Piedmont Technical College

Program PDF

Apply Online

The Practical Nursing (PN) curriculum is designed to afford the student the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to provide supervised health care across the lifespan to individuals and families in a variety of settings.

Graduates of the PN program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Qualified graduates may continue their nursing education through the LPN to ADN Advanced Placement. The PN program is approved by the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina.

Admission: Nursing programs have special program admission criteria which must be completed prior to applying for the clinical phase of the program. A student may be admitted to the college at any time in order to complete prerequisite and general education coursework. For more detailed information, please go to the Health Science and Nursing Resources.

Program Location: Greenwood, Laurens County

Contact Information: Rosalie Stevenson

Required Courses

View Practical Nursing Course Descriptions >>

Day Program

* Major Studies Courses: Completion of the Diploma in Applied Science with a major in Practical Nursing requires three (3) semesters upon acceptance to the major studies course work.

Updated 4/18/2012

Advisement Information:

• Completion of the PN program requires three semesters once accepted into the major nursing courses. Thirty-two students are accepted each year to begin PN clinical courses in the fall (Greenwood Campus) and spring (Laurens Campus) semesters.

• Practical nursing courses are offered in the day only. Clinicals may be scheduled on days, evenings, nights, and weekends in any of the seven counties or surrounding areas.

• Requirements for Clinical Entry: To be eligible to apply for clinical entry, student must have a 65% or higher on the mathematics and reading sections of the HOBET V and successful completion of English Composition I (ENG 101), Basic Anatomy and Physiology (BIO 112), General Psychology (PSY 201), and Contemporary Mathematics (MAT 155) with a 2.5 GPA or better. The biology course may be repeated only once to achieve a grade of "C" or better.

• College placement test scores may indicate a student's need for developmental or prerequisite courses prior to higher level college courses. These courses should be completed before progression into required Program-Ready courses. It is also highly recommended that students take Medical Terminology (AHS 102), Clinical Computations (AHS 107), and The Care of Patients (AHS 163) while taking Program-Ready and General Education courses.

• Successful completion of BIO 210 and 211 can be substituted for the Basic Anatomy and Physiology (BIO 112) requirement.

• A minimum 2.0 GPA is required for progression once in the clinical stage of the program. Students in the clinical program will only have one opportunity to repeat a failed or withdrawn PNR course. Two failures or withdrawals from a PNR course will make the student ineligible to continue in the clinical program.

• Physical and Mental Standards: It is recommended that students explore their reaction to all kinds of body fluids, unpleasant odors, and dangerous/contagious diseases. Students must be in adequate physical and mental condition to participate and function within the program and clinical environment. Read the Physical and Mental Standards chart for more information.

• Background Check and Drug Screening: Students are required to have an initial criminal background check and drug screening upon acceptance into the clinical phase of the program. This cost is borne to the student and is currently $80.85. A positive report on either may prevent the student from being accepted by a clinical facility which will not allow the student to progress in the program or take the licensure exam. Additional drug screenings will occur throughout the clinical program as requested by the clinical facility. The cost of these screenings will also be borne to the student.

• Health Requirements and Immunizations: Students accepted into the clinical nursing courses will be required to provide written documentation to the Health Records Assistant in the Nursing Department of the following: physical exam completed within one year; two-step Tuberculosis Skin Test (TST) upon admission, then an annual one-step TST thereafter; two Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) and Varicella immunizations or positive titers; three Hepatitis B immunizations or a positive titer; Tetanus vaccine within the last 10 years; annual Influenza vaccine.

• CPR and Hospital Orientation: All students will be required to have CPR certification by the date of their first clinical. All accepted students will have the opportunity to take CPR training (AHS 106) and receive proper certification determined by the program coordinator. Students that plan to seek certification outside of the college must have Healthcare Provider training through the American Heart Association or American Red Cross. A copy of certification must be submitted to the department's Health Records Assistant. Yearly attendance at the Hospital Orientation presented on campus is mandatory.

• Program Costs: In addition to tuition, fees, and books, other costs may include but are not limited to an iPod Touch, uniforms, lab supplies, malpractice insurance, ATI tests, review courses, licensure preparation, and graduation fees. Initial cost upon clinical acceptance, excluding college tuition, fees, and books, could be as much as $2,000.

 Advisement Information updated 5/9/2012