Registered Nursing, A.S.

(72 credit hours)

The Associate of Science Degree at Florida Gateway College is on its first year of probation (February - December 2020) by the Florida Board of Nursing due to low NCLEX-RN exam scores 10 % or more below the national average for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).  Program Status: Approved-Probation, Florida Board of Nursing, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin C02, Tallahassee, FL  32399-3252; 850-245-4125.

The Associate of Science Degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia  30326; 404-975-5000.

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:

• applicant must be 18 years of age prior to the start of the program,
• 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 seeing an academic advisor in the Student Engagement department,
• complete developmental education courses as required, prior to registering for the prerequisite and corequisite science courses,
• complete all prerequisite courses with a Program GPA of 2.8 or higher and no grade lower than a C,
• all science courses (BSC 2085/L, BSC 2086/L, MCB 2010/L) must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher,
• all prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of summer semester before program begins in the fall,
• 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,
  • ASDN supplemental application,
  • unofficial copy of transcripts from colleges attended, including FGC.

Applicant may be randomly selected for an interview before final acceptance to the program. If selected for an interview, applicant must come in professional attire and be prepared to write a 2-paragraph reflection paper related to an assigned area in nursing.

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.

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 nurse entrance exam score will be used to determine admission.

Guaranteed Admission

Any applicant who has earned a minimum grade of B+ in all prerequisite courses and a B+ in any corequisite courses completed by application due date will be guaranteed admission to the ASDN program, providing requirements are met.

All pre- and co-requisite courses must be taken at Florida Gateway College to be guaranteed admission to the ASDN program.

Career Pathway Admission

A select number of seats will be reserved for Career Pathways students, based on the Career Pathways agreement between FGC and high schools in the service areas. To be eligible for one of these seats, a Career Pathways student must:

1. Attend FGC for all pre- and co-requisite courses.
2. Have a minimum 2.8 GPA in all completed pre-requisite and any co-requisite courses
3. Apply to the Nursing Program within two years of high school graduation.
4. Submit two reference letters, one must be from your high school Career Pathway instructor or your high school guidance counselor.
5. In the event of multiple candidates, the nurse entrance exam score will be used to determine admission.

Paramedic Admission

A select number of seats will be reserved for current paramedics who meet the ASDN admission requirements above.  If there are more qualified applicants than there are available reserved seats, applicants will be considered with the general ASDN admission pool.

Other Admission

Students who do not qualify under the Guaranteed Admission, Career Pathways Admission or Paramedic 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 the event of tied points, the nurse entrance exam score will be used to rank the applicants.

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. 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 pending successful interview.

The ASDN program includes 30 credit hours of general education courses, and 42 credit hours of nursing courses. The following 21 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.