Practical Nursing - Certificate of Completion

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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department of Nursing

About This Program

The Practical Nursing Certificate of Completion is designed for students who wish to begin their nursing education and obtain licensure as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). A Certificate of Completion includes a minimum of one course in composition, math and human relations, in addition to the major courses.

Requirements for Admission

Fulfill requirements for admission to USU.
Submit a completed application to the nursing department between January 1-February 15. A link to the application portal can be found on the Nursing website.
Submit transcript(s) showing completion of prerequisite courses. Prerequisite course requirements must be completed with a grade of B- or better. Three course attempts for any one prerequisite course will be accepted, with a maximum of 10 total repeats, including transfer or equivalent courses. Repeats exceeding 10 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Successful completion (75% or better) on the HESI A2 exam. Applicants are allowed two attempts per application cycle. Two weeks in between attempts is required.
A grade of B- or better is required in all prerequisite courses. Courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

After acceptance to the USU PN program, students will be given instructions on how to submit results of a background check, a negative drug screen, Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and proof of required immunizations per program policy.

A grade of B- or better is required in all NURS major courses. Courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. Students must maintain at least a 79.5% exam average in all nursing courses. Students will receive the lesser of the exam average or overall course average as the course grade.

For more information about the Practical Nursing program see the department website.
Current and admitted students must meet with an advisor to co-create and update their Degree Works plan. Student-specific Degree Works plan may differ.
Program completion packets must be submitted to your advisor by February 28th.

Prerequisite Courses (20-24 credits)

BIOL 2320 - Human Anatomy 4 credit(s) (lab recommended not required)*
BIOL 2420 - Human Physiology 4 credit(s) (must be completed within 5 years of admission date to the Practical Nursing program); (lab recommended not required)*
Human Growth and Develpment
HDFS 1500 - Human Development Across the Lifespan (BSS) 3 credit(s) or
PSY 1010 - General Psychology (BSS) 3 credit(s) or
PSY 1100 - Lifespan Development 3 credit(s)
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Medical Assistant (MA) certificate.
*Students who are interested in taking a pathway toward completion of the BSN Utah State University will need to complete the labs for both Human Anatomy and Human Physiology.
**Students who are interested in taking a pathway toward completion of the BSN at Utah State University should complete HDFS 1500 for their Human Growth and Development prerequisite.

Practical Nursing Courses (22 credits)

NURS 1010 - Introduction to Nursing 2 credit(s)
NURS 1020 - Fundamental Concepts of Nursing 4 credit(s)
NURS 1030 - Fundamental Concepts of Nursing Clinical 4 credit(s)
NURS 1042 - Maternal-Newborn Nursing 1 credit(s)
NURS 1110 - Pharmacology 1 credit(s)
NURS 1122 - Pediatric Nursing 1 credit(s)
NURS 1220 - Nursing Process 1 4 credit(s)
NURS 1230 - Nursing Process 1 Clinical 4 credit(s)
NURS 1240 - Pharmacology 2 1 credit(s)

Licensure Notification

This program typically leads to licensure and was designed to meet licensing qualifications in Utah and other Nurse License Compact (NLC) states. If students license in any of these states, they are considered licensed and can work in any of the other NLC states.

The Department of Nursing has not determined if this program meets licensure requirements in the non-NCL states, although it is possible as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) requirements across the United States are the same.