Nursing

The Queensborough Community College program in Nursing, established in 1967, has developed into one of the most respected Associate degree programs in New York State with options to apply for Dual/Joint Programs at Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, York College and the CUNY School of Professional Studies to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Clinical nursing courses for students are offered in the Fall and Spring semesters and an evening session is offered each fall.

The Nursing clinical curriculum is integrated into the College setting and provides a strong foundation in general education, biological sciences, and social sciences, as well as nursing science.

Students participate in clinical experiences during each semester of the core clinical courses in the program, and utilize a variety of acute care and community-based health care settings/ facilities in Queens and Nassau. In addition, the Department has seven well-equipped laboratories, a Simulation Lab, a Nursing Computer Resource Center and a home care lab.

The program is registered by the New York State Education Department and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326; telephone: 404-975-5000. Graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Professional Nursing (NCLEX-RN).

CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION

• Applicants must be a matriculated student at QCC and review the Nursing website.

• Complete the Pre–Clinical sequence with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

Pre-Clinical Course Sequence

1. Students who are exempt from or placed out of MA-119 College Algebra are required to take MA-336 Statistics.

• If you fail a pre-clinical course, you are ineligible to apply to the Nursing Program. Students who pass the 13 credit Pre-Clinical sequence, may substitute one course to increase their GPA. The substitution is as follows: ENGL-102 for ENGL-101, PSYC-220 for
  PSYC-101, BI-302 for BI-301.

• Students must achieve a C or better in all Biological Science courses (BI-301, BI-302, and BI-311) and Mathematics, MA-119 or MA-336.

• Anatomy and Physiology (BI-301 and BI-302) whether taken at QCC or transferred from another institution will not be accepted if taken more than six (6) years ago. Microbiology BI-311 must have been taken within the last five (5) years.

• BI-301 and BI-302 (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) must be taken at the same institution.

• Take the National League for Nursing E-PAX exam remotely with a live proctor through Examity (refer to nlntest.org).

• All remedial coursework must be successfully completed. (See Placement and Testing for more information.)

• Complete the Speech Placement Test. Speech evaluation is required of all entering QCC students. SP-007 may be recommended.

• Applicants interested in the evening session must complete all the biological sciences (BI-301, BI-302, BI-311) before entering NU-101 and are encouraged to complete additional core requirements.

• The evening session is only offered in the fall semester.

• Meet the following Essential Competencies (refer to the Nursing Website): Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Good Moral Character, Critical Thinking, Mobility, Motor Skills and Sensory Skills.

• Provide documentation in one of the following categories:

  • U.S. Citizenship – a passport or birth certificate will suffice

  • Permanent Residency

  • International Student with F1 Status

  • Granted Asylum, Refugee Status, Temporary Protected Status, Withholding of Removal, Deferred Enforced Departure, or Deferred Action Status by the U.S. government

All undocumented students who are interested in nursing are strongly urged to contact the CUNY Citizenship Now Project which will provide free counseling and assistance to all CUNY students who need help with their immigration status. Their website is https://www1.cuny.edu/sites/citizenship-now/. Students may also visit the QCC Center for International Affairs, Immigration and Study Abroad, Room L-431 in the Library, telephone 718-631-6611.
Consult the Nursing website regularly during the semester to check application filing dates. The application form must be completed the semester prior to starting NU-101.

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION

Admission to the Nursing Clinical Program is competitive. Eligibility for application does not guarantee admission. Results on the RN PAX will be reviewed in combination with the student’s GPA, which must be a minimum of 3.0 on the 13 pre-clinical credits, to determine eligibility. Potential NU-101 students will be identified based on their PAX score, GPA and the completion of all other admission requirements.

The final acceptance of qualified applicants will be decided after assessment of each candidate’s communication ability. Communication readiness for safe clinical nursing will be determined by Nursing faculty in collaboration with the Speech Communication and Theatre Arts faculty.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Transfer students from other institutions must be in good standing. Students who are on academic probation, or have been enrolled in any prior nursing program are not eligible for admission to the Nursing Clinical Program. All nursing courses must be completed at QCC. All non-nursing courses will be evaluated for credit by the College Admissions Office. Once matriculated into Queensborough transfer students can then be advised by the Academy for Health Related Sciences.

ADVANCED STANDING

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s) currently matriculated at Queensborough Community College and who have been accepted to the Clinical Program may attain advanced standing into NU-102 by successfully completing the following examinations:

• The NLN Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam NACE1 Foundations of Nursing. This exam may only be taken once (refer to nln.org).

• Pass and meet a practicum which is given at the College by a member of the QCC Nursing faculty.

• Students who have a current L.P.N. license and believe they qualify to take these examinations should contact the Nursing Department (Medical Arts Building, Room M-302).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Students must update their health status records each semester to meet hospital requirements. Updated health status clearance must be presented to the instructor on the first day of clinical or the student will not be permitted in the clinical area.

• Proof of current BCLS Certification for Health Care Professionals is required of all students by the first clinical day of each semester. It is the responsibility of the student to keep his/her certification current.

• All entering clinical students will be required to complete drug and alcohol screenings and background checks, in accordance with the clinical agency’s policies. If the student receives a negative incident finding from a criminal background check result or drug or alcohol screening, the student must resolve that issue before the start of the clinical practice experience. This may require that the student withdraw or not be permitted to register for the course for the semester until the issue is satisfactorily resolved. There are NO alternative clinical placements. Please note that if a student is not permitted to take part in a clinical practice experience required by the program based on the results of a criminal background check or drug or alcohol screening, the student may be unable to complete the course requirements. It is important for a student to consider this before enrolling in the Nursing program.

CRITERIA FOR RETENTION/PROGRESSION

• A passing final grade in each of the two components of the clinical nursing courses (NU-101, NU-102, NU-201, and
  NU-202) is necessary to progress to the next nursing course. These two components are:

  • Clinical/Laboratory – a passing grade is needed in each of the following: clinical performance, math skills, written assignments and critical elements.

  • Theory/Lecture- A student must successfully pass the course
    examinations with a final average grade of 74% or above to pass the course. (See course manuals for details of examinations).

• Student must achieve a G.P.A. of 2.0 or above to progress to the next nursing course and be eligible for graduation.

• Two (2) Writing Intensive courses are required for the Associated Degree. Both NU-201 and NU-204 are writing intensive courses and meet the criteria for graduation.

• A grade of C or higher in all Biology courses is required for progression and graduation.

• A grade of C or higher in BI-302 is a prerequisite for NU-102.

• A grade of C or higher in BI-311 is a prerequisite for NU-201.

• Students may repeat BI-302 and BI-311 in order to obtain a C or better but may not progress until a C is achieved.

• Failure of a “Critical Element Test” in any clinical course, after three attempts, constitutes a clinical failure for the course, and the student will not be allowed to return to the clinical area.

REPEAT POLICY

• Students may repeat only one nursing course (NU-101, NU-102, NU-201 or NU-202) in the Clinical Program. However, a repeat of NU-101 will require an approval from the Nursing Department Appeals Committee. Students must submit an Appeals Letter (see the Department of Nursing Student Handbook). This includes students who withdrew from a course after the first day for any reason and students who completed the course with a grade below C.

• Any student who withdraws from a nursing course must notify the lecture instructor and complete an Intention to Repeat Form if he/she is eligible to register again for the course. (Intention to Repeat Forms are located in the Medical Arts Building, M-302.)

• A student who “steps out” for any reason for more than two consecutive semesters is ineligible to continue in the nursing Program. (Intention to Repeat Forms are located in the Medical Arts Building, M-302.)