UACCM Practical Nursing

Admission Process

FAQ

Admission into the UACCM Practical Nursing Program is a competitive process. A class of 24 students begins twice per year.

Steps and Criteria

Step 1

Complete the Admission Process.

Admission Requirements

Students must be fully admitted and be a high school graduate or equivalent before applying for the practical nursing program.

Students who have not attended class or completed an admission application within the last 12 months at UACCM are required to complete a new College Admission Application.

Step 2

Pass All Prerequisite Courses With A "C" or Better.

Prerequisite Courses

Students may be enrolled in the prerequisite courses at the time of application to the Practical Nursing program. Only prerequisites that appear on the student’s official transcript at the time of application will count toward the total points for selection.

Science prerequisite courses may not be attempted more than two times unless approval is granted by advisor or the Director of Practical Nursing.

Step 3

Achieve a Minimum Composite Score of 140 on the NEX Exam.

Students must pay a $55 testing and proctoring fee for the exam at the Student Accounts window in the University Center before scheduling an appointment with Testing Services to take the NEX. The exam may be taken before applying to the Nursing program. Students will only be allowed to take the NEX one time per application period. NEX scores will only be accepted from UACCM and must be taken on-site. No NEX scores taken at other testing centers will be accepted

NEX Exam Scheduled

  • NEX Exams for Spring admission are given from July 1– October 1 October 18.
  • NEX Exams for Fall admission are given from January 1 – April 1.

Effective July 1, 2024, the Practical Nursing pre-admission testing requirement will transition from the PAX to the NEX exam. Due to changes in the test and the composite score range, PAX results will no longer be accepted & students applying for admission to the Spring 2025 class are required to take the NEX exam to meet eligibility requirements.

Step 4

Complete and Submit the Application for the Practical Nursing Program Online.

Practical Nursing Application

The application is only good for one admission period. Students who decline a position or who were not selected as a candidate must submit a new application the next application period to be considered for admission to the program.

Application windows

  • Applications for Spring admission are accepted from July 1 – October 1 October 18.
  • Applications for Fall admission are accepted from January 1 – April 1.

Step 5

Submit a Letter of Good Standing.

Only required for applicants who have previously attended another nursing program (PN or RN).

Any student who has previously been in the Practical Nursing program at UACCM must follow the Readmission/Progression Policy.

Entrance Requirements

Admission to the College does not necessarily qualify a student for admission to the Practical Nursing program. A minimum 2.50 GPA and good academic standing is required for admission to the Practical Nursing Program.

Students who score below these placement scores must complete any remedial courses prior to entering the Practical Nursing program. The ACT, and ACCUPLACER test scores are good for 5 years.

  • 19 – ACT English

    19 – ACT Reading

    17– ACT Mathematics

  • 83 – Classic ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills

    78 – Classic ACCUPLACER Reading

    48 – Classic ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra

  • 260 – ACCUPLACER NG Writing

    252 – ACCUPLACER NG Reading

    230 – ACCUPLACER NG QAS

Remedial Courses that may be required are:

Applicants must hold a current Arkansas Nursing Assistant license or have Nursing Assistant listed on their transcript within the last two years. Science prerequisite courses may not be attempted more than two times unless approval is granted by advisor or a Nursing Director. Students may be enrolled in the prerequisite courses at the time of application to the Practical Nursing program. Only prerequisites that appear on the student’s official transcript at the time of application will count toward the total points for selection.

Students who have been suspended from UACCM for the possession or use of controlled substances, illicit drugs, or the unlawful possession and use of alcohol will be ineligible to make application to the Practical Nursing program.

Students who are selected for admission into the Practical Nursing program must submit to the Division of Health Professions and Natural Sciences office current proof of:

  • 2-step Tuberculosis assessment and clearance
  • Influenza vaccination
  • Hepatitis B vaccination or titer
  • Varicella vaccination or titer
  • Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination
  • Tetanus vaccination
  • Negative urine drug screening
  • American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification

All immunizations must be current upon acceptance and maintained during the program. Other immunizations may be required per facility.

A mandatory information session will be held at which time information on the required background check will be given; this check must be started before the beginning of the program, and the results must be satisfactory in order to remain in the program. By the first day of class, students are required to provide copies of all required documentation to the Division of Health Professions and Natural Sciences office. Students failing to submit the required documentation within the prescribed time frame will be removed from the program.

Background Checks Upon Admission

The Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) requires a criminal background check for all graduates applying for licensure. Graduating from a Practical Nursing program does not assure ASBN’s approval to take the licensure examination. Eligibility to take the licensure examination is dependent on meeting standards in the ASBN Nurse Practice Act and Rules and is determined by the ASBN. The student will be required to sign statements, before beginning the Practical Nursing program, that states the student has read and understood Arkansas Nurse Practice Acts, ACA §17-87-312, and ACA §17-3-102 and the specific offenses which, if pleaded guilty, nolo contendere, or found guilty of will make an individual ineligible to receive or hold a license in Arkansas.

Students will be required to complete a background check by the first day of the Practical Nursing program. Students will be conditionally admitted to the Practical Nursing program for up to two weeks pending the receipt of a satisfactory background check. If the student is unsuccessful in obtaining a satisfactory background check, the student will be removed from the Practical Nursing program. Students may contact the Director of Practical Nursing for additional information.

Selection of Candidates

The Practical Nursing Selection Committee is responsible for selecting the best-qualified applicants for admission to the Practical Nursing program. A Practical Nurse Selection Rating Form will be used to assign points to each applicant according to the NEX exam and education points. Students must score a minimum composite score of 140 points in order to be considered for the program. If the total score was not at least 140, students may schedule an appointment with their advisor, a nursing faculty, or the Director of Practical Nursing to discuss ways to improve points. After the tabulation of points, the applicants will be ranked from highest to lowest. Students will be selected for admission into the program based upon the number of points received from the selection criteria. In the event of a tie, the students with the same score will be ranked according to the application date.

UACCM is committed to the elimination of all discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or handicap. The College seeks to comply with all federal, state, and local statutes and regulations, including those that promote equal protection and equal opportunities for students, employees, and applicants.

Academic Progression

lecture courses must apply for re-admission to the Academic Standards Committee before being permitted to continue in the program.
The following grading system is utilized to evaluate students in all courses

A — 90-100%
B — 80-89%
C — 75-79%
D — 60-74%
F — 0-59%

Readmission/Re-entry Information

Readmission or re-entry into a UACCM nursing program involves a number of requirements which must be met before a student will be considered.

  • Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and be in good academic standing.
  • The following documents are required for readmission/re-entry. All documents should be submitted to the Vice Chancellor of Academics (University Center, Suite 100). Documents for the readmission should be submitted on or before the appropriate application period. Documents for re-entry should be submitted within two (2) weeks of withdrawing/failing any nursing course. If the deadline to submit the documents is on a Saturday, Sunday and/or holiday for which the campus is closed, the deadline will be the next business day in which the campus is open.
    • Practical Nursing Readmission/Re-entry application.
    • A letter of action which includes a brief summary of why the student is no longer in the program and a plan for successful completion of the program.
    • A letter of recommendation from one of the nursing faculty.
  • Readmission - Once approved by the Vice Chancellor for Academics to be readmitted, the student must make application to the Practical Nursing program. Students who are allowed to be readmitted will be ranked with all other applicants received during the application period. Acceptance into the program is not guaranteed.
  • Re-entry - Should several students be approved by the Vice Chancellor for Academics for re-entry to the same program level, student will be ranked. Due to the limited number of available seats, student’s GPA, letter of action, and recommendation letter will be used to create a ranking scale to guide in the decision-making process.

Background Checks Upon Readmission/Re-entry

The Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) requires a criminal background check for all graduates applying for licensure. Graduating from a nursing program does not assure ASBN’s approval to take the licensure examination. Eligibility to take the licensure examination is dependent on meeting standards in the ASBN Nurse Practice Act and Rules. The student will be required to sign statements, before beginning the nursing program, that states the student has read and understood Arkansas Nurse Practice Acts, ACA §17-87-312, and ACA §17-3-102 and the specific offenses which, if pleaded guilty, nolo contendere, or found guilty of will make an individual ineligible to receive or hold a license in Arkansas.

Students will be required to complete a background check upon selection into a nursing program. A prior background check may be used only if it is less than one (1) year old; the student will need to complete a new background check when the prior one has expired. Please see the program requirements for details about background check requirements.

Co-requisites

All nursing courses are co-requisites within each semester; therefore, a student seeking re-entry must take all courses offered for the level of re-entry.

Clinical Skills

Students selected for re-entry into the PN program must successfully complete a Nursing Skills Checkoff Exam prior to the semester of re-entry.