Practical Nursing Certificate

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Health Career Admissions
Program Code: G.NUR.CER

Graduation requirement: 49 credit hours

The Practical Nursing Certificate Program prepares students for employment in long-term care facilities, clinics, and hospitals.

Graduates are eligible to take the licensing examination for Licensed Practical Nurse (NCLEX-PN). This program is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Program Notes

This program prepares students to meet the educational requirements for licensure in the state of Illinois. For information about how this program may meet licensure requirements in other states, see State Licensure/Certification Information on the Parkland website.
This is a selective admissions program-students must be admitted into the program before taking LPN courses. Please see the selective admissions page for more information regarding admission, progression, and graduation.
CNA or equivalent is required for admission to the LPN program.
To be admitted to the program, students must have current placement out of MAT 072 and must place into ENG 101 and college level reading.
Students who are non-native speakers of English must establish English proficiency prior to applying through:
- Minimum TOEFL iBT scores in reading, listening, speaking, and writing: 20-20-26-20; or
- Minimum IELTS scores in reading, listening, speaking, and writing: 6.5-6.5-8-5.5.
For admission to the program students must have a minimum 2.50 GPA. Additional points are given for program GPA, number of program courses taken, biology GPA, and work as a CNA or CMOA. The number of times a student has withdrawn from or failed a course may result in fewer points.
To remain in the program and graduate, students are required to keep a C or higher in all program courses, maintain a 2.50 minimum program GPA, successfully pass and complete all clinical rotations in all nursing courses, maintain Parkland College Code of Conduct, essential qualifications, and ANA Code of Ethics.

Certified Medical Office Assistant (CMOA) Option

Certified medical office assistants may qualify for admission by testing out of specific CNA skills if they are not currently a CNA. Only “certified” medical office assistants will be considered. Alternate training as a health care technician via an employer may be considered as equivalent to CNA certification. Please contact the program director for specific information.

Graduation Requirements

Program Courses (39 credit hours)

BIO 120 - Fundamentals of Nutrition 3 credit hours
BIO 121 - Anatomy and Physiology I 4 credit hours
BIO 122 - Anatomy and Physiology II 4 credit hours
LPN 111 - Introduction to Nursing 1 credit hour
LPN 114 - Nursing Fundamentals 6 credit hours
LPN 117 - Nursing Pharmacology 3 credit hours
LPN 118 - Medical Surgical Nursing 5 credit hours
LPN 130 - Transition to Practice 1 credit hour
LPN 131 - Advanced Medical Surgical Nursing 5 credit hours
LPN 132 - Licensure Preparation 1 credit hour
LPN 135 - Nursing in Obstetrics 3 credit hours
LPN 136 - Nursing in Pediatrics 3 credit hours

General Education Courses (10 credit hours)

ENG 101 - Composition I 3 credit hours
PSY 101 - Introduction to Psychology 4 credit hours
PSY 209 - Human Growth and Development 3 credit hours

Suggested Full-time Sequence

Suggested Part-time Sequence

Students wishing to pursue course work on a part-time basis are encouraged to complete the courses marked with † before admission.

General education and other non-LPN required courses can be taken prior to the semester recommended, but courses cannot be postponed past the semester scheduled in the full-time sequence.

Once the student is admitted to the LPN program, all courses in the first semester must be taken and completed in order to progress to the second semester. The same is required for each subsequent semester.

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