The Associate Degree Nursing curriculum provides knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to meet individual needs which impact health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Course work includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary team providing safe, individualized care while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). Employment opportunities are vast within the global health care system and may include positions within acute, chronic, extended, industrial, and community health care facilities.

Associate in Applied science Degree (AAS) A45120
Non-nursing classes may be taken prior to the time they are scheduled in the curriculum but if they are not, they must be taken at the times listed below. All nursing courses must be taken in the order they appear in the curriculum.

Nursing Program Information
Haywood, Southwestern, and Tri-County Community Colleges offer a joint associate degree nursing program through a consortium agreement known as the Region A Nursing Consortium. These three colleges serve the seven western counties of North Carolina. Haywood Community College is the administrative unit for the consortium.

Persons interested in entering the nursing program are encouraged to apply to the college serving their area of residency. Due to enrollment limitations, interested individuals are urged to begin the process of application as early as possible. Information on nursing and the program requirements are available in the Nursing Department of each of the three member colleges. Applications may be obtained from the Admissions Office at any of the colleges.

All students who successfully complete the program receive an Associate in Applied Science degree with a nursing major (ADN), and are eligible to write the NCLEX-RN for licensure as a registered nurse. Successful completion of the nursing program does not guarantee licensure. The Board of Nursing may not issue a license to an applicant who has been convicted of a felony.

The Schedule
The schedule is designed for full-time study. For the first two semesters, nursing classes are held on the campus of the college of enrollment. Beginning with the third semester, nursing classes are held on one of the three college campuses. Non-nursing courses in the curriculum may be completed at the college of enrollment or wherever is most convenient for the student. Students, however, are responsible for having their transcripts for non-nursing courses taken at other colleges sent to the college of enrollment. Clinical experiences are provided in a variety of settings throughout Western North Carolina.

The structure of the nursing program permits individuals to make choices about their career in health care. After the successful completion of one semester, a student is eligible to test for listing as a Nurse Aide I; after two semesters, to test as a Nurse Aide II.

Students may apply to any one of the three Consortium member colleges. The college of enrollment confers the associate degree and maintains permanent student records.

Health Occupations Aptitude Examination (HOAE)
Applicants seeking admission into the Nursing program must take the Health Occupations Aptitude Examinations (HOAE). The Health Occupations Aptitude Examination measures abilities, skills, knowledge, and attitudes important for successful performance in the field of Nursing. The resulting scores are a component in the highly competitive nursing selection process. The HOAE may be taken once in an admission cycle (February 1-January 31).

The examination consists of five parts: academic aptitude, spelling, reading, comprehension, natural science, and vocational adjustment. A $15 fee is charged for test administration and scoring. A test schedule and registration card must be obtained from your advisor after the Application for Admissions is processed. For more information, contact the Dean of Student Services or the Nursing Department.

Admissions Criteria
All applicants for admission to the associate degree nursing program will follow a standard admission process, be given identical information regarding the nursing program and the criteria for admission, and assigned a nursing advisor who will follow the applicant through the pre-nursing period.

When the individual begins the process, whether it be through the Admissions Office or the Nursing Department, information and instructions are furnished to the applicant along with an explanation of the program’s structure and the next step in the admissions process. Admission application forms are available through the college of enrollment. The applicant will also be referred from Admissions to Nursing or Nursing to Admissions for further information and processing.

The points will be totaled and 26 applicants at each college with the highest numerical score will be accepted into the nursing program. High school students selected for the program will be given provisional acceptance contingent upon graduation from high school. Determination of eligibility for advanced placement applicants will also be made in accordance with the January 31 deadline. These applicants will be given provisional acceptance contingent upon the satisfactory completion of all prerequisite courses by the end of the spring semester of the year in which they wish to enroll. Space available to advance placement applicants will be determined at the end of spring semester. Advance placement applicants will fill available spaces at the college of application beginning with the highest scoring applicant then the second highest scoring applicant, etc, and moving downward until spaces are filled.

Qualified applicants who have not been assigned a space in the program will be placed on a waiting list for the college of application. Should a space become available, the next applicant on the list will be contacted for admission to the program. If spaces are still available at a member college after all applicants to that college have been assigned, the remaining lists will be merged and assignment offered to the highest scoring applicant, then the second highest scoring applicant, etc. and moving downward until all spaces have been filled. In the event of a tie in the admission scores of two or more applicants, the applicant with the earliest date of application for nursing will be accepted.


PHASE III
The Admissions Department will notify all applicants of their status (provisionally accepted or wait list) after the January 31 deadline. Applicants being notified of provisional admission to the program will also receive health forms. These forms must be completed and returned to the Nursing Department of the college of application within 30 days. The Nursing Department will contact the applicant if any problems are noted on the forms and allow 30 days for resolution of these problems. Original copies of completed health forms will be kept on file. Letters of full acceptance to the nursing program will be sent to all accepted students by the Admissions Department when all required forms are on file. With the exception of high school students and advanced placement applicants, the acceptance process will be completed no later than April 15. Full acceptance for high school students and advanced placement applicants will be granted after the completion of the contingencies listed above.

Wait list applicants who are accepted into the nursing program after the initial class selection have 30 days to complete their health forms and an additional 30 days to resolve any identified problems. This process will remain in effect even if classes are in session. The applicant will be permitted to attend classes while completing the required forms but may be restricted from clinical participation until the immunization and physical forms are on file. All forms must be on file before the late-entry student may progress to the following term.

*Any applicant who is not selected must resubmit an application each year the applicant wants to be considered for admission to the program.

READMISSION / TRANSFER POLICY
Due to the limited number of students who may be enrolled in the nursing program, readmission and transfer into the program are possible only on a space-available basis. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater to be considered. To be considered for readmission, the student must have successfully completed at least one nursing semester. Priority for readmission or transfer into the Region A Nursing Consortium program will be given as follows:

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