Vocational Nursing Certificate

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The St. Philip’s College Vocational Nursing Program is approved/accredited by the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to award the Certificate of Completion in Vocational Nursing.

Texas Board of Nursing, William P. Hobby Building, 333 Guadalupe, Suite 3-460, Austin, TX 78701-3944, Phone (512) 305-7400

http://www.bon.texas.gov/contact_us.asp

The Vocational Nursing Program’s length is 12 months, full-time, Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. Classes are conducted at the main campus in two tracks for students (Track 1: Fall, Spring and Summer semesters and Track 2: Spring, Summer and Fall semesters). Students may choose either the day or evening cohort for the length of their matriculation in either track. Approximately 120 students are accepted into each track, with approximately 80 students for the day cohort and 40 students for the evening cohort. The SPC Vocational Nursing Program New Braunfels extension offers one 12 month track, full-time, Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week (Fall, Spring and Summer Semester) and admits approximately 25 students once a year. The New Braunfels extension site holds classes at the Central Texas Technology Center (CTTC). The curriculum covers fundamentals of vocational nursing, ethical and legal aspects of nursing practice, nutrition, gerontology, communication skills, body structure and function, administration of medications and solutions, medical and surgical nursing, obstetrical nursing, pediatric nursing, mental health nursing, and professional development. In addition to classroom study, the student will receive supervised laboratory and clinical experiences in local long-term care facilities, clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities in the San Antonio and surrounding communities. Students who successfully complete the entire 12 month, three semester program, are awarded a Certificate of Completion. Students  must obtain state licensure from a state board of nursing in order to practice vocational nursing. In Texas, this is accomplished by the graduate taking the National Council State Board of Nursing for Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) through the Texas Board of Nursing.

The program is completed within 12 months of acceptance into the program. Per Texas BON Rule 214.9 & 214.10, the program requires the following:

• The program of study includes both didactic and clinical learning experiences. The program consists of 560 hours of classroom instruction and 880 hours of clinical instruction/practice for a total of 1440 hours of instruction.
• Classroom instruction hours shall include actual hours of classroom instruction in nursing and non-nursing Board-required courses and content.
• Laboratory activities/instruction in the nursing skills or simulation laboratory may be considered as either classroom instruction hours or clinical learning experience hours.
• Clinical practice learning experiences shall include actual hours of practice in nursing skills and computer laboratories; simulated clinical experiences; faculty supervised hands-on clinical care; clinical conferences; and observation experiences for the purpose of calculating the hours for clinical learning experiences in the curriculum. Observation experiences provide supplemental learning experiences that meet specific learning objectives.
• The total weekly schedule throughout the 12 month length of the program shall not exceed forty (40) hours per week, including both classroom instruction and clinical practice hours.

Upon completion of this program, the student must pass the National Council State Board of Nursing for Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) through the Texas Board of Nursing. Passing this exam certifies the graduate to practice as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The LVN scope of practice is a directed scope of practice and requires appropriate supervision of a registered nurse, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, physician, dentist, or podiatrist. The LVN, with a focus on patient safety, is required to function within the parameters of the legal scope of practice and in accordance with the federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, and policies, procedures, and guidelines of the employing health care institution or practice setting. The LVN is responsible for providing safe, compassionate, and focused nursing care to assigned patients with predictable health care needs.

Program is 12 months in length, full-time, Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. All students must be able to meet admission requirements as well as clinical and classroom schedules.

Special Tuition Fees are part of the program. Students will pay $700 per semester in special tuition fees for each of the 3 semesters to cover high costs associated with this program.