Nursing

THE A.A.S. IN NURSING HAS A LIMITED NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE FOR ADMISSION EACH SEMESTER.

ALL FIRST-TIME FRESHMAN AND TRANSFER STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED AS LIBERAL ARTS (A.A.) STUDENTS TAKING A SEQUENCE OF COURSES WHICH, ONCE SATISFACTORILY COMPLETED, COULD LEAD TO ENTRANCE INTO THE CLINICAL NURSING MAJOR.

The Nursing Program consists of two components: Pre-Clinical and Clinical.

To be considered for the Clinical component of the Program, students must comply with the following:

be enrolled in the Pre-clinical Component. Students must complete an application for Pre-Clinical Nursing during the period noted on the Academic Calendar. This application is obtained in the Registrar’s Office, A-101. The student must see a nursing counselor to discuss their academic performance and obtain a counselor’s signature on the application. The application is submitted to the Nursing Department;
pass the CUNY Assessment Tests in Reading, Writing, and Math and/or complete any required developmental courses before completion of the four (4) courses in the Pre-Clinical Sequence;
complete the four (4) courses in the Pre-Clinical Sequence: ENG 1200 , PSY 1100 , BIO 1100 and SCI 2500 ;
complete the four courses in the Pre-Clinical Sequence with at least a grade point average of 2.5 and earn at least two (2) “B’s” (one of which must be in SCI 2500 or BIO 1100 );
students who have repeated and/or withdrawn from any of the Pre-Clinical Sequence courses may not be considered for admission to the Nursing program;
all grades received for courses taken in the Pre-Clinical Sequence at Kingsborough will be included in the Pre- Clinical average computation;
submit transcripts from other colleges (NOTE: Letter grades received in the Pre-Clinical sequence courses at other colleges will be used to determine eligibility for admission); any biological sciences course more than 10 years old will not be accepted for exemption or credit;
perform satisfactorily on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) and;
transfer students from other colleges must be in good academic standing. Students who are on academic probation or have been administratively dismissed from a Nursing program at a previous school are not eligible for admission to the Nursing program.
The student must earn a minimum of “C” in all pre- and corequisite courses inclusive of BIO 1200 , BIO 5100 , ENG 2400 , PSY 3200 , and SOC 3100 . Students who have repeated and/or withdrawn from these courses may not be considered for admission to the Nursing Program.
Students are permitted to defer for one (1) semester only and with the approval of the Chairperson of the Nursing Department. Upon approval the student must enter the program the following semester. Failure to do so will result in the need to reapply to the program following all the criteria for admission, inclusive of retaking the TEAS.

Students who successfully complete the prescribed Pre-Clinical Sequence requirements may formally file for enrollment into the Clinical component of the Nursing Program. Application forms for the Clinical component of the Nursing Program are available in the Nursing Department Office. The completed form should be filed in that office during the fall or spring session in which the student expects to complete the pre-clinical requirements. Students completing the requirements during the summer or winter module should file their applications in the following semester. Specific filing dates are available in the Nursing Department Office.

Completion of the above conditions (1–8) does not guarantee admission into the Clinical component of the Nursing Program. Admission into the Clinical component will be based on space availability, the Pre-Clinical Sequence average and the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) results.

Qualified applicants who are not admitted to the Clinical component due to lack of available space will not be placed on a waiting list or be given preferential admission into a later class. These students should consult with a nursing counselor in M-201 to discuss further options.

Licensed Practical Nurses who are accepted into the Clinical phase of the Nursing Program may receive credit for NUR 1800 - Fundamentals of Nursing by earning a score of level two or better on the ATI Proctored RN Fundamentals Exam. Credit for NUR 1700 - Calculations for Medication Administration may be earned by passing the Nursing Department examination with a grade of “B” or higher.

Starting in the Fall 2009 semester, in order to advance into nursing clinicals, students must provide documentation for one of the following categories:

U.S. Citizenship,
Permanent Residency,
International Student with F1 Status, or
Granted Asylum, Refugee Status, Temporary Protected Status, Withholding of Removal, Deferred Enforced Departure or Deferred Action Status by the U.S. government.

Retention Criteria

A large number of those students who are accepted into the Clinical component of the Nursing Program, complete the Nursing Program.

Criteria for retention in the Nursing Program mandates that students:

Earn a minimum of a “C” grade in every required Nursing and corequisite course inclusive of BIO 1200 , BIO 5100 , ENG 2400 , and PSY 3200 .
Students who achieve a “C-” grade in a required clinical nursing course may apply to repeat the course one time only in the semester immediately following, subject to space availability. The minimum grade for clinical courses that are repeated is a “B”. The “Intent to Return to Nursing Course” form is available on the KCC Nursing Department website under “Forms”. This must be completed with a plan of success that demonstrates significant changes in how the course material will be mastered when repeated. Only one required nursing course may be repeated.
Students who enter NUR 1700 and NUR 1800 must complete the Nursing program within four years from the date of entry into these courses. Any student who has not attended nursing courses for two or more consecutive semesters cannot be readmitted into the Nursing Program unless qualifying examinations have been passed in the required nursing courses previously completed successfully. Qualifying examinations may be repeated only once.
Students must achieve a grade of “B” in order to pass NUR 1700 . Students in NUR 1700 who achieve a failing grade of no less than “C-“may repeat the course one time only after submitting an “Intent to Return Form.”
Students in the clinical component can only appeal the retention criteria one time.
Students in the clinical component can only withdraw once and must be passing to do so.

Drug Calculation Policy

As of Fall 1989, NUR 1700 ,”Calculations for Medication Administration” is a pre/corequisite for NUR 1800 and a Prerequisite to all other nursing courses. Throughout the rest of the program, drug knowledge and skills will be integrated and tested in every nursing course.

Pre-NCLEX RN Examination

All students must take the ATI RN Comprehensive Predictor examination while enrolled in their last clinical nursing course.

Malpractice Insurance – Health Clearance – CPR Certification – Criminal Background Checks

Prior to registration, students entering nursing courses in which there are laboratory experiences in hospitals and other health agencies, are required to have malpractice insurance, health clearance and a CPR (BLS) certificate and a criminal background check. The insurance policy, CPR (BLS) certificate, and health clearance must be satisfactory for the entire semester. Information on CPR Certification is available in the Nursing Department Office. Information on health requirements is available from the Health Services Office , A-108. CUNY is now providing nursing students with malpractice insurance thus it is no longer necessary to purchase individual policies.

Notes:

Clinical Nursing students incur the expenses of purchasing a required uniform and equipment necessary for clinical practice in health care agencies.
The academic requirements in the Nursing curriculum are demanding and students are cautioned to plan their work schedules or extra-curricular activities with this in mind.

Legal Limitations for State Licensure

Requirements for licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse (RN) in New York State include: having attained the age of eighteen years or more, the successful completion of the A.A.S. Degree Program in Nursing, passing the National Council Licensing Examination and being of good moral character. The Office of Professional Discipline investigates all applicants with a prior criminal conviction(s) and/or pending criminal charges (felony or misdemeanor). Following its investigation, a determination will be made as to the applicant’s eligibility for licensure.

The majority of students who complete the Nursing Program requirements and graduate from Kingsborough pass the licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) on their first attempt. Most graduates are employed in acute care or long-term care facilities.