Nursing Admissions

Overview

Applicants who wish to enter the Associate Degree Nursing, Practical Nursing, or any of programs listed below must meet additional admissions requirements beyond those established for general College admission. Students who provide false information when applying to any of the program options will be disqualified for admissions.

ADN & LPN Special Admissions Requirements

Sampson Community College follows special admission procedures for nursing programs and options offered. Applicants seeking entry to the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Practical Nursing (PN) programs, or the options listed above must meet additional admission requirements beyond those established for general College admission. Students who provide false information when applying to any of the program options, will be disqualified for admissions.

Students interested in enrolling in one of the nursing programs or options must complete the following admissions requirements and application process as stated.

General Admissions Requirements

1. Submit an online SCC Admissions Application.
2. Submit official transcripts from all previous schools, including high school, to the Admissions Office by January 31st of the year desiring admission.

ADN & LPN (Generic) Prerequisites

1. Evidence of successful completion of ALL prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better. Prerequisite courses are:

• Chemistry (High school or college Chemistry (CHM-092 or higher) with respective labs)
• Biology (High school or college Biology (BIO-110 or higher excluding BIO-168 & BIO-169) with respective labs)
• Math (An unweighted high school GPA of 2.8 or higher within the last 10 years OR Placement test scores, transition studies, or college credit showing mastery of Tier 2 in MAT-003 or higher)
• English (An unweighted high school GPA of 2.8 or higher within the last 10 years OR Placement test scores, transition studies, or college credit showing mastery of Tier 2 in ENG-002 or higher)

Each of these should be completed within the past ten years or associated with a degree or diploma (if high school courses, 10 years by graduation date).  

2. Applicants must have successfully completed a North Carolina approved Certified Nurse Aide I program and be currently listed on the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry with no substantiated findings.

3. Current CPR Certification – American Heart Association Basic Life Support Provider Course. Certification card is required (no certificates are accepted). Certification in CPR must remain current throughout the nursing curriculum.

4. Students who have completed courses within their program of study (Associate Degree Nursing or Practical Nursing) prior to enrolling in the program must have earned a grade of “C” or higher to be considered for acceptance into the Nursing Program.

5. Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

6. Completion of the ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills Test (TEAS). Test scores are valid for three calendar years. Two retakes per calendar year are permitted. The most recent score will be used. This is true regardless of testing site. Applicants must obtain an Academic Preparedness level of Proficient, Advanced, or Exemplary to be eligible for admission. SCC does not accept non-proctored TEAS examination scores. 

7. A student may have two admissions into the ADN program, the PN program, the Advancement Placement option, or the LPN to ADN online option.

ADN & LPN Application Process

Students seeking admission to the nursing program (Associate Degree Nursing or Practical Nursing) must complete the following steps by January 31st to be considered for the Fall semester. All applicants meeting the requirements for consideration will be reviewed after the deadline. The College reserves the right to extend the application period when warranted.

1. Students who have completed all prerequisites and achieved the required ATI TEAS scores must submit their ATI TEAS score report, ATI TEAS transcript, and CPR card as supporting documents in the Etrieve online application portal. All applications and supporting documents must be submitted through the online link available October 1.

2. Complete the Admissions Requirements Checklist located in the Etrieve online application portal. 

3. Applicants from previous years who met the program requirements must submit an updated SCC admissions application and resubmit their Admissions Requirements Checklist.

Review Process for ADN and PN Application

Admission into the Nursing Programs is a competitive selection process for a limited number of students. Fully qualified students will be ranked based on a point system. Points will be awarded for the ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (ATI TEAS) and other criteria. Using a point system that assigns numerical values to specific criteria, all applicants will be ranked. Acceptance into the ADN or PN programs will be based on the highest cumulative scores. In case of a tie, the earliest date of the submission of the application will be used to select applicants for admission to the program. 

ATI TEAS Testing Policy ADN and PN

All nursing applicants must achieve a proficient, advanced, or exemplary level on the ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills Test) to be eligible to apply to the nursing programs.

The ATI TEAS must be completed within three years of the applicant’s application date. Two retakes per calendar year are permitted. This is true regardless of testing site. When retesting, applicants must repeat all sections of the test. Scores from more than one test will not be split, mixed, or combined. When retesting for higher scores, the most recent score will be used.

The examination is offered by Sampson Community College and payment is due prior to testing. The examination cost is set by the company. The fee is non-refundable and non- transferable. Registration and scheduling of the ATI TEAS is the responsibility of the applicant. The exam can be taken at SCC or online via remote proctor. 

Testing will begin in the fall semester and will end January 31st of each academic year. Students seeking admission into the nursing programs (Associate Degree Nursing or Practical Nursing) will need to complete the admission prerequisites courses and requirements by January 31st of the year in which entry is desired. The college reserves the right to extend testing after January 31st.

Point System for ADN/PN Applications

Clinical Requirements

Students admitted to these programs must comply with the requirements set by outside clinical agencies which may include a criminal background check, drug screen, physical, and/or specific vaccines. Decisions about an individual student’s presence in the clinical environment are made by the clinical agencies. The results of the background check and drug screen may determine if a student is eligible to enter clinical agencies. Students are responsible for the cost of the background check and drug screen. Applicants should be aware that a student must be able to enter and/or remain in all clinical agencies to progress within the program.

If a clinical site denies a student placement in their facility, the student would be unable to complete the required clinical components of the course; therefore, the student will be withdrawn from all NUR courses and will not be allowed to progress in the program.

The background check and drug screening must be completed by the specified date. Failure to complete the process as specified will jeopardize enrollment in the program. Applicants to the nursing program should be aware that if they have pled guilty to or have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation) the NC Board of Nursing may restrict or deny licensure. The NC Board of Nursing requires criminal history checks for each person applying to practice nursing in the state of North Carolina.

Statement Regarding Vaccinations

Sampson Community College does not require specific vaccines in order to enroll or attend classes on campus. Nursing and health science programs require clinical hours to be completed at one or more at clinical sites under agreement with the College. Students admitted to these programs must comply with the requirements set by outside clinical agencies which may include a criminal background check, drug screen, physical, and/or specific vaccines. Decisions about an individual student’s presence in the clinical environment are made by the clinical agencies.

Clinical sites may be subject to the COVID-19 requirements of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services or other requirements established by the clinical site. Students are guests in these clinical facilities and in order to maintain clinical privileges, must abide by the clinical site’s requirements for students and faculty.

Notice of changes of agency requirements may or may not provide students or faculty with advance notice of any changes. If vaccination becomes a requirement at one of SCC’s clinical agencies, lack thereof may affect students and their completion of a course and program.

If requirements are made by an SCC clinical agency and a student chooses not to comply, they may not be eligible to complete the clinical requirements of the program and will become unable to complete a course and the program.