Program Overview
OCCC's Practical Nursing program is approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing. In our program, you will learn the knowledge and skills required for an entry-level practical nursing positions, and qualify to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses, which is a requirement for practice.
The Practical Nursing Certificate provides a one-year curriculum for students who desire to be a member of a nursing or health care team and gives care to patients of all ages under the direction of registered nurses and/or licensed physicians and dentists. After successfully completing the required 50 credits of the Practical Nursing program, students will be awarded a Certificate of Completion. Grades of C or better in all required courses are necessary to progress to the next term.
Completion of this level qualifies students to apply to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-PN) to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
Notes: This certificate is only open to student who have applies and been accepted into the associate of applied science in nursing program.
Program Outcomes
- Use a holistic approach in applying the nursing process at the practical nurse level when providing care for individuals and families across the lifespan.
- Use established guidelines to reinforce teaching of health promotion concepts across lifespan to groups in selected community settings.
- Communicate effectively with individual patients, families, and members of the healthcare team.
- Organize and prioritize components of care at the practical nurse level for two to four patients.
- Make decisions regarding patient care based on professional values while complying with identified legal/ethical standards (scope of practice regulations established by boards of nursing and Code of Practice guidelines established by the American Nurses Association).
ONE-YEAR (45-60 CREDITS) CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
1. At least 12 credits must be earned at OCCC, 9 of which must apply to the certificate requirements.
2. The final 9 credits that apply to the certificate must be earned at OCCC; the department may waive this requirement if the student can demonstrate currency in the field.
Practical Nursing Program Costs
Please refer to the college website for current program costs
Contact Student Services at 541-867-8503 to find out about Financial Aid eligibility.
LPN to RN
Oregon Coast Community College offers a readmission advanced placement option for prior OCCC Nursing students who have stepped out, on a space-available basis. For information please contact the Director of CTE Programs at 541-867-8513. Please refer to the college website for additional information about the Practical Nursing Certificate.
Technical Standards
The Oregon Coast Community College Nursing Program has the responsibility to society to educate competent health care providers to care for their patients/clients with clinical judgment, broadly based knowledge and competent technical skills at the entry level. The program has academic as well as technical standards (non-academic criteria) students must meet in order to successfully progress in and graduate from the program. The Technical Standards document is provided in order to assure that the students who enter the program know and understand the requirements, and can make informed decisions regarding the pursuit of this profession.
All required courses must be completed with a letter grade of “C” or higher.
Note: The number of clock hours required for the courses is higher than the number of credit hours. Details about clock hours for each course can be found in the Course Descriptions section of this catalog. Nursing courses are a combination of classroom and clinical hours with each classroom credit hour equal to one clock hour per week and each clinical credit hour equal to three clock hours per week. Preparation time for class and clinical experiences is outside the clock hours required for each course.