Nursing- Vocational Nursing
Certificate
Program Overview
Are you passionate about making a difference in people's lives? The Laredo College Vocational Nursing Program is the perfect place to start your journey. The primary role of the vocational nurse is to provide quality-nursing care in a structured health care setting for clients who are experiencing common, well-defined health problems with predictable outcomes. The vocational nurse functions under the supervision of a registered professional nurse and/or a physician. As a vocational nurse, you'll work as part of an Interdisciplinary Team (IDT), collaborating with other healthcare professionals to provide holistic and patient-centered care.
The Vocational Nursing (VN) Program at Laredo College is a clinically intensive one-year certificate program, which offers classroom instruction and related clinical practice in four basic areas of nursing:
- Fundamentals
- Medical/surgical
- Maternity/pediatric
- Psychiatric
Supporting courses and program content include:
- Basic human anatomy and physiology
- Mathematics
- Pharmacology
- Nutrition
- Life cycle/growth and development
- Vocational adjustments
- Legal and ethical aspects of nursing practice
- Nursing skills
Upon completion of the Vocational Nursing Program the graduate will receive a Level 2 Certificate and may register for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam to become a Practical/Vocational Nurse in the State of Texas. https://www.bon.texas.gov/
Program Mission
The mission of the Vocational Nursing Program is to prepare individuals to become competent and safe vocational nurses by providing quality nursing education with a commitment to educational excellence and promotion of student success.
Job Opportunities
With over 100,000 vacant positions across the nation and an ever-growing need for healthcare workers, the career outlook is excellent for the nursing field. There are many specialties available in a variety of settings and environments for nurses to work.
Completing the VN Program
Once a student is selected to be a part of the Vocational Nursing Program, it will take 12 months to complete the requirements for graduation from the program. Prerequisite courses include PSYC 2314 and MDCA 1409 (or both BIOL 2301, BIOL 2101 & BIOL 2302, BIOL 2102) with a C or better with a minimum GPA of 2.5. At the completion of the Vocational Nursing Program, a student will receive a Vocational Nursing Certificate from Laredo College.
Salary
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) in Texas is $52,850 annually, or $28.72 per hour. For more information click here
Program Costs
The approximate cost of the one-year certificate program for tuition and fees is $5,300, not including books and other fees that will be required throughout the program. Please refer to the VN Student Handbook 2024-2025 for specifics. Students seeking financial aid should contact the Financial Aid Center for more information.
Accreditation Info
The Vocational Nursing (VN) program is a clinically intensive one-year certificate program that offers classroom instruction and related clinical practice in four basic areas of nursing: fundamentals, medical/surgical, maternity/pediatric, and psychiatric. Supporting courses and program content include basic human anatomy and physiology, mathematics, pharmacology, nutrition, life cycle/growth and development, vocational adjustment, legal and ethical aspects of nursing practice, and nursing skills.
At the completion of the program, the graduate will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) to be licensed to practice in Texas.
The Vocational Nursing Program is fully approved by:
Texas Board of Nursing
Statistical Data (Licensure/Exam/Retention Rates)
Vocational Nursing Program Data
|
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
National Council Licensure Examination PN (Practical Nurse) |
97.40% (74/76) |
89.61% (77/69) |
97.44% (38/39) |
88.89% (40/45) |
100% (26/26) |
Number of Graduates |
76 |
76 |
41 |
45 |
26 |
National Passage Rate |
86.68% |
80% |
80% |
83% |
86% |
Vocational Nursing Student Learning Outcomes
- Determine patient-centered care by communicating and collaborating with the interdisciplinary health care team.
- Explain patient-centered teaching to promote common health problems, health promotion, maintenance, and self-care.
- Assume accountability when providing patient-centered nursing care by functioning within the legal/ethical scope of practice.
- Apply critical thinking and clinical judgment to provide comprehensive patient-centered nursing care.
- Evaluate patient outcomes and responses to therapeutic interventions.
- Distinguish patient-centered health needs with social diversity.
- Evaluate actual and potential unsafe practices in the client’s environment.
Marketable Skills
In addition to acquiring the knowledge and skills required to become a registered nurse, students also develop marketable skills that are valued by employers. These skills include:
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgement
Information
Admission Information/Application Requirements
The student seeking admission to the VN Program must:
- Apply for admission and be accepted to Laredo College. (A student must reapply if they last attended more than 1 year ago). Click here for more information
- Students that apply must be College Ready in Reading, Writing, and Math to be considered.
- The student must have a 2.5 or better GPA in their institutional and overall GPA.
- If the pre-requisite courses were taken at another institution, official transcripts must be submitted to the LC admission office to be added to your LC student records.
- GPAs for: Prerequisites, Institutional, and Overall will be calculated up until Fall 2024, December 15, 2024.
- Students taking pre-requisite courses (including flex courses) that begin after December 15, 2024 will not be used to calculate any GPAs needed to apply to the VN Program.
- “D” course grades are not considered a passing grade
- Complete (V.N.) pre-requisite courses:
- PSYC 2314 Life Span Growth & Development
- *MDCA 1409 Anatomy and Physiology for Medical Assistants
*Completion of BIOL 2301, BIOL 2101 & BIOL 2302, BIOL 2102 will satisfy this requirement.
9. Complete and submit VN Program application. Click below:
https://webportalapp.com/sp/laredo_vocational_nursing
- Applications Open January 27, 2025, 9 am - Applications Close February 28, 2025, at Midnight.
- An LC Palomino ID# is required to apply and your LC student email.
- Please use your legal name(no nicknames) as this information will be submitted to the Texas Board of Nursing for background check processing.
- A status of "Application Intake" is not considered submitted, the applicant needs to complete and submit the application for consideration.
- Please visit the Bursar's Office at Fort McIntosh or South Campus to pay the application fee(s) ($10 per program). Application fee is non-refundable.
Your application will not be submitted without proof of application fee payment.
- Applicants are required to provide proof of payment for the application fee for each nursing program that they are applying to.
- If proof of the application fee is not submitted the application is cancelled and cannot be retrieved or re-submitted.
10. Once an applicant applies they are screened to verify they have completed the pre-requisite courses with a 2.5 GPA or better.
11. At the end of March students are notified (via LC Student email) if they are qualified to take the ATI TEAS pre-entrance exam.
12. Testing takes place in April and selected students begin the program in Fall.
13. Students who are chosen for the program are notified by the end of April and must submit the required paperwork to register for the program in the Fall semester.
14. A minimum overall score of 58% or better on the ATI TEAS is required to be considered for the program.
15. Test scores from other nursing schools are not accepted.
Selection Process/Competitive Ranking Process
Acceptance to the program is a competitive ranking process based on points awarded for designated criteria. Meeting all of the criteria does not guarantee anyone admission to the program.
Applicant’s will be allocated points based on:
Pre-Requisite, Institutional, and Overall GPA’s
GPA Range |
Points |
3.6 - 4.0 |
3 |
3.1 - 3.5 |
2 |
2.5 - 3.0 |
1 |
Maximum of 9 points from GPAs
Pre-entrance standardized examination scores
Overall Score to be considered for the V.N. program = 58.00 |
||||||||
ATI TEAS |
||||||||
Reading |
Math |
Science |
English |
Cumulative Score |
Points |
|||
100 - 81 |
100 - 78 |
100 - 66 |
100 - 70 |
100 - 74 |
2 |
|||
80.9 - 66 |
77.9 - 61 |
65.9 - 48 |
69.9 - 58 |
73.9 - 58 |
1 |
|||
65.9 - 0 |
60.9 - 0 |
47.9 - 0 |
57.9 - 0 |
57.9 - 0 |
0 |
|||
Maximum of 10 points from ATI TEAS Scores.
Maximum Points for each program is 19 Points.
Pre-Entrance Exam Information
What is on the ATI TEAS, Version 7 Exam?
- The ATI TEAS, Version 7 Exam is comprised of four content areas: reading, math, science, and English and language usage. The TEAS 7 contains 39 reading, 34 math, 44 science, and 33 English and language usage scored items.
- The table below displays the number of questions in each category as well as time limits for each section of the TEAS. There are 170 total questions on the ATI TEAS, Version 7, which includes 150 scored items and 20 unscored, pretest items. The total time limit is 209 minutes. The ATI TEAS, Version 7 Exam will introduce alternate item-type questions, questions that are not the conventional, single-answer multiple choice question. Click here for more information on alternate item-type questions.
The ATI TEAS, Version 7 will be released on June 3, 2022. Official TEAS Prep by ATI has been released to prepare you for the new exam. Visit www.atitesting.com/teas-prep for more details.
Pre-Req, Background Info/Vaccines/Clinical Requirements/Etc.
Please refer to the Student Handbook for criminal background verification, vaccine requirements and additional program information.
*LC IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENT*
Students enrolling into Laredo College programs with external learning experiences (i.e., clinical, practicum, externship, cooperative, etc.) will be required to comply with the immunization requirements and policies of the clinical/external learning sites to engage in all clinical/external learning experiences. Vaccination requirements at clinical/external learning sites are implemented pursuant to the independent authority of such facilities and are not mandated by Laredo College. Failure to meet the immunization requirements mandated by clinical/external learning sites may limit a student’s ability to complete the program and/or may delay the student’s graduation date. Laredo College does not process exemptions, and students should address potential vaccination exemptions directly with the clinical/external learning site.
Plan of Study
*Courses must be taken in sequence. | ||
Pre-Requisites | Semester Offered | Credit Hours |
PSYC 2314 Life Span Growth & Development | F, SP, SSI, SSII | 3 |
*MDCA 1409 Anatomy and Physiology for Medical Assistants | F, SP, SSI, SSII | 4 |
Total | 7 | |
Semester I (Fall) | Semester Offered | Credit Hours |
VNSG 1323 Basic Nursing Skills | Fall | 3 |
VNSG 1500 Nursing in Health & Illness I | Fall | 5 |
VNSG 1260 Clinical Licensed Practical Nurse Training – Introduction M/S | Fall | 2 |
Total | 10 | |
Semester II (Spring) | Semester Offered | Credit Hours |
VNSG 1230 Maternal-Neonatal Nursing | Spring | 2 |
VNSG 1234 Pediatrics | Spring | 2 |
VNSG 2331 Advanced Nursing Skills | Spring | 3 |
VNSG 1409 Nursing in Health & Illness II | Spring | 4 |
VNSG 1262 Clinical Licensed Practical Nurse Training – Maternity/Pediatric & M/S II | Spring | 2 |
Total | 13 | |
Semester III (Summer) | Semester Offered | Credit Hours |
**VNSG 2410 Nursing in Health & Illness III | Summer Session I | 4 |
**VNSG 1205 NCLEX-PN Review | Summer Session I | 2 |
VNSG 1263 Clinical Licensed Practical Nurse Training – M/S III & Mental Health | Summer Session I | 2 |
Total | 8 | |
Total of Credit Hours | 38 | |
*Completion of BIOL 2301, BIOL 2101 & BIOL 2302, BIOL 2102 will satisfy this requirement. |
||
**Capstone experience: VNSG 2410, VNSG 1205, and VNSG 1263 are taught in the last semester. The learning experiences in these courses results in a consolidation of a student’s educational experience. | ||
Requirements |
||
*Complete Assessment Test requirements for placement and/or satisfy the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements for entry into college level courses. | ||
*LC Pre-requisite, Institutional and Overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater. | ||
*Successfully complete Pre-Entrance Standardized Exam individual score of 58 or greater. | ||
*Students must complete the nursing courses in the required semester sequence as outlined in the Vocational Nursing program curriculum plan. | ||
All courses must be taken concurrently. | ||
NOTE: Information regarding the Vocational Nursing Program is current at time of publication and is subject to change without notice. Approved by Texas Board of Nursing (BON) and the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board (THECB). |