NURSING FUNDAMENTALS  (270 hours)

Discusses approaches to nursing care, basic nursing skills, comfort needs, communication skills, fluids and electrolytes, foundations of nursing practice, growth and development, health assessment, health illness continuum, medication administration, nursing process, perioperative care, safety, physiologic health, psychologic health, transcultural care, urinary and wound care. It also discusses the different common diseases of the different body systems; cardiovascular, integumentary, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neuro-sensory, musculoskeletal and other systems.

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING  (40 hours)

Focuses on analyzing the relationship between the nurse and the psychiatric patient, as well as disorders identified by the American Psychiatric Association, by examining communication techniques, integrating developmental theories and identifying behavioral patterns. The nursing process is used to interpret feelings, cultivate individual strength, co-create coping abilities, and instill faith and hope. The impact of the psychiatric illness on the family is explored from a holistic perspective. Through the art and science of nursing, the student and the patient gain a higher degree of harmony and health potential.

NUTRITION and DIET THERAPY  (30 hours)

Explores diet and nutrition principles for therapeutic and personal application. Describes the expanded role of nutrition in health promotion as well as disease prevention. Designed to give the student a basic concept of health and those nutritional factors necessary to maintain it. Discusses nutritional needs throughout the life cycle and factors influencing food patterns. Describes various clinical diseases and therapeutic diets for nutritional care of these diseases.

MEDICAL- SURGICAL NURSING  (330 hours)

Involves the study of simple to moderately complex deviations from normal health in adult patients. Affords clinical and theoretical application of various nursing techniques applied to medical disorders and surgical procedures. Basic classifications of disease states, their manifestations and nursing interventions are related through bodily systems approach. The concepts of body mechanics, pharmacology, interpersonal relationships, communication, diet therapy, and the physical and biological sciences are stressed throughout. Expands the student's responsibilities in nursing care from moderately complex to complex situations. Applies scientific principles of nursing to clients with special needs such as the geriatric patient, the mentally or emotionally impaired patient as well as the cardiac and critical care patient. Clinical time is expanded and medications, procedures, and treatments are stressed. IV Therapy skills including venipuncture and central line care are developed through clinical and laboratory practice. Designed to expose student to more specialized and demanding aspects of nursing while increasing basic nursing proficiency to entry level.

MATERNAL-NEWBORN NURSING  (100 hours)

Provides clinical and theoretical practice in pre- and post-natal maternal nursing care, as well as the care of children from infancy to adolescence. Discusses normal and abnormal, physical and psychological aspects of the family and its members during growth and development. Designed to give the student an overview of the nursing care for normal and disease states in various stages of growth and development. Familial relationships and human reproduction are also considered.

CHILD HEALTH NURSING  (100 hours)

Focuses on pediatric health and illness with emphasis on family dynamics, growth and development and communication with children and their families. Health promotion, protection, restoration, maintenance and support concepts are covered in experiences that include hospital and community settings. Health care policy and systems are studied as relevant to this population.

NURSING PHARMACOLOGY  (100 hours)

Discusses general principles, theories, and facts about drugs and their administration. Principles of action, uses, side effects, and client education are discussed to facilitate the student's learning in the clinical environment. Information is presented by integrating pharmacology into the nursing process. Specific drug information is discussed in relation to assessment, nursing diagnosis, client monitoring, interventions, client education and evaluation of safe and effective drug therapy.

LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT  (30 Hours)

This course fosters the development of leadership qualities in the practical nursing student to assume a role as an integral member of a healthcare team, a team leader and as a potential charge nurse in a long term care or clinic setting upon graduation. Issues related to licensure, job opportunities, legal and ethical situations, team leading, customer service, conflict,  risk management, and safety are explored. Emphasis is also placed on the application of lifespan psychological concepts to the solutions of current issues and problems affecting patients and the nursing staff in the 21stcentury.The NCLEX-PN is also discussed and reviewed and the comprehensive HESI given at the end of the program.

The Prerequisite Courses for PN are designed to prepare the student coming into the Practical Nursing program. Successful completion of all these prerequisite courses will allow the student to sit down for the HESI Admission Assessment which then indicates the student’s preparedness for the PN program.

ENGLISH COMPOSITION  (40 hours)

This course provides instruction and practice in the writing of extended compositions and the development of analytical and critical reading skills and basic reference and documentation skills in the composition process.

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY  (40 hours)

This course offers health-related personnel a simple approach to the building blocks of medical terminology: roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Terminology for basic medical disciplines as well as medical specialties will be included. A variety of commonly used words or phrases for which there are medical terms will be presented. The unit on body disease sciences introduces the body's biological structure and function and basic system identification. Beyond the identification of medical terms, pronunciation, spelling, and abbreviations will be included. Each unit is enhanced and reinforced with several review definition exercises and puzzles.

COLLEGE ALGEBRA  (40 hours)

This College algebra course is designed for healthcare and science majors. The subject matter covered in this class includes a brief review of Elementary and Intermediate Algebra topics, as well as more extensive study of graphs of functions, complex numbers, theory of equations, matrices, determinants, inverse functions, exponential functions and logarithmic functions.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY  (40 hours)

This course involves the survey of growth and development; physical, perceptual, cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and social development; emphasis on human development from conception to adulthood. It also emphasizes theories, methods and findings concerning learning, motivation, sensation-perception, social behavior, personality, behavior disorders and therapy.

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER  (20 hours)

This course is for students who have limited or no experience with computer systems. It enables them to have a general knowledge of basic computer functions and its components. It introduces them to word processing, electronic spreadsheet, visual presentation and relational databases. It also introduces the student to use the worldwide web as a tool for research and learning as well as communication.

STRUCTURE AND BODY FUNCTIONS  (150 hours)

This course involves the study of the structure of the human body and the relationship of its parts as well as the study of the functions of the human body systems and their parts.  Aspects of physiology, biology, chemistry and microbiology are also discussed.  Designed to give the student a broad informational background in basic biological and physical sciences to facilitate the application of nursing care to patients.