Practical Nursing Program Information for 2025 Entry
The Profession and the Program
Practical nurses are essential to the health care team. Practical nurses provide individualized care in various health care settings such as long-term care, hospitals, home health, doctor's offices, and other community settings. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) care for the sick, injured, convalescent, and disabled under the direction of a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, licensed physician, dentist, or other independent health care provider recognized by the State Board of Nursing.
Licensed Practical Nurses, including students of the RCC Practical Nursing (PN) program, are required to possess the highest level of integrity, ethical behavior, and emotional stability. Licensed Practical Nurses are required to have integrity, accuracy, and honesty in the provision of care, including reporting changes in patient condition, acknowledging errors in practice and reporting them promptly, accurate charting, and implementing care as ordered.
The RCC Practical Nursing Program has aligned with the RCC OCNE Associate Degree Nursing Program and will now begin Fall terms. It is a limited entry program and students are selected according to the highest points obtained in the selection process. It is approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing and is located at the Table Rock Campus in White City, Oregon.
The Practical Nursing Program is a nine-month program (33 weeks) that begins the fall term and ends the spring term. The program may have an extended two-week IP experience after the spring term ends. Classroom, skills lab, and clinical courses run over four to five days per week, with clinical courses scheduled for days that vary from term to term. The program meets the educational requirements of the Oregon State Board of Nursing enabling them to take the national licensure exam for practical nurses (NCLEX-PN) and provides the community with competent entry-level practical nurses for a variety of health care settings.
With the alignment of the PN Program, Practical Nursing students will enroll in the first-year OCNE curriculum. Matriculation to the 1st year ADN OCNE curriculum will require students to adhere to the same application deadline of February 15 as well as meet the same prerequisite requirements and similar entry and matriculation guidelines. Re-entry to the 2nd year of the ADN Program will be possible for student to complete their two-year Associate of Science Degree in Nursing and be co-admitted to the OHSU BSN Program.
Students planning to apply to the program should note the following information from the Oregon State Board of Nursing which could impact them after completion of the program:
- To decrease the chance of fraud in obtaining licenses from individuals who live overseas and do not intend to work in the US or Oregon, Social Security Numbers are required (per Oregon Revised Statute 25.785) of any applicant seeking a new CNA certificate, LPN or RN license or seeking renewal of a CNA certificate or LPN or RN license.
- Refusal to provide an SSN will result in denial of licensure/certification, and the denial will be reported to the National Practitioner Databank. US work visas (H1B, I-766, or other current federal government form authorizing you to work in the United States) will be accepted. If students are attending school on an F1 Visa, they will need to provide the OSBN with a copy of the I-94 and I-20 signed by the designated school authority at the time of the application for licensure.
- Background checks may lead to denial of licensure – Check the OSBN website at Oregon State Board of Nursing: How Criminal History Affects Your Application.
Computer and Internet Basics
Basic computer and internet access for students is essential. RCC offers student computer labs on all three (3) campuses. Students admitted to RCC are assigned a personal RCC email address. Students with an RCC email address are given free access to Microsoft Office 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) that they can use on line or download to their personal computers.
Internet and email access are integral parts of all practical nursing courses as all course exams will be online with ATI Testing and possession or access to a laptop computer for classroom use will be required daily. Assignments, quizzes, and communication typically utilize the various tools of Rogue Online (Blackboard), the college’s learning management system. If you have questions about obtaining the appropriate computer for the Practical Nursing Program, please utilize the Student Help Desk link in your myRogue Student Account.
Access and Disability Resources
Any student who feels that they may need academic accommodations should make an appointment with the Access and Disability Services Office. It is important to establish contact at least 4-6 weeks prior to entering the program. For more information, visit the Access and Disability Services page.
Student Application Eligibility
Program enrollment is limited. RCC reserves the right to increase or reduce enrollment numbers. For eligibility for admission to the Practical Nursing program in January of 2025, the following conditions must have been met:
- The application must be received by email with the required attachments by February 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
- Transcripts must be postmarked by February 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
- The application fee of $60 must be paid to Rogue Community Marketplace by February 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
- All prerequisites must be completed with a "C" or better by February 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
- Applicants must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA (for all courses completed at RCC, or at the college where anatomy and physiology were completed if the applicant is new to RCC).
- Applications cannot be processed for any student who has a financial hold at RCC unless that hold is cleared by the application deadline and remains clear throughout the application/selection process.
- Students must not be on academic suspension the term before the application deadline.
- Official transcripts for classes completed elsewhere than RCC must be submitted by or before the application deadline. Official transcripts should be sent via National Student Clearinghouse to the Enrollment Services Office.
Note: A Transfer Credit Evaluation Request must be completed to trigger an evaluation of official transcripts received outside of RCC. - Applicants must contact ATI Testing, establish an account, and schedule the TEAS Exam and attach/ upload results with their application before by February 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Information about the TEAS and registration links can be found at ATItesting.com. Scores of previous TEAS exams can be used within the previous two years of the application deadline. Applicants may retake the exam as long as there is a two-week waiting period between exams. Students with a score of 58.7% or less are ineligible to apply.
All practical nursing applicants must sit for an essay session. See the Nursing Programs Application for Essay Session dates and time and how to reserve your session.
For information on how selection points are awarded in the selection process, please refer to the 2024-25 Selection Point Criteria.
Rogue Community College Nondiscrimination Policy
Rogue Community College does not discriminate in any programs, activities or employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, use of native language, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, pregnancy or any other status protected under applicable federal, state or local laws. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Lucia Bartscher, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator and Lead Title IX Coordinator; 541-956-7124; [email protected].
RCC has a zero tolerance for sexual assault, stalking, intimate partner or domestic violence, dating violence and workplace violence. Anyone found participating in any of these activities will be subject to disciplinary action and prosecuted in accordance with RCC policies and procedures and Oregon state laws. For more information, visit RCC's Title IX page.
If a student applies but is not accepted into the program, or is accepted but does not enroll for the term to which they have been accepted, the student must re-apply to be considered for admission the following year, and must meet the Graduation Guide entry requirements for that year. If a student applies to the program, placed as an alternate and does not move into the program, they must have accepted the alternate status and complete all preparatory courses fall term in order to receive alternate points the next application year. Points as alternates apply only for the following application year.
Progression, Re-Entry or Transfer
If a student leaves the program before the successful completion of the program, re-entry is not guaranteed except in extenuating circumstances explained in the link above.
Prior to Entry
Students accepted into the Practical Nursing program for the Winter Term of 2024 will be notified by email mid-November. All admitted students must have met all requirements previously mentioned above in Student Application Eligibility. Additional requirements before the start of the program are:
- An OSBN CNA license remains current throughout the program.
- Proof of a current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification. See approved CPR courses on the RCC website. CPR certification must remain current throughout the program.
- Provide proof of documentation required under Oregon Health Authority Administrative Chapter 409, Rule 30 at Oregon Administrative Rules 409-030-0100 regarding immunizations, criminal background check, 10-panel drug screen, etc.
- Per OHA 409-030-0250, Information Sharing or Use of Data: students are required “provide written, signed permission that explicitly allows the sharing of required documents and necessary evidence with clinical sites, including but not limited to any release required under HIPAA or other applicable laws to disseminate the student’s personal health information under these rules. Dissemination of information received under these rules may only be made to individuals with a demonstrated and legitimate need to know the information.”
Clinical experiences are scheduled at several sites in the Rogue Valley, i.e., Medford, Grants Pass, and possibly Ashland typically beginning at 6:00 a.m. Expect to travel to all the sites throughout the program. Clinical experiences will occur during the day for most terms (with client selection and preparation usually occurring on the day before clinical) in long-term care or acute care setting. The final clinical rotation (during the summer post session in September) is a practicum experience in which students are matched with a staff LPN or RN (Clinical Teaching Associate), in a variety of approved settings with varying shifts.
Practical Nursing classes, labs, and clinical typically involve 20-30 hours of attendance per week and additional hours of study/preparation/assignments for the program per week. Meeting these requirements may mean that students will need to adjust their employment and family responsibilities. Students may not work the shift immediately preceding a clinical rotation because of the potential impact on safe client care.
Students should be aware that if accepted into the practical nursing program they will be required to comply with Practical Nursing Student Handbook policies and sign an agreement to follow policies to continue in the program. Instructors distribute and review the content of the handbook during the required orientations held the first week of the winter term.
This information reflects an accurate picture of the program offered at Rogue Community College at the time of publication (July 2024). However, conditions may change. Therefore, the College must reserve the right to make any necessary changes in the program description, costs, policies, or curriculum. Questions should be directed to the Practical Nursing Program, at 541-956-7308.
