Registered Nursing, A.S.

(72 credit hours)

The Associate in Science degree in Nursing (ASDN), a limited access program, qualifies the student to take the national licensing exam to become a registered nurse. The program is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing (1964), 4052 Bald Cypress Way, BIN C02, Tallahassee, FL 32399-3252, (850) 245-4125 and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 975-5000, fax (404) 975-5020.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. The student will recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patients’ preferences, values, and needs.
2. The student will minimize the risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
3. The student will be able to use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.
4. The student will function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
5. The student will integrate evidence based practice with clinical expertise to include quality improvement methods for delivery of optimal health care.

Students seeking admission to the ASDN program must:

• submit a Florida Gateway College admission application to the Office of Enrollment Services,
• have official high school transcript, GED or documentation of Home Schooling, and any transcripts from colleges other than FGC sent to the FGC Office of Enrollment Services,
• provide scores for ACT or SAT standardized testing OR register and take a college placement test prior to advisement in the nursing department,
• complete developmental education courses as required, prior to registering for the prerequisite and corequisite science courses,
• complete all prerequisite classes with a GPA of 2.80 or higher and no grade lower than a C. All prerequiste classes must be completed by the end of the spring term of the year the applicant is applying to the program,
• students who do not complete corequisite courses with a C or better within the specified time will not be permitted to continue in the nursing program,
• submit to nursing department by the established deadline:
  • current score (within past two years) of 75 or higher on the nursing entrance exam (HESI A2),
  • ASDN supplemental application,
  • unofficial copy of transcripts from colleges attended, including FGC.

Prerequisite and corequisite courses completed by the end of the spring term in which you are applying are included in the required 2.8 GPA for admission to the program.

The student must provide official transcripts to the Nursing Department and the Office of Enrollment Services immediately following the end of Spring term for prerequisites and/or corequisites taken at a college other than FGC during the Spring term in which the student is applying. The transcripts must be received no later than May 8, to receive credit for the courses completed in Spring term.

Applicants are responsible for providing the above documentation if they wish to be considered for admission to the nursing program. Make copies of all documentation for your personal records. Failure to present proper documentation may result in non-acceptance into the program.

Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee admission to the program. Admission is competitive. In the event of multiple candidates, the HESI A2 score will be used to determine admission.

Guaranteed Admission

Any applicant who has earned a minimum grade of B+ in all prerequisite courses and any corequisite courses taken will be guaranteed admission, providing all of the above requirements are met. All prerequisite and corequisite courses must be taken at Florida Gateway College.

Career Pathway Admission

A number of positions will be reserved for Career Pathway students, under a Career Pathway agreement among FGC and the high schools in the service area. To be eligible for one of these positions, a Career Pathway student must meet all requirements for admission as listed above and: (1) attend Florida Gateway College for all prerequisite and corequisite courses, (2) have a minimum 2.80 GPA in all prerequisite and any corequisite classes taken, and (3) apply to the Nursing Program within two years of high school graduation.

Paramedic Admission

A number of positons will be reserved for current paramedics with no experiential credits being awarded. If there are more qualified paramedics than there are reserved positions, applicants will be ranked according to the ASDN point system for competitive admission.

Other Admission

Students who do not qualify under the Guaranteed Admission or Career Pathway Admission criteria will be admitted if space is available, with places being awarded to those individuals with the highest points using the ASDN Point System for Competitive Admission.

In depth admission information may be found in the ASDN Admission Packet on the College Web site at www.fgc.edu. Florida Gateway College reserves the right to make changes in admission criteria and program information, as circumstances require.

To meet clinical agency requirements for clinical experience, all students in the Nursing and Health Sciences Programs must meet state and federal regulations as described by Florida Statutes S. 400.211. A Level II background check and drug/alcohol screening are required. Further instructions regarding the background and 10 panel drug/alcohol screen are provided in the respective program acceptance letter. All screening must be completed no more than six weeks prior to the first day of class. Results of screening must be available to the program/clinical coordinator by the last day of open registration as determined by the FGC Academic Calendar. Please note that random screening may be required while in the program. Students are responsible for the cost of all screening done for admission and randomly during the program.

All students who graduate from a nursing program and wish to take the registered nurse NCLEX-RN exam in Florida are subject to the licensure and screening process of the Florida Board of Nursing.

Program Readmission

A student who has been admitted into the program and withdraws or does not satisfactorily complete the requirements for a required nursing course may be considered for readmission. A student who has previously been readmitted and who subsequently earns a grade of D will be dismissed from the program.

The ASDN program includes 30 credit hours of general education courses, and 42 credit hours of nursing courses. The following 13 credit hours (prerequisite courses) may be taken at the student’s own pace, but must be completed by the end of the Spring term prior to admission to the program.