ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

HEALTH AND IMMUNIZATION STATUS

Students must be physically and emotionally able to meet all program requirements including the rendering of safe nursing care in the clinical setting. These abilities involve lifting, moving, bathing and transferring patients in and out of bed, calculating medications, and being able to communicate clearly and effectively with patients and members of the health care team.

Nursing care involves exposure to patients with infectious and blood-borne diseases. After enrollment, students MUST submit a signed and completed Nursing Immunization Form and Physical Examination Form as required by the Texas Board of Health Rules. (This form can be downloaded using the Adobe Reader. If you do not have the reader on your computer, go to www.adobe.com for a free download.) The Hepatitis B vaccine is required for all Associate Degree Nursing students. Students must have a physical exam prior to the first day of clinical, which certifies that they are physically and emotionally capable of performing the duties of a nurse.

Students in the nursing program are strongly encouraged to carry a personal health policy. The College and clinical facilities are not responsible for any claims for expenses that result from an action of a student in the clinical setting. Although the clinical facilities provide access to acute emergency care in the event of an accident or injury to a student, the student is responsible for all expenses incurred.

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
All nursing students are required to carry professional liability insurance. Fees collected at the time of registration cover the cost of a college student blanket policy with a major insurance carrier.

PROGRESSION REQUIREMENTS
To remain in good standing and progress within the ADN curriculum, students must(1) maintain a cumulative grade point of 2.0, and (2) attain a grade of "C" or better in each nursing and biology course. Students must successfully complete all concurrent courses to advance to the next level.

Standardized testing will be used throughout the nursing program to determine progression.

LVN Program:
Students will be required to take nationally-normed tests throughout the curriculum and to make a satisfactory score on each test. In the last semester of the curriculum, students must achieve a satisfactory exit exam in VNSG 1219 in order to pass the course and graduate from the program. Students scoring less than a satisfactory score will be required to complete remediation and retesting. The student will receive an I "Incomplete" grade in VNSG 1219 until the exam is passed. The student will have until the end of the next long semester to remediate and pass the exam. Failure to pass the test during this time frame will result in failure of the course. Costs for the exams and the remediation are the student's responsibility.

ADN Program:
Students who do not make acceptable scores will be required to remediate. Students will be required to make an acceptable score on a second exam following remediation.Students will be required to take nationally-normed tests throughout the curriculum and to make a satisfactory score on each test. In the last semester of the curriculum, students must achieve a satisfactory exit exam score in RNSG 2121 in order to pass the course and graduate from the program. Students scoring less than satisfactory score will be required to complete remediation and retesting. The student will receive an I "Incomplete" grade in RNSG 2121 until the exit exam is passed. The student will have until the end of the next long semester to remediate and pass the exam. Failure to pass the test during this time frame will result in failure of the course. All costs for the exam and remediation are the student's responsibility.

GRADING POLICY
Students must complete all concurrent nursing courses with a C or better in order to progress to the next level. If a student earns a D or F in all concurrent nursing courses the grades earned will be recorded. If a student earns a D or F in one or two of the nursing courses, the grades for all three courses will be recorded as IP. The IP will remain on the transcript but will not jeopardize the GPA.

READMISSION POLICY
Readmission is not automatic; it is based on remediation of problem areas and space available in the class. Students will only be readmitted to the program one time. If readmitted, the student must enroll in all concurrent courses and are required to adhere to CURRENT nursing program policies.

BOARD OF NURSE EXAMINERS REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE
The Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE) may refuse to admit persons to its licensure examination, OR may refuse to issue a license or certificate of registration to any individual with lack of fitness to practice by reason of mental or physical health or intemperate use of alcohol or drugs that could result in injury to patients or the public. The Board may also refuse to grant licensure to any individual with a history of a conviction. An individual enrolled or planning to enroll in a basic nursing program who has reason to believe that he/she is ineligible may petition the Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE) for a declaratory order as to eligibility. Contact the Board of Nurse Examiners at www.BNE.state.tx.us for additional information.

In order to be eligible for licensure by the Board of Vocational Nurse Examiners (BVNE), those seeking an LVN license must not have any records of felony. Applicants also must be high school graduates or have completed their GED.

TRANSFER OF NURSING CREDITS
Students wishing to transfer from another nursing program must meet all ADN admission requirements. In addition, the applicant must submit to the Health Occupations Division Office, North Harris College, the following documents:

1. Syllabi for nursing courses completed with a minimum grade of "C".
2. A letter from the director of the former nursing program indicating the reason for withdrawal and if the student is in good standing.

Transfer students must take Nursing III and IV courses in order to graduate from the ADN program. Nursing courses must be no more than 3 years old. Qualified students are admitted on a space available basis. However, NHMCCD readmission students have priority for these very limited spaces.