Admission Requirements

Practical Nurse

Practical Nursing Handbook here. 

Practical Nursing Handbook Addendum

PN Program Description
Practical Nursing has earned a respected place on the health care team. This program provides qualified individuals the theory and practical skills necessary to meet the occupational entry-level requirements. Practical nurses are trained to give basic bedside nursing care under supervision of a registered nurse, licensed physician, or dentist. The program includes both instructional and clinical experience. The purpose of the instructional period is to provide the students with the basic principles of practical nursing and to provide an opportunity to develop attitudes and skills that are essential to the practical nurse. The purpose of the clinical experience courses is to provide the student with the opportunity to practice and develop, under supervision, the knowledge and skills learned in the instructional period. Two or more weeks of clinical experience may be required on the 3 pm to 11 pm shift and may occur on weekends. The Northeastern Junior College Certificate in Practical Nursing will be granted upon successful completion of all required courses with a grade of a “C” or better. Graduates are then eligible to apply to take the NCLEX-PN examination to obtain practical nurse licensure.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED certificate of equivalency in order to qualify for the Colorado State Board of Nursing licensing exam. NJC offers GED preparation. Applicants must be at least 17 to enroll in the program and 18 to take the state board exam for licensing, if qualified. Maximum age depends only on physical fitness.

To be put on the Nursing program wait list, the following must be completed:

  • ENG 121 English Composition
  • HPR 108 Dietary Nutrition
  • BIO 106 Basic Anatomy & Physiology
    OR
    BIO 201 Anatomy & Physiology and BIO 202 Anatomy & Physiology II

Once these courses are complete, visit our Application Procedures page.

  • Must be completed with a grade of C or better
  • A cumulative GPA of 2.25 is required for all prerequisites. Note: It is not possible to achieve a 2.25 with all Cs.
  • Science prerequisites are valid for 7 years from the time of completion to the start of the Nursing Program
  • If you did not take all of these courses at NJC, send official transcripts to the NJC Records Office.

Program Acceptance

The following must be completed for the student to be accepted into the program:

  • Accuplacer scores or comparable course work to show Math, Reading and English are at college level; courses to be determined during academic advising.
  • A student may take the accuplacer up to 3 times per semester. The cost is $15 for the first initial test and the second and third tests are free of charge. If the accuplacer is taken in summer this will count toward fall session. The completion time for this test varies but generally takes approximately one hour. There is a study guide for the accuplacer and it can be found at the Accuplacer Section under student services under counseling and advising.
  • Take the TEAS test (test of essential academic skills) at the counseling office by calling the office at (970)521-6656 to schedule an appointment to take the test. The cost of the test is $35. Once the test is complete, schedule an appointment to meet with a nursing adviser to review score and receive advice on further recommendations for success in nursing school.
  • A GPA of 2.25 on all prerequisites is required, and a grade of “C” or better is required for each prerequisite course. Note: It is not possible to achieve a 2.25 with all “C”s.
  • Must complete the FBI fingerprinting during your application process to determine eligibility. Go to www.healthcareex.com and follow the directions for the FBI fingerprinting packet. The packet is available for pick up in Phillips Whyman 214 or can be mailed upon request.
  • Criminal Background Check and Drug Screen (Not to be done any earlier than 90 days of start date into the program) upon final admission into the program.
    List of disqualifying offenses at: www.healthcareex.com 
  • Health statement/immunizations. A specific form is available upon final admission to the nursing program.
  • BLS for Health care Provider through American Heart Association or CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer/ Health care Provider through the American Red Cross is acceptable courses. (Certification must not expire until after graduation)

NJC’s admission process is competitive and based on a point system rather than on first come first serve basis. Please read more about the Practical Nursing Program Competitive Screening Criteria here.  This is reflective of admission trends identified in numerous Colorado Community College’s Nursing Programs. Northeastern Junior College is committed to positively influencing student success rates with the end goal of contributing to decreasing the nursing shortage in Colorado.

Eligible candidates will apply to the nursing program via the NJC Access student portal. Each wait list candidate will receive a screening survey within a month prior to the initial due date, June 1st. There will be two screening periods, one on June 1st and one on August 1st. Priority will be assigned to the June 1st screening date; if there are remaining openings in the class a second screening for those on the wait list will occur on August 1st.

Associate Degree Nursing Requirements

View the ADN Handbook here. 

ADN Handbook Addendum

ADN Program Description
The health care industry is fast paced and growing rapidly making the need for more registered nurses paramount. The Licensed Practical Nurse may continue his/her education to earn an Associate Degree in Applied Science at Northeastern. The program is a one year program for Licensed Practical Nurses which starts in January with graduation in December. At the successful completion of the program students are eligible to apply to take the NCLEX exam to obtain licensure as a Registered Nurse. Registered nurses are the largest group of health care providers and work in a variety of settings ranging from schools, hospitals, clinics and health departments to name just a few. Registered nurses have both independent and supervisory responsibilities in managing patient care. In addition RNs work with a variety of health care professionals and carry out physician orders to ensure quality patient care. The program includes both instructional and clinical experience to provide the student with the knowledge base and hands on experience to provide safe and compassionate nursing care. The nursing faculty also strives to teach the values and professionalism nurses will need to have a rewarding career in nursing. Clinical experiences vary and may occur on weekends or at night, and will include eight and twelve hour shifts in facilities from the surrounding areas including Nebraska and Wyoming.

Applicants must be Licensed Practical Nurses to apply to this waitlist.

Prerequisites

To be put on the LPN to ADN program wait list for the following needs to be completed:

ENG 121 English Composition I
HPR 108 Dietary Nutrition
BIO 201 Anatomy & Physiology I
BIO 202 Anatomy & Physiology II
PSY 235 Human Growth & Development
BIO 204 Microbiology
BIO 216 Pathophysiology
MAT 103 or higher level college math course

All of these prerequisites must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.
A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required for all prerequisites listed above (except Pathophysiology, Math and Nutrition)
All BIO prefixes and/or science courses are valid for 7 years from the time of completion to the start of the Nursing Program.
If you did not take your course work at NJC send official transcripts to NJC’s Records office.

Program Acceptance

The following must be completed for the student to be accepted into the program and guaranteed a place in the LPN to ADN program:

  • Accuplacer or ACT scores or comparable course work to show Math, Reading and English are at college level.  You are allowed to take accuplacer up to 3 times per semester.  The cost is $15 for the first initial test and the second and third test are free of charge.  If you take the accuplacer in summer that counts toward fall session.  There is no time limit on the accuplacer but students usually complete within an hour.  There is  a study guide for the accucplacer and you can find this at www.njc.edu under student services under counseling and advising.
  • Take the TEAS test (test of essential academic skills) at the counseling office. Call to set up an appointment to take the test at 521-6656.  The cost of the test is $35. Once test is complete go to the website and update your information.
  • A GPA of 2.5 on all prerequisites is required, and a grade of “C” or better for each prerequisite course.
  • LPN program graduate, submit Colorado licensure.
  • LPN graduation of 3 years prior, documentation of 1,000 hours of work experience as LPN
    Or
    Successful completion of a refresher course approved by the Colorado Council of Nurse Educators or the equivalent thereof (nursing course work as specified by the accepting institution.
  • LPN graduation of 10 plus years prior needs to meet the criteria for 3 years prior and testing of competency is required.

To apply to NJC’s LPN to ADN program go to www.cccs.edu. The program will accept 20 students in which 10 students will be from the last Practical Nursing Program at NJC and 10 students will be LPNs from the local communities. If you choose not to come into the program when offered a slot you are able to keep your name on the list one more year. All students will be admitted provisionally until the following have been completed:

  • Must complete the FBI fingerprinting during your application process to determine eligibility. Go to www.healthcareex.com and follow the directions for the FBI fingerprinting package.
  • Satisfactory Criminal Background Check (Not to be done any earlier than 90 days of start date into the program)
  • Health statement/immunizations
  • Negative drug screen
  • Professional CPR Certificate