After completion of the Practical Nurse Certificate program (LPN training) at Maria College, the graduate will be able to:

• Demonstrate clinical competency by applying principles to meet the basic physical and psychological needs of clients through the lifespan with primary focus on activities of daily living (ADL), caring interventions, technical skills, and safety needs of clients.
• Demonstrate knowledge of data gathering and Nursing Care Concepts of the human system, with consideration of how the environment, cultural and ethnic diversity affect client care in various environments to promote, maintain and manage health.
• Teach basic health promotion/maintenance and self-care to an individual using a designed teaching tool to promote teaching and learning.
• Communicate in a collaborative manner with the client, significant support persons, members of the health care team, and with community resources.
• Incorporate critical thinking into clinical decision making when advocating care for clients, families, significant support persons or groups in a variety of environments.
• Demonstrate professional behavior in an accountable, responsible manner within the legal scope of LPN practice, as a member of the profession of nursing.

The PNC courses are offered on the weekend* and consist of a sequence of four semesters (nursing classes only) or about 16 months. Begin the program with PNC 101 (includes lecture and lab classes). The college success seminar for PNC (PRD 103) must be taken concurrently with PNC 101. The remaining nursing courses (PNC 102, 103 and 104) are clinical courses and require student participation every weekend (please check the college’s academic calendar). Lecture and lab classes are during Saturday and Sunday of the “Weekend College”. Clinical experience is required off-site at a clinical facility during Saturday and Sunday of the opposite weekends.

*Note: open lab hours, and other activities (advisement, special testing, review classes) are not exclusively on the weekend.

* BIO 209 or BIO 210 may be substituted

• High School graduate or GED with a minimum GPA: 80 (high school graduates); 2.0 GPA (transfer students)
• A physical examination, including tuberculosis testing, required immunizations and basic life support (BLS) are required before the student will be allowed to take clinical courses.
• Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS VI): The TEAS VI is a multiple-choice assessment of basic academic knowledge in reading, mathematics, science and English and language usage. Applicants will be admitted on the basis of meeting the minimum requirements for entry and their TEAS test scores. Applicants scoring below the desired TEAS test score may consider enrolling as a Maria College General Studies Student (GSN). Upon completion of remedial course work, the student may retest. Admissions decisions will be based on space availability. For more information including registering for the exam, please visit the Testing Requirement page.

Former Maria PNC enrollees: Re-admission information

Failure to successfully complete course work that is required by the nursing program results in dismissal from the program. A student may repeat a nursing course only once. Re-admission to the PNC Program is not automatic, and is at the discretion of the Nursing Chairperson and faculty, and may depend upon space availability. Re-admission to the nursing program beyond PNC 101 will require a written, dosage and skills examination. The student must be successful in all three examinations.

Transition to course, NUR 240, must be within two years of graduating from the PNC Program. If out of the nursing program for more than two years, the LPN will need to take the PN-RN Transition Course. Those who wish to re-enter the program after two years must start with PNC 101.

• Obtain a minimum grade of “C” in all courses required in the PNC Program. (A grade of “C-” is not adequate to meet the minimum requirement of “C”). The student must pass both theoretical and clinical components of a nursing course, or the course must be repeated in its entirety.
• Each state and/or profession has procedures for certification and licensure including, among others, consideration of felony convictions, pending criminal charges and professional misconduct. As a result, completion of a program does not guarantee licensure or certification.

We’re proud that Maria Practical Nursing Certificate (PNC) graduates enjoy a near-perfect pass rate on the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX-PN). Their scores have been consistently higher than the average pass rate in New York State.