Nursing Program Admissions

The Connecticut Community College Nursing Program (CT-CCNP)

is an innovative associate degree program of study offered at six Connecticut Community Colleges (Capital, Gateway, Naugatuck Valley, Northwestern CT, Norwalk and Three Rivers community colleges). The common nursing programming offers a four-semester curriculum designed to prepare registered nurses to function in the professional role utilizing current standards of nursing practice. In addition, students within the program have the same admission and policy standards, which allows for greater student flexibility.

The curriculum is built upon courses from the social and biological sciences, liberal arts, and nursing; these courses provide the foundation for the practice of nursing. The curriculum is organized by concepts that guide student learning about the nursing profession, health and illness, health care systems and patients who are the recipients of nursing care. The curriculum is guided by local, regional, and national standards and trends within healthcare, higher education, and the nursing discipline. The delivery of the curriculum is accomplished through a dynamic educational experience that involves active and diverse learning processes.

Upon successful completion of the Nursing program, the college awards the graduate an Associate in Science Degree. After the Associate in Science degree is awarded, the graduate is eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Graduates can apply for licensure through the Connecticut Department of Public Health or through the state within which they would like to practice. The graduate is prepared to function as a safe, competent entry-level practitioner within settings across health care systems such as acute care (general or specialty hospitals), subacute or long term care, and community based care settings such as provider offices and clinics.

Approval and Accreditation

The newly revised CT-CCNP curriculum has been approved by the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing, with the consent of the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Each program within the CT-CCNP approaches national accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, ACEN, located at 3343 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326; Phone: 404-975-5000, Fax: 404-975-5020, Email: info@acenursing.org. The curriculum is implemented at each of six Connecticut community colleges based upon college level approval processes and the approval of ACEN.

The Role of the Associate Degree Graduate within the Scope of Nursing Practice

The Nursing Program will provide the graduate with the knowledge and technical skills to practice in a safe, effective and competent manner within the legal and ethical framework for an entry-level Registered Nurse. The scope of practice for the Associate Degree graduate is to provide and manage care for a diverse group of individuals, families and communities in collaboration with members of the health care team.

Educational Advancement in Nursing

The CT-CCNP supports advancement in nursing through education. Graduates of the CT-CCNP have the opportunity to continue their education at a number of baccalaureate and advanced degree programs throughout the state and beyond. To learn about the articulation agreements in place for CT-CCNP graduates, go to www.ct.edu/nursing.

Colleges that Offer the CT-CCNP

Capital Community College
Admissions Office
950 Main Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06103
860-906-5140
www.capitalcc.edu

Gateway Community College
Admissions Office, Long Wharf Campus
Attention: Nursing
60 Sargent Drive New Haven, CT 06511
203-285-2010
https://www.gatewayct.edu/

Naugatuck Valley Community College
Admissions Office
750 Chase Parkway
Waterbury, CT 06708
203-575-8040
www.nv.edu

Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Admissions Office
Park Place East
Winsted, CT 06098
860-738-6300
https://www.nwcc.edu/

Norwalk Community College
Admissions Office
188 Richards Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06854-1655
203-857-7060
https://norwalk.edu/

Three Rivers Community College
Nursing Admissions
574 New London Turnpike
Norwich, CT 06360
860-892-5702
www.trcc.commnet.edu

Advisement

Advisors/Counselors are available at each college to guide applicants through the admission process. Students should direct all questions to the contact at their College of Choice. Additionally, students are strongly encouraged to attend a Nursing Information Session at the College of Choice to learn more about the CT-CCNP. A list of upcoming information sessions can be found at www.ct.edu/nursing.

Capital Community College
Mike Kriscenski, 860-906-5045, mkriscenski@capitalcc.edu

Gateway Community College
Mary Beth Banks, 203-285-2388, mbanks@gatewayct.edu

Naugatuck Valley Community College
Noreen Cerruto, 203-575-8079, ncerruto@nv.edu

Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Rebecca Ozerhoski, 860-738-6339, rozerhoski@nwcc.commnet.edu

Norwalk Community College
Bill Chagnon, 203-857-7090, wchagnon@norwalk.edu

Three Rivers Community College
Steven Paternoster, 860-215-9323, nursingadmissions@threerivers.edu

Application Process

THE PROCESS BELOW IS FOR STUDENTS PLANNING TO APPLY TO THE NURSING PROGRAM FOR FALL 2021

The application period for the nursing program is November 1 - February 1 of each year. Applicants to the CT-CCNP must complete the online nursing application and submit all required documentation to the Admissions Office at the College of Choice by the February 1, 2021 deadline. “College of Choice” is the college that the applicant would like to attend. Applicants may only submit one application to one CT-CCNP program. Applicants should contact the College of Choice prior to the application deadline if they wish to change to a different college.

The information in this section includes everything you need to do as an applicant to the CT-CCNP and what your College of Choice will do to communicate with you throughout the process. You will find five key sections to aid in understanding the process:

1. Technical computer specifications necessary for applying and receiving communication.
2. The Checklist of Application Requirements outlines everything you need to do as an applicant.
3. Admission Requirements, listed below:
   1. Courses & Competencies
   2. Nursing GPA
   3. TEAS
4. Computing Rank & Selection Process
5. The timeline of communication from your application through notification of admission decisions, including the specifics of our selection process.

Technical Specifications & Communication

Please review the technical instructions below to ensure you have no difficulties in submitting the application and receiving email from the CT-CCNP.

• Applicants should use a personal computer (not a smart phone, ipad, or macintosh) when attempting to access the online application.
• Make sure your browser allows pop-ups.
• Recommended browsers are Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.

All communication with applicants is to the student’s community college email address. Applicants that have not activated their community college email address should go to http://www.ct.edu/netid for more information.

Students need to disable the Outlook Clutter folder prior to submitting the application to prevent messages from unintentionally going into Clutter. Follow these instructions to turn Clutter OFF:

Sign in to the Outlook Web App

1. Go to Settings > Options > Mail > Automatic processing > Clutter.
2. De-Select/Un-Check the 2 boxes: “Separate items identified as clutter” and “Send me notifications about messages that are separated as clutter” and then click Save.

Note: The Clutter folder remains in Outlook after you turned off the Clutter feature by following these steps. If you forward your community college email to another address, please check your JUNK folder located in that mailbox, too.

Admission Requirements*

• Proof of high school completion.
• A score of 40 or greater on the College Level Math Portion on Accuplacer/College of Choice QAS cut score on Next Gen Accuplacer; OR SAT I Math Section/New SAT Math score of 550/570 or higher; OR a score of 22 or higher on the ACT Math test; OR Connecticut Community College MAT*136 or 137, or equivalent or higher, with a grade of C or higher, completed prior to application deadline of February 1, 2020.
• One year of qualifying high school Chemistry with a lab or Connecticut Community College CHE* 111  or equivalent with a grade of C or higher, completed within five years prior+ to application deadline of February 1, 2020.
• Connecticut Community College ENG* 101 - Composition , or equivalent, with a grade of C or higher, completed prior to application deadline of February 1, 2020.
• Connecticut Community College BIO* 211 - Anatomy and Physiology I , or equivalent, with a grade of C+ or higher, completed within five years prior+ to application deadline of February 1, 2020.
• Connecticut Community College BIO* 212 - Anatomy and Physiology II , or equivalent, with a grade of C+ or higher, completed within five years prior+ to application deadline of February 1, 2021 or completed during, but no later, than the spring semester of application year.
• 2.7 Nursing GPA - based only on the college courses with grades that meet the nursing admission and nursing program curriculum requirements. The Nursing GPA is a calculation specific to CT-CCNP applicants and may differ from your college GPA. (Please note: if an applicant is using a course from a Fresh Start semester to meet a nursing admission or program curriculum requirement, that course will count in the calculation of the applicant’s Nursing GPA.)
• TEAS score. Applicants must have an adjusted individual total score of 53.3% or higher, and must be submitted by February 1, 2021. Test scores will be valid from November 1, 2017 - February 1, 2021.

+ “Five years prior” is defined as having completed the course between December 2015 and February 1, 2021

There may be prerequisite courses that must be successfully completed prior to taking the admission requirements. Challenge exams may exist for certain admission requirements. Please consult with your College of Choice for additional information. Students should complete the required Accuplacer computerized placement test. The placement test may be waived for students who have prior college English and/or mathematics credits.

TEAS

The TEAS is a multiple-choice test that evaluates essential academic skills: math, science, reading, and English. The test will take approximately 3 ½ hours to complete. Test dates cannot be rescheduled after registration. Testing fees are non-refundable.

• Applicants must obtain an adjusted individual total score of 53.3% or higher to be eligible for admission.
• Tests taken prior to November 1, 2017 will not be accepted.
• Applicants may retake the TEAS as many times as desired. The CT-CCNP will use the applicant’s highest qualifying TEAS score when determining eligibility.
• A study manual for the TEAS is available through www.atitesting.com. Online practice tests are also available through ATI. For additional information about the TEAS, please visit www.atitesting.com.
• The TEAS is administered at Capital, Gateway, Naugatuck Valley, Northwestern CT, Norwalk and Three Rivers. If the TEAS is taken at a site other than one of the CT-CCNP Colleges, applicants must have official results sent by ATI to the College of Choice by the application deadline of February 1, 2021.
• Do not wait until you have your TEAS results to submit your CT-CCNP application.

You can submit the application and all other materials prior to taking the exam.

For testing schedules and registration information, go to www.atitesting.com. Applicants must have an account with ATI & select a CT-CCNP college as their “Institution” of choice in order to register for the TEAS. In addition to selecting a CT-CCNP college when setting up your ATI profile, please use your Banner ID as your “Student/Employee ID.” Applicants must log into their ATI account in order to see available testing dates within the community college system.

Clinical Learning Experiences

• Clinical experiences may be assigned during daytime, evening, or weekend hours.
• Clinical assignments in all courses are subject to change based on availability of clinical sites and number of students in clinical groups.
• Clinical sites could be within an hour radius of the college, and may require a mandatory parking fee.
• Students must make their own travel arrangements during the program.
• Students will receive a packet of information at the time of acceptance to the program which outlines current nursing program specific immunization policies.
• A completed CT-CCNP Health Assessment Form (which document specific requirements for the nursing program) must be on file in accordance with college policy.
• Clinical learning experiences are planned as an integral part of the nursing courses and are held at a variety of healthcare settings, such as hospitals, extended care facilities, and selected community settings.
• Assignment of clinical sites is at the discretion of the nursing faculty.

Computing Rank & Selection Process

Formula for Computing Rank All eligible applicants will be ranked through the CT-CCNP admissions process. Eligible applicants who meet all of the application and admission requirements are assigned a rank position among all other applicants for all six colleges. Rank positions/numbers are computed by the following formula:

25% = TEAS score
25% = BIO* 211 - Anatomy and Physiology I  grade
50% = Nursing GPA

Selection Process: Rank, Random, Waitlist

Rank Selection (75%):
Each college will fill 75% of their seats by rank.

Random Selection (25%):
The remaining applicants consists of all students who are eligible for the program, but who were not selected through rank selection. Twenty-five percent of spaces at each college are filled through the random selection of these applicants.

Waitlist:
Applicants on the waitlist are ranked by their original CT-CCNP rank number. The waitlist is divided into six separate lists based on students’ College of Choice. When openings occur, applications will be selected in rank order and offered a nursing seat at that college. Applicants who refuse an offer from their College of Choice are removed from consideration for the current academic year. In the event that a college’s initial waitlist is exhausted, applicants will be offered a space, based on their overall CT-CCNP rank, as they become available. If an applicant is offered a space at a college other than their College of Choice, the applicant can refuse the offer and remain on the waitlist of their College of Choice. The waitlist will not carry over from year to year. Applicants who are not selected from the waitlist will need to submit a new application if they want to be considered for admission the following year.

Timeline of Communication with Applicants & What to Expect

As stated earlier, ALL communication from the CT-CCNP will be to your Community College email address. It is the applicant’s responsibility to disable the “Clutter” folder (p 5) and check according to this timeline for important information. If you forward your community college email to another address, please check your JUNK folder in that mailbox, too.

Application Submission

• You will know that your CT-CCNP application has been successfully submitted when you receive an email within an hour of clicking “submit.” The content of this email will let you know you that your application made it to its destination and who to contact should you need to make any changes (the College of Choice).

Incomplete Application

• If you are missing items, you will receive an email within the first ten days of March 2021. It is the student’s responsibility to check for this email and respond within the timeframe allotted in the email. Failure to reply by the due date will result in an ineligible application.

Decisions

• All applicants will be notified by email within the first ten days of April 2020 that decisions are ready to view in Banner Self-Service.
• The three possible decisions:

Admitted Student - all necessary acceptance documents will be posted in Banner Self-Service for the student to print, review, and submit included forms.

Waitlisted Student - eligible applicant but not enough spaces. A paper letter will be sent following the electronic notification to indicate your exact placement on the waitlist at the College of Choice. The waitlist number will not be given to students by email or telephone. It is important to make sure your correct address is on file (check Banner Self-Service and make any changes prior to April 1, 2021 if necessary).

Ineligible Student - due to missing requirements

LPN Advanced Placement

LPNs who are admitted to the CT-CCNP, are guaranteed a spot to enter the program in the first semester (NUR* 120 ). The option of advanced placement of accepted LPNs into the third semester (NUR* 220 ) cannot be guaranteed at individual college sites. Availability of the advanced placement option is based upon space and other resources.

The Connecticut Community College Nursing Program participates in the Connecticut League for Nursing Articulation Model for LPNs. To be eligible for articulation the LPN must:

• Hold a current unencumbered Connecticut Licensed Practical Nurse license. You are not eligible for LPN Advanced Placement if your license is not in good standing or you do not hold a current LPN license.
• Satisfy all the CT-CCNP admission requirements.
• Submit a CT-CCNP application and be admitted to the program. (Please note, the application process does not vary for LPN candidates.)

Once admitted, LPN candidates will be advised as to their placement within the CT-CCNP. For an LPN to begin the program in the third semester, if space and resources allow, the following requirements must be met:

• Complete the required general education courses of the first year of the CT-CCNP with a grade of C or higher
• Successfully complete the Connecticut LPN Transition Bridge Course at Charter Oak State College (COSC NUR190) and the appropriate college based CT-CCNP LPN transition course (CT-CCNP NUR* 152 ).
• While LPN program graduates may enroll in COSC NUR 190 prior to licensure as an LPN, current Connecticut LPN licensure is required to enroll in CT-CCNP NUR* 152 .

If offered the advance placement option, students will only be eligible to advance place into the third semester of the nursing program (NUR* 220 ) upon successful completion of COSC NUR 190 and NUR* 152 . Students must be licensed as an LPN in Connecticut to be eligible to take CT-CCNP NUR* 152  and to qualify to begin the CT-CCNP in the third semester (NUR* 220 ).

If a student chooses the advance placement option and is unsuccessful, they will be ineligible to elect to enter the program in the first semester (NUR* 120 ). In order to be eligible to enter the program in the first semester, the student must reapply to the CT-CCNP and be accepted again to start in NUR* 120 .

Applicants are encouraged to seek advisement from one of the contact persons listed on page four in the information packet prior to the application process. If admitted to the program, a student must contact the persons listed on page four for advisement regarding advanced placement.

External Transfer Nursing Applicants

External transfers will be considered on a space-available basis. An external nursing transfer applicant is defined as a student who has successfully completed one or more nursing courses within the last 18 months at a program outside of the Connecticut Community College system, and wishes to transfer in these courses for advanced placement. Students who wish to transfer nursing courses with a clinical component from another college or university will be considered for transfer after the following requirements have been met:

1. The applicant completes the CT-CCNP application for external transfers, and submits the application to the Admissions Office at the College of Choice. Applicants to Gateway Community College must submit all application materials to the Nursing Department. Applicants must meet all nursing program admission requirements. Completed applications are due by July 3 for the fall semester, January 2 for the spring semester and May 1 for the summer semester. Applications can be downloaded from the CT-CCNP website: http://www.ct.edu/nursing.
2. A written request for evaluation of nursing course work and nursing course descriptions must be submitted to the Admissions Office at the College of Choice along with the CT-CCNP application. Requests will be forwarded to the Nursing Director at the College of Choice. Written requests are due by July 3 for fall semester requests, January 2 for spring semester requests and May 1 for summer semester requests.
3. External transfer candidates must have a 3.0 overall Nursing GPA. The Nursing GPA is based only on the college courses with grades that meet the nursing admission and nursing program curriculum requirements. The Nursing GPA is a calculation specific to CT-CCNP applicants and may differ from your college GPA. (please note: if an applicant is using a course from a Fresh Start semester to meet a nursing admission or program curriculum requirement, that course will count in the calculation of the applicant’s Nursing GPA.)

Transfer Credits

Transfer credit evaluation for nursing applicants is done by the College of Choice upon the request of the applicant. Important points:

• Twenty-five percent (25%) of the total credits applicable to the nursing degree must be granted by the college awarding the degree.
• No more than thirty credit hours of non-traditional credit may count towards the nursing degree.
• Non-traditional credit includes CLEP, DSST, Challenge Exams, Military Service Schools, and Assessment of Prior Learning.
• In accordance with transfer of credit guidelines set forth by the Board of Regents, courses which meet nursing program requirements will be accepted by the CTCCNP. Once an applicant earns credit at the College of Choice, transfer credit for the same course from another college will not be granted.

Credits Earned Outside the United States - Transcripts need to be evaluated by the “Course By Course” option through the World Education Services Inc., PO Box 745, Old Chelsea Station, New York, New York 10113 or another approved site and submitted to the College of Choice. Contact the College of Choice for additional information.

Transfer Grades

• To transfer courses, a minimum grade of C is required from regionally accredited colleges, unless otherwise noted by the admission requirements. Courses from colleges not regionally accredited will not be accepted in transfer.
• A grade of C+ will be determined when the college does not use plus (+) and minus (-) by having the student be responsible for providing the proof that the grade is a C+. A numerical grade of 77-79 will be considered a C+.
• Nursing courses from the transferring institution will be considered for credit and placement if the student received the minimum passing grade, as indicated in the course syllabus, and meets all other transfer policies as listed above.

Readmission to the Nursing Program and Readmission Transition/Advanced Placement Policy

Readmission to the nursing program is based on a review of, but not limited to, reason for withdrawal from the program, past academic and clinical evaluations, and evidence of interim efforts to strengthen areas of weakness. Students who are dismissed from the nursing program because they do not meet the dosage calculation requirement are eligible to apply for readmission. Consideration for readmission to the program can only be granted if there are available openings, and sufficient clinical resources and faculty. In the event there are more readmission applicants than available openings, a ranking system will be applied. Readmission requests are evaluated on an individual basis by the Nursing Readmission Committee.

Readmission Requirements

• Successful completion of NUR*101.
• Minimum GPA of 2.70. (GPA is based on any college courses taken that meet the nursing admission and/or curriculum requirements.)
• Completion of an exit interview within 30 days of leaving the Program.
• Application for readmission within 12 months of leaving the Program.
• Re-enrollment in the CT-CCNP within 18 months of leaving the program.
• Submission of documentation of completion of current health requirements, BLS and required criminal background checks and toxicology screening upon notification of readmission and prior to the start of the program.

Readmission Process

The student must:

• Meet with the Nursing Director, course leader or designee to complete the exit interview.
• Submit a letter to the Nursing Director at the college where the student was enrolled in the nursing program, requesting readmission to the program by:
  - April 1 for fall semester readmission.
  - November 1 for spring semester readmission.
• Describe in the letter efforts made by the applicant to strengthen the areas of concern identified during the exit interview.

Readmission is granted on a space available basis. Additional items may be required by the student to complete the readmission assessment.

A student applying for readmission who also wishes to transfer to another college within the CT-CCNP, must first be approved for readmission by the college where the student was enrolled in nursing, before making a transfer request.

For students readmitted to the CT-CCNP Program from the previous CT-CCNP curriculum from Fall 2019

The CT-CCNP has implemented a curriculum revision that necessitates a transition process for students at all college sites who are readmitted to the CT-CCNP from the previous CT-CCNP curriculum from fall 2019 forward. This new approach to the CT-CCNP is called a Concept-Based Curriculum (CBC). This process eases the transition to the new curriculum and positions students for success.

The Transition to the CT-CCNP CBC pathway provides a smooth transition for students at all college sites who were previously enrolled in the CT-CCNP and experienced circumstances which caused an interruption in completing the program of study. Students can transition to the CBC after successful completion of NUR*101, NUR*102 & 103, or NUR*201 & 202. A grid to guide student placement into the CBC is available.

Application for Transition to the CBC

To be eligible for consideration for transition to the CBC after an interruption of study in the previous CT-CCNP curriculum, applicants must:

1. Follow the CT-CCNP Readmission Standards to apply for readmission. Refer to the CT-CCNP Nursing Student Handbook at: http://www.ct.edu/files/pdfs/nursing-handbook.pdf, Readmission.
2. Be deemed eligible for readmission to the CT-CCNP
3. A student applying for transition to the CBC, who also wishes to transfer to another college within the CT-CCNP must first be approved for readmission by the college where the student was previously enrolled in the nursing program. Refer to the CT-CCNP Nursing Student Handbook at: http://www.ct.edu/files/pdfs/nursing-handbook.pdf, Transfer Within the CT-CCNP.

Completion of Transition to the CBC course

Students deemed eligible for readmission to the CBC must enroll in NUR* 126 - Transition to the CT-CCNP Concept-Based Curriculum  .Purchase of corresponding CBC learning resources (textbooks, digital resources, etc.) is arranged for students upon registration. Students cost for the Pearson learning resources package is 25% per semester enrolled in the nursing program*.