PierceCollege Associate Degree in Nursing
INFORMATION PACKET
Updated 3-29-17
Phone: 253.864.3272 / 253.840.8355 Web:
Revie
Revised
Dear Prospective Nursing Student:
Thank you so much for your interest in the Pierce College Associate Degree in Nursing Program. We hope that your pre-nursing coursework and application process goes well for you and want to let you know that we are available to answer any questions that you may have regarding the program and application process.
The Pierce College Nursing Program isaccreditedby both the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN)and the Washington State Department of Health Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.
Monthly information sessions will be held at Pierce College Puyallup throughout the year for those of you who need further assistance, information and direction. All information sessions start at 5 p.m. to about 6:30/7:00 unless otherwise noted.
- Monday, April 24, 2017 5:00 – 7:00 Puyallup Campus – AAH Building – 130
- Tuesday, May 30, 2017 5:00 - 7:00 Puyallup Campus – AAH Building – 130
- Monday, June 26, 2017 5:00 – 7:00 Puyallup Campus – AAH Building – 130
We encourage youto check us out at our website ( You may download all application material when it becomes available. If you wish to request further information please contact the Pierce College Puyallup Allied Health Office at (253) 864-3272 or the Nursing and Allied Health Advisor at (253) 840-8355.
Eustenia (Stania) Kasjan, M.A.
Allied Health Program Manager
Pre-Nursing Advisor and Admissions
Pierce College Puyallup
1601 39th Avenue S.E. Puyallup, WA 98374
(253) 840-8355
(Revised 4/18/16 SK)
The Pierce College Associate Degree Nursing program forms a community of learners committed to the discipline of nursing. Our specialized community is built on a foundation of respect and openness to change. Together, we strive to meet the needs of our diverse community for qualified registered nurses and develop each nursing student’s abilities in nursing. Our commitment to quality nursing education and teaching excellence prepares learners to live and work successfully as registered nurses in an ever-changing health-care environment.
NURSING PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS
Please see the Course Equivalency Chart in this packet for course transferability from other WashingtonState schools. For credits earned outside Washington State or courses not listed on the Course Equivalency Chart, please contact the nursing program office to obtain the proper waivers prior to applying to the nursing program NOTE: Many of these courses have other pre-requisites that cannot be waived ie. Chem&100, Psych&100, Biol&160, and a possible Math or English series. It is critical that you work closely with the nursing advisor..
The following courses are the minimum requirements for applying to the PierceCollege ADN program:
CHEM 121- INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (Formerly CHEM 101)
BIOL260- GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY (Formerly MICRO 201)
BIOL241- ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY I - LECTURE and LAB (Formerly BIOL 240/241)
BIOL242- ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY II - LECTURE and LAB (Formerly BIOL 250/251)
ENGL 101- COMPOSITION-EXPOSITION
PSYCH& 200 -LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
- Applicants must earn a 3.0 or better in each of the above courses.
-Courses listed above must have been taken within 7 years of the application date. (Exception: the 7-year limitation for English 101 and Psych& 200 may be waived if the course was taken as part of a completed degree in an accredited program.)
-Only ONE repeat of each course is allowed. A withdrawal (W) and a NO CREDIT (NC) WILL COUNT as a “take” in our repeat policy.
Applicants who successfully complete the following transfer-ready courses will gain 2 extra points each (for a total of 4) in the application process.
MATH 146-STATISTICS
WORLD LANGUAGE (Language 121 and 122 or two years of the same high school world language.)
-Bi-lingual students must follow UW admission guidelines for native speaker status. See an advisor for further information. There is no time limit for the language requirement.
-Applicants must earn a 2.0 or better in Statistics, and must have received a passing grade in the world language.
-The Statistics course must have been taken within 7 yearsof the application date.
The following courseisnot required to apply for the program; however, applicants who successfully complete the following course will receive one extra point for the class on their application:
CHEM 131-INTRO TO ORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
-Applicants must earn a 2.0 or better in CHEM& 131.
-The Chem& 131 must have been taken within 7 years of the application date.
****NEW REQUIRMENT: NAC (Nursing Assistant Certified) course will be required BEFORE you start the ADN program - if you are accepted. It is not required to apply to the program. (Note that time will be short between being notified of acceptance (July) and the Fall start of the Nursing program)
.
The following courses, although not required by Pierce College, may be listed as prerequisites by other nursing programs in the area:
NUTRITION, SOCIOLOGY, PUBLIC SPEAKING, ETHICS, ENGLISH 102, or ADDITIONAL HUMANITIES/ ELECTIVES
Any information provided in this packet is subject to change without notice. Please keep abreast of department changes
by visiting your advisor regularly, attending information sessions and visiting the program website often.
Qualification and Selection Criteria
Phase I (Qualification Phase)Application Deadline: ______
A fully completed application packet will include the following:
(appropriate forms will be provided in the packet)
- Admissions to Pierce College for new students/Updated Admissions for former students
-$65 Application Fee ($50 for Bridge)(paid directly to the Pierce College Puyallup Cashier)
-All OFFICIAL transcripts documenting successful completion and minimum grade requirements for all required and optional courses. To be turned in as part of the application and NOT mailed to the college. If you met the language requirement in High School – a High School transcript is also required. (PierceCollege transcripts not necessary)
-Nursing Program Application with Student ID# (Must complete admissions – or reactivate a prior admission - to the college to obtain an active student ID#)
-Course Prerequisite Listing Form
-All waivers (to determine equivalency of pre-req’s must have been previously submitted to & approved by pre-Nursing advisor and will be added to your application by the pre-Nursing advisor).
-Proof of Winter and Spring Registration and ANOTHER official transcript upon completion of classes(s) (if applicable)
-Proof of first Hepatitis B injection (in a series of three -- as it takes 6 months to complete the series)
-Professional Recommendation-to include soft skills (format provided in packet)
-Functional Resume (based on SKILL SETS- not the employer based resume that most of us have)
-Personal Statement (essay questionis provided in the packet)
- KAPLAN entrance exam Please refer to Info on our website.
- (For Bridge applicants only) Active &Unencumbered Washington State LPN license is mandatory**(reflectschange in criteria)
If any of the above criteria is missingor if the application is not postmarked by the deadline, the applicant will notbe considered a qualified applicant.
If all of the above criteria is met, applicant will be considered active, and will be eligible for further consideration.
*****An application workshop will be scheduled inWinter/early Spring for the first week of each application cycle. Dates to be determined yearly and will be posted on the website during the application cycle and will appear on the front page of the application itself..
** reflects change in criteria
Phase II (Selection Phase)Spring Scoring------
Notification of applicant status will be established based on the scoring committee’s points awarded for an applicant’s required elements. Everyone who applies will receive a phone call and then a follow-up letter confirming their status.*****We are reinstating Group Interviews. The top 20-40 applicants with the highest score will be notified of the mandatory Interview day/time.
Phase III (Admissions)
Applicants who are being offered admissions will receive official notification. A small list of alternates will be established. Prior to the start of the program, incoming students must return a formal acceptance response, successfully pass a criminal background check and attend a mandatory orientation. They will then receive an additional packet to be completed before classes start.
PIERCE COLLEGEASSOCIATE DEGREE In NURSING
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. WHAT IS THE COST OF THE NURSING PROGRAM?
The current cost is approximately $11,000 to $13,000 for six quarters. This does not include the tuition for any prerequisites.
. A breakdown of specific costs and additional fee’s are included in the application packet.
2.IS THIS AN LPN OR RN PROGRAM?
PierceCollege awards an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), which qualifies graduates to take their NCLEX-RN licensure exam. Any student only seeking practical nurse training will be referred to an LPN Program within the area.
LPN’s with an active and unencumbered Washington State Practical Nurse license are eligible to apply to our LPN-ADN Bridge program. Please contact our office for more information on the LPN-ADN Bridge Program.
3.ARE THE PRE-REQS THE SAME AS OTHER 2-YEAR NURSING PROGRAMS IN THE PUGET SOUND?
The majority of the requirements are identical, especially in the sciences. The differences are:
Completion of Statistics (PierceCollege Math 146) – (Transfer-Ready Requirement)
Foreign Language 121 and 122, or 2 years of High School foreign language, or native language speaker - (Transfer-Ready Requirement)
Recommended: Completion of Organic and Biochemistry (Pierce College CHEM 131) & Nursing Assistant Certified.
No requirement for Speech or additional Social Science.
Although not required, these classes will garner extra points in the application process.
4. DO YOU HAVE PRE-NURSING CURRICULUM PLANNING SHEETS AVAILABLE FOR PLANNING OUT MY CLASSES?
Advisors at any of the PierceCollege campus sites have information sheets available for advising/class planning purposes. We encourage you to work closely with a trained pre-nursing advisor to map out an Education Plan for the recommended sequence of your pre-nursing classes.
5.WILL ADMISSIONS BE DECIDED SOLELY ON GRADES?
Because space is limited, a selective admission process based on a point system will be used. The application will be a combination of several factors. Grades and courses taken will be a qualifying factor. After reviewing the Professional Letter of Recommendation, other criteria will be scored forapplication points: Kaplan Entrance Exam, functional resume and personal statement that incorporates evidence of potential to succeed as an RN, along with‘extra points’ classes as stated in question #3. Each applicant will be awarded a specific score. The top 20-40 applicants will be required to come in for a group interview – which will also be awarded points.
6.WILL THERE BE A WAITING LIST?
No. A wait list will not be established.
Individuals are selected based on the criteria outlined in Question #5 above. An alternate list will be established to fill in possible vacancies for each class start, but this list will NOT be carried over to the next year. Non-accepted applicants will need to re-apply.
7. WILL IT HELP TO HAVE YOUR AA COMPLETED?
No. Any ADN graduate planning to enroll at UW-T or St. Martins University to complete the BSN will be encouraged to finish their AA or the new Associate’s Degree in Pre-Nursing, but admission to the Pierce College ADN or LPN-ADN Bridge Program will only require the pre-requite courses listed.
8.WILL TAKING ALL OF MY PRE-REQS AT PIERCECOLLEGE GIVE ME AN ADVANTAGE?
As long as applicants have completed the equivalent of all the nursing pre-requisites, it doesn’t matter where they were taken as long as all the coursework is transferable to PierceCollege. A Pre-requisite Course Equivalency Chart is included in this packet and in the application packet when that is available.
9.HOW MANY TIMES CAN I REPEAT A PRE-REQ COURSE?
Students will be allowed ONE repeat of each course during the past seven (7) years and the highest grade will be used as a qualifying factor. Courses with a “W” (withdrawal) or an ‘NC” (No credit) will be counted as a “take” in our repeat policy.
10.IS THERE A MINIMUM GPA REQUIREMENT?
Eachrequired prerequisite course (ENGL& 101, PSYCH & 200, BIOL&241, BIOL& 242, CHEM& 121, BIOL& 260) must be completed with a grade 3.0 (B) or better. Transfer-Ready/Recommended courses must each be completed with a minimum grade 2.0 (C) or better .
11. WHY DOES THE PIERCE College NURSING PROGRAMRECOMMEND A STATISTICS COURSE?
Research has shown that the biggest reason students fail nursing school is weak math and science aptitude – integrally linked to the high levels of critical thinking and reasoning which nurses have to use on the job every day. We will also be encouraging students to go on for their BSN, which requires statistics.
12. WILL YOU HAVE A TIME LIMIT ON THE PRE-REQUISITES?
Yes, coursework cannot be older than seven (7) years. Exception: if a student has completed a two or four-year academic degree, some non-science credits earned as a requirement for that degree may have the time limit waived. Applicants who qualify for this type of waiver must obtain waiver approval through the nursing program PRIOR to the application deadline. Please contact the Pre-Nursing & Allied Health Advisor to complete the proper waiver paperwork.
13. HOW MUCH TIME WILL ENROLLMENT IN PRE-NURSING AND NURSING COURSES REQUIRE?
Each chemistry, biological science, or nursing course requires approx. 20 hours a week per 5 quarter credits which includes time in lecture, lab or clinical site, plus study time. Some of the non-science classes require approximately 15 hours per 5 credits. Students, who work more than 20 hours per week, have significant responsibilities for parenting, and/or other commitments should plan to take no more than one science at a time. The Associate Degree in Nursing program itself is a full time program. No part time option is currently available. All on-campus nursing classes will be held during the day; clinical rotations may be scheduled in the day or evening. Students are encouragednot work more than 20 hrs. a week while in the nursing program to allow for adequate study time.
14.WILL PIERCE COLLEGE BE OFFERING ANY NURSING INFORMATION SESSIONS TO GET GUIDANCE REGARDING THE APPLICATION PROCESS?
Monthly nursing information sessions will be offered throughout the year in Puyallup. Check the program website ( Advising Centers, or current class bulletins for specific dates, times, and locations. A Workshop specifically tailored for students planning to apply will be scheduled for the first Friday afternoon of the corresponding month.
(Dates yet to be determined) That information will be available on the website (please check back for updates) and also on the front page of the application.
15.Will my credits from technical colleges transfer to PierceCollege?
Prospective students need to be very careful about where they take their prerequisite courses. Please refer to the last entry on the Course Equivalency Chart or contact your advisor for details on transferable credits.
Students who plan to earn their LPN license and apply to the Bridge program may take their LPN coursework at a technical college. Please see the list of Washington State Nursing Programs on our web site for LPN programs and contact information.
16. IS THE PIERCE COLLEGE NURSING PROGRAM ACCREDITED BY ACEN?
Yes, we have received full national accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN), as well as approval from the Washington State Department of Health Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.
17. WHY IS THE NURSING DEPARTMENT LOCATED AT THE PUYALLUP CAMPUS?
Since PierceCollege at Puyallup already had a Nursing Lab for teaching the nursing assistant course, it was much more cost-
effective to simply add the equipment needed to teach RN students. .
18. CAN I WORK WHILE GOING THROUGH THE ACTUAL NURSING TRAINING PHASE?
We encourage all nursing students to plan ahead so they can focus all their efforts for the six quarters of nursing school. Even though some students must still work to keep benefits or support their families, it is critical that they inform their employer of the nursing program expectations and requirements. The classes, and especially the clinical rotations, cannot be arranged around work schedules or childcare needs. The quality of learning and retention definitely suffers when students are trying to function on little sleep and little time to study. The inability to build critical theory foundations could jeopardize not only passing one of their nursing classes, but possibly the NCLEX for their RN licensure.
WashingtonState Nursing Programs
1
BatesTechnicalCollege - LPN
1101 South Yakima Ave.
Tacoma, WA98405
(253) 689-7000
BellinghamTechnicalCollege - LPN
3028 Lindbergh Ave.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1599
(360) 752-7000
BellevueCommunity College - RN
3300 Langerholm Circle SE
Bellevue, WA98009-6484
(425) 564-1000
Big BendCommunity College – LPN & RN
7662 Chanute St.
Moses Lake, WA 98837
(509) 762-2222
CentraliaCollege - LPN
600 West Locust St.
Centralia, WA98531-4099
(360) 736-9391
ClarkCollege - RN
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
Vancouver, WA98663
(360) 992-2000
CloverParkTechnicalCollege – LPN & LPN-RNBridge
4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW
Tacoma, WA 98499-4098
(253) 589-5800
ColumbiaBasinCollege – LPN & RN
2600 North 20th Ave.
Pasco, WA 99301
(509) 372-7680
EverettCommunity College – LPN & RN
2000 Tower St.
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 388-9463
Grays HarborCollege – LPN & RN
1620 Edward P. Smith Dr.
Aberdeen, WA 98520
(360) 538-4148
ghc.ctc.edu/voc/rn.htm
Green RiverCommunity College - LPN
12401 SE 320th St.
Auburn, WA 98092-3699
(253) 833-9111
HighlineCommunity College - RN
2400 S. 240th St.
Des Moines, WA 98198-9800
(206) 878-3710 Ext 3471
flightline.highline.edu/cg/nursing.rn.html
Intercollegiate College of Nursing - BSN program
2917 W. Fort George Wright Dr.
Spokane, WA99224-5291
(509) 324-7360
Intercollegiate College of Nursing partners:
Eastern WashingtonUniversity
GonzagaUniversity
WashingtonStateUniversity
WhitworthCollege