Registered Nurse General Admission Requirements

Applications may be obtained at the Nursing Building. All completed applications must be hand-delivered or mailed to the Nursing Building office.
   Registered Nurse Application
   LVN Transition Program Application

 The Program is the basic curriculum for registered nursing.  It satisfies the requirements for the Associate of Science degree with a major in Nursing and enables the graduate to take the State Board of Registered Nursing Examination (NCLEX-RN) to obtain licensure as a Registered Nurse.  There is one validated set of criteria by which a generic nursing student may enter the Nursing Program.

Effective Fall 2006, Los Angeles Harbor College has adopted the Alignment of Associate Degree Nursing Program Prerequisites as recommended by the California Community Colleges Chancellor\'s Office.

 A.        CURRENT ADMISSION SYSTEM

1.                  ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1.1               Completion of all the admission requirements of Los Angeles Harbor College. 

1.2               Completion of an application for entry into the Los Angeles Harbor College Registered Nursing Program. 

1.3               Graduation from an accredited U.S. high school or equivalent --the General Education Development (G.E.D.) examination or equivalency as determined by the Los Angeles Community College District --- or graduation from an accredited U.S. college or university. 

1.4               Achievement of a cumulative 2.5 GPA on all work completed at U.S. accredited colleges and universities is required for initial enrollment. Continued enrollment in the Nursing Program requires a GPA of 2.0, as well as a grade of "C" or better in all nursing courses.

1.5               Passing the LAHC Math Competency Exam. If exam not taken, completion of a college Elementary Algebra course (Math 123A & 123B, CT 60, ET 49 or equivalent), or a higher college math course,          with a grade of "C" or better. Students planning to continue to the BSN at CSU/UC need Math 227 or another transferable mathematics course as required by the institution.  NOTE: Students are encouraged to take Nursing 302, however neither it, nor high school algebra, meet the college graduation math competency requirement. The Math Competency test, if taken and a passing score obtained, may be    used to fulfill both the nursing admissions math and the college math graduation requirements. 

1.6                Prerequisites:

a.                   Completion of English 101 with a grade of "C" or better. Completion of Anatomy 1, Physiology 1, and Microbiology 1 or 20 with a grade of "C" or better in each course. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 for the three science courses with a maximum of two (2) repeated science courses.

b.                   Validation of reading proficiency, speed and comprehension:  Achievement of a minimum reading score of 76 on the state approved college reading test for ALL applicants to the    program as of October 2, 2005.

c.                   A score of greater than 66% on the Community College State Chancellor’s Office ADN Prerequisite Study Formula. 

d.         Psychology 1 and Psychology 41, each with a grade of "C" or better, are prerequisites to the second semester of the Nursing Program. It is strongly recommended that Psychology 1 and Psychology 41 be taken before entry into the program or during intersessions. Applicants with the above prerequisites in progress at the time of application will be considered for enrollment after those who have completed all prerequisites.

NOTE:            One year of U.S. high school Chemistry with a lab, or one semester of college Chemistry with       a lab (Chem. 55, 65 or 66 or higher) with a grade of "C" or better) is prerequisite for Microbiology and Physiology. For the CSU system, Chem. 66 satisfies the chemistry   requirement for a BS in Nursing. Each applicant must validate the completion of U.S. high school or college chemistry. 

1.7               All nursing applicants, including those with college degrees, must take the L.A.H.C. state approved reading comprehension test required for the Nursing Program before the application deadline.  The reading test score must be provided with the application. The test includes reading skills and comprehension of content read.  Please contact the College Admissions Office (233-4090) or the Counseling Division (233-4226) for the scheduled dates for testing and to answer any questions. 

1.8               Applicants for admission may have no more than 15 units of repeated coursework for all college coursework. A student with 15 or more units of repeated college coursework is ineligible to repeat       any unsatisfactory nursing course or to receive credit for that course.  It is strongly recommended that      a student have no more than 8 units of repeated coursework in program prerequisites and not more      than 10 units of repeated coursework for all program GE requirements.      

1.9        Students are admitted to the Nursing Program twice a year.   The Nursing Application Deadline  for Fall is  MARCH 1st and the Nursing Application Deadline for Spring is SEPTEMBER 30th.  ALL SEALED OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS from high school and college(s), (the Los Angeles Harbor College transcript may be an unofficial transcript), and copies of all granted petitions must be ATTACHED to the application--or the application will NOT be accepted.

1.10      ALL required nursing and general education courses must have a 2.0 ("C") grade or better, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on all work completed at U.S. accredited colleges and universities on admission. Students must earn a "satisfactory"/"C" or higher rating for clinical performance in nursing courses.

1.11    Due to recently passed state legislation, all applicants must pass a diagnostic assessment test (basic math, English, reading, science) prior to program admittance. Students who fail to achieve a passing score will be required to complete additional pre-nursing course work before admission will be granted.

2.         If more eligible applicants (those meeting all the above criteria) apply than can be enrolled, a waiting list of eligible  applicants will be established using the validated date on each individual application.  Students with prerequisite courses in progress are ranked after those who have completed all the required prerequisite courses. 

3.                  Advanced Placement Licensed Vocational Nurses. After completion of all basic requirements and    acceptance into the program(see 1.1-1.7 above); and after completion of Nursing 311, 321, 329A & 329B, with grades of "C" or better, LVNs are eligible to enroll in the 2nd or 3rd semester clinical courses of the Nursing Program.  Placement in the 2nd or 3rd semester is determined by standardized assessment test scores.  All non-nursing general education courses must be completed before graduation (see Section 5). See Catalog and information supplement for additional information on alternate routes to nursing.                                                                                                                                                                                                

4.         All applicants must complete and sign the application for admission and have attached to the application official transcripts from high school (or GED/Equivalent) and colleges, approved petitions, and test score reports, to validate completion of the criteria.  Deadline for consideration for Fall enrollment is March 1, and for Spring enrollment is September 30.  Applications will be accepted for Spring beginning July 5 to September 30 and for Fall beginning January 5 to March 1.    

5.         ADDITIONAL ADMISSION INFORMATION:

5.1        Applicants must be free from communicable disease, infection, psychological disorders and  other  conditions that would prevent the successful performance of responsibilities and tasks required for completion of the education and clinical performance requirements of the college and Nursing Program.

5.2        Since all communication will be by mail, it is the applicant\'s responsibility to make certain that the Nursing Division has her/his current address.  Accurate phone number information enables additional quick contact for clarification and updating of data.                                                         

5.3             A nursing program orientation meeting is scheduled prior to the start of each semester.  Candidates who have been accepted to the program will be notified of the date, time and place of the orientation. It is essential that all accepted candidates be present at the meeting; otherwise their place in the class will be forfeited.

6.         Elective Courses  The Health Sciences Division offers certain elective nursing courses designed to assist the  pre-nursing student prepare for the Nursing Program. These courses include: Nursing 301B and Nursing 301C, the second two modules of ‘Success Strategies for Nursing”, Nursing 301; Nursing 302, “Mathematics of     Drugs and Solutions”; and Nursing 364, “Pharmacology”. The courses are highly recommended to all students.

Students are encouraged to seek ongoing guidance from counseling and to check with the Health Sciences Division. To improve reading and math skills students should seek assistance from the Learning Assistance Center. Tests may be repeated once competence is improved.   

Group counseling to give additional information or obtain clarification of requirements is offered once a month in the nursing    building; please call the Counseling (233-4226) or Nursing Division (310-233-4360) for dates and times.  Attendance is encouraged. Individual counseling appointments may be made contacting the Counseling Division. 

B.        REGISTERED NURSE CURRICULUM:  (See College Catalogue for additional information)

NOTE:  All courses require a grade of "C" or better and Satisfactory rating in both lecture and clinical lab. Minimum percentage to earn a "C" grade/Satisfactory rating in the Nursing Program is 75%.

            The minimum required grade for all general education classes, including PE, humanities, American Institutions, English, Speech, and the Biological and Behavioral sciences is "C". The cumulative GPA must be 2.5 or higher for all college transcripts. The cumulative GPA in the Biological Sciences must be 2.5

                        All nursing students are exempt from the health class requirement for graduation.

                        See the L.A.H.C. catalogue for alternate routes for LVN to RN, including route 3 ("30-unit" option).

All applicants please review the catalogue and meet with a counselor regarding prerequisites, co-requisites, the math competency requirement and all other requirements for graduation and for the  eligibility to sit for the licensure exam and to wear the school Nursing pin.

                        Readmission is not automatic and is limited. See the Catalogue, Nursing Division for policies.

GENERIC ADN (RN) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

L.V.N. TO R.N. ROUTE #4 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

(See LVN TO RN Supplementary Information Form and College Catalog for detailed information of all alternate routes.)

Note:  Nursing 329 A/B, the L.V.N. to R.N. Transition courses are required concurrent with Nursing 321 and 311 or after completion of Nursing 321 and 311. Applicants must have successfully completed these four 1-unit classes prior to taking any nursing courses with a clinical component. They may be in-progress at the time of application.

Required Prerequisites:  See Pages 1-2 for program prerequisites required of LVN to RN applicants. Placement into 2nd or 3rd semester is determined by student scores on the Standardized Assessment Exams.  

C.        COSTS:   The following are approximate costs.  Maintenance and transportation are not included.  ALL EXPENSES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  COSTS HAVE BEEN APPROXIMATED AS OF FEBRUARY 2001.

PREADMISSION:  After being notified of your admission to the nursing program, and prior to the first day of class, the following requirements must be completed (Cost is variable and related to the availability of health insurance coverage and the selection of a provider): 

Background Check (required by clinical agencies): $48.00 (subject to change)
Basic Life Support ("C" level) health care provider CPR course: $35 to $60
Basic First Aid Course:  $35 to $60 (Not required of incoming LVN-RN students)                                   
Physical Examination, including Lab work and infectious disease immunity titers: $150 to $350           
Immunizations, including Hep-B:  $100 to $350

*          Increases in Tuition and Licensure Fees are proposed with each State budget.  Expect these to increase.
Students who already have received a B.A./B.S. degree currently now pay only  $ 26/unit.

           Non-Residents and Foreign students pay approximately $150/unit.

           Students auditing a class currently pay $15/unit.   

           Financial aid, including work-study funding and tuition waiver, is available to qualified students.  Please see the Financial Aid Office in the Administration Building.

           Scholarship opportunities, offered by local health care agencies, are available for nursing students in good standing.

           Limited funding for service to the program, Nursing Learning Lab, and peer tutoring may be available for nursing students in good standing.                                                                                  

NOTE:  Enrollment/Admission Criteria to the Registered Nursing Program have changed as of the Fall 2006 semester and are subject to further change.

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