be placed into the pre-nursing major. Re-selection into the major will be required during the next selection period and will follow the current selective admission criteria. In addition, all students must earn a “C” (2.0) or greater in all NUR and BIO courses; if a lower grade is earned in any of these courses, the course must be repeated.
The following grading system is applied to all nursing courses in this major. There is no rounding of grades:
Child abuse clearances and criminal background checks are required for this major as established by clinical affiliation agreements. Agencies can prohibit students from participating in clinical experiences at their sites if a criminal record exists or a positive drug test is noted. By virtue of contract for Pennsylvania College of Technology students to be at clinical sites, agencies have the right to ask for random drug testing. Inability to complete clinical, fieldwork, or intern educational experiences will result in the inability to meet program and course outcomes. For additional clarification, students can speak with their program director.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing advises that a drug-related conviction and/or conviction of a felonious act or two misdemeanors might result in denial and/or revocation of a license to practice nursing. In accordance with the Professional Nurse Law, Act of 1951, P.L. 317, No. 69, as amended, the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing shall not issue a license to an applicant who has been convicted of a felonious act prohibited by the Act known as "The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act" or convicted of a felony relating to a controlled substance in a court of law of the United States or any other state, territory or country unless at least 10 years have elapsed from the date of the conviction.
Transfer standards established by the College require a minimum of a “C” in transfer courses. Official transcripts must be sent to the Penn College Admissions office. The College may also request official high school transcripts or an official GED score report. For fall acceptance, transcripts need to be received by June 1. Students transferring from other Colleges will have their nursing credits evaluated by Penn College nursing officials after acceptance into the major.
Alternative Credit refers to academic credits earned through means other than traditional college course completion, including: credit by exam, articulation, proof of competency gained in high school, work/life experience, and advanced placement.
Visit the Alternative Credit Options page for requirements and procedures and for information on credit through Advanced Placement.
Students in this major are expected to purchase a dual head stethoscope, a custom nursing kit (must be purchased at the College Store), uniforms, malpractice insurance, medical insurance, clearances, certifications, and various smaller items. Refer to equipment and estimated cost list.
Technical Requirements
Laptop Computer Required (Windows 7 or higher, MAC OSX 10.4 or higher recommended)
*Chromebooks and other devices running ChromeOS are prohibited
Operating Systems:
P.L.A.T.O. (Platform for Learning and Teaching Online) is Penn College's implementation of Desire2Learn/Brightspace LMS. It is a Web-based course management system that allows instructors to post course materials online, facilitate course communication, gauge student progress, and extend learning beyond the classroom.
Browsers:
The fully supported browsers for PLATO are: Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari
Some items are available for purchase through The College Store.
Admissions Counselor
Nicole Beerman
SASC, Rm. 1089
800.367.9222 ext. 7052
ngbeerman@pct.edu
