Practical Nursing Program

• Program Curriculum Plan 
• Gainful Employment Disclosure

Program Overview

The emphasis of the Practical Nursing Education Program curriculum is on instruction, and not research or public service, preparing students for generalist positions in practical nursing practice. Graduates acquire the skills that are necessary to provide nursing care across the lifespan to culturally diverse individuals and groups. Standard College Practical Nursing Program curriculum includes general education core and required support courses along with nursing course work consisting of classroom, laboratory, and clinical practice experiences. Upon successful completion, graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-PN. The practical nursing diploma provides flexibility in career choices as well as a foundation for continued formal study in additional types of nursing programs. Graduates will have the skills necessary to obtain employment as a Licensed Practical Nurse in a variety of health care settings.

Mission Statement

The mission of Standard College’s Practical Nursing program is to educate and train students from diverse educational, cultural and personal backgrounds to earn a Practical Nursing diploma, pass the NCLEX-PN licensure exam, and gain employment as a licensed Practical Nurse in a diverse nursing workforce. Standard College aims to instill in all graduates a desire for lifelong education and learning.

Program Outcomes/Objectives

1. Students will complete the practical nursing program requirements within 150% of the published program length.
2. Graduates from the program will pass the NCLEX-PN Licensure Exam within 6 months of graduation
3. Graduates from the program will obtain employment as a licensed practical nurse within 12 months of graduation
4. Graduates from the program will demonstrate appropriate professional behaviors and perform entry-level skills as a licensed practical nurse competently according to applicable standards of practice
5. Graduates of the program will demonstrate a culture of integrity, excellence, caring, diversity, critical thinking, and motivations toward life-long learning.
6. Graduates of the program will express overall satisfaction with their educational experience at Standard College.

Graduation/Program Completion Requirements

Enrolling in a program of study does not guarantee graduation. In order for a student to be eligible for graduation and to have his/her final transcript sent to the Board of Nursing, the student MUST:

1. Successfully complete the curriculum by earning at least a minimum passing academic grade of 79.5% in each course
2. Achieve a Pass in each clinical course.
3. Demonstrate satisfactory attendance as evident by 90% attendance of each course
4. Successfully complete the designated Standardized Comprehensive Exams at the established benchmark stated in the Integrated Nursing Concepts Course Syllabus.
5. Meet all financial obligations.
6. Meet all requirements for program completion by the last official day of the Integrated Nursing Concepts Course.

A student who has not met the requirements may not participate in the public graduation ceremony. The diploma and pin will be awarded when all requirements have been met.

Credential Awarded

Standard College awards students with a diploma in Practical Nursing upon successful completion of all program requirements. Students complete 100% of their course work at Standard College. This program is a vocational and credits generally earned in this program are not applicable to other degrees.

Program Description

STANDARD COLLEGE’S PN program utilizes a competency-based approach in the performance of skills necessary for employment as a Licensed Practical Nurse in healthcare. In addition to theoretical knowledge, the program includes practical application of skills in a variety of clinical settings.

Curriculum Overview

The curriculum for the PN prepares students for generalist positions in practical nursing practice. Graduates are able to provide supervised/directed nursing care across the lifespan to culturally diverse individuals and groups. Components of the curriculum include a general education core, required support courses, and nursing course work consisting of classroom, laboratory, and clinical practice experiences. Upon successful completion, graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-PN exam. The PN program provides flexibility in career choices as well as a foundation for continued formal education in nursing. Alumni will have employment opportunities in hospitals, health departments, correctional facilities, home health, long-term care, educational institutions, and international nursing.

The Practical Nursing curriculum is evaluated on a regular basis, using quantitative and qualitative measures, ensuring that the program maintains consistency with the mission of the school. The quantitative measures used by Standard College include data from student course completion rates and data from student course surveys. The qualitative measures used by Standard College include feedback from students expressed in the course evaluations, feedback from instructors expressed during Faculty meetings concerning exams, textbooks, and student engagement, and informal feedback expressed from students to instructors and staff about the program. The holistic overview of the student’s learning and education allows Standard College to maintain a curriculum that provide students with a consistently high quality and dynamic nursing education.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the PN program, graduates will have the knowledge and skills necessary to:

1. Provide safe, quality, evidence-based, patient-centered nursing care to promote, maintain, or restore physical and mental health throughout the lifespan in a variety of healthcare settings to diverse patient populations across the lifespan.
2. Engage in clinical judgment to make patient-centered care decisions within the scope of practice of the Practical Nurse.
3. Integrate quality improvement activities to improve patient care.
4. Participate in collaboration and teamwork with members of the interprofessional team, the patient, and the patient’s support persons to provide and improve patient care.
5. Use information technology to support and communicate the provision of patient care.
6. Incorporate management, legal, and ethical guidelines within the scope of practice of a Practical Nurse.

Program Delivery Method

Standard College offers residential method of course delivery. Course content is delivered in the classroom. Instructor and student interactions occur face-to-face in the classroom.

Instructors use a variety of contemporary teaching approaches or strategies to accomplish program goals and enhance student ability to achieve program outcomes.  Examples may include, but are not limited to, case study, problem-based scenarios, computer simulations, web based and distance technologies, and field or community experiences. Instructional methods are conducive to students’ capabilities and learning needs. Faculty and program administrators ensure that instructional techniques and delivery strategies are compatible with the program objectives and curricular offerings.

The teaching/evaluation methods used will vary depending on the subject matter being studied. Teaching/evaluation methods will include, but not be limited to:

• Audiovisual Media
• Case Studies
• Clinical Practicum
• Demonstration/Return Demonstration of Skills
• Field Trips
• Lab/Clinical Skills Practicum and Checklist
• Lecture/Discussion
• Online Exercices
• Oral Exercices
• Research Exercises
• Role-Playing
• Self-Study Modules
• Tests/Quizzes

Students have 24-hour access Standard College Online Databases and other online resources.