Admission Process

UACCM Registered Nursing Program is an Arkansas State Board of Nursing approved 12-month program that runs from January to December. Admission into the UACCM Registered Nursing Program is a competitive process. A class of up to 48 students begins once per year.

Online classes with face-to-face Friday clinicals.

Steps and Criteria

Entrance Requirements

Admission to the College does not necessarily qualify a student for admission to the Registered Nursing program.

Students who are selected for admission into the Registered Nursing program must submit to the Division of STEM and Nursing office current proof of:

• Tetanus
• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination
• 2-step Tuberculosis assessment and clearance
• Influenza vaccination
• Hepatitis B vaccination or titer
• Varicella vaccination or titer
• 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.

Students selected for admission will receive a letter of acceptance into the program via email from the Director of Registered Nursing, and will need to accept the invitation. This acceptance will be linked in the acceptance email. In the event that the student does not plan to enroll, they need to notify the Nursing Department by filling out the declination form linked in the acceptance email so that an alternate student may have the seat. The Nursing Department will maintain an alternate list of students in the case of a selected student declining his/her acceptance letter.

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 Registered Nursing program.

If an applicant failed twice in a generic RN program, then later successfully completed an LPN/LVN/LPTN program, the applicant will be eligible to apply to the UACCM Registered Nursing program.

Background Checks Upon Admission

Background checks will be conducted at the student’s expense on selected applicants prior to the beginning of the program. If an applicant’s/student’s background check is unsatisfactory, he or she will not be admitted to the program.

Selection of Candidates

Admission will be based on total points of combined NACE percentage points (score=points) and prerequisite GPA points. The top 48 highest points will be accepted with alternates thereafter.

Example:

1. If you have a 3.7 prerequisite GPA, multiply by 10 and you have 37 GPA points.
2. If you have 37 GPA points and score 70% on the NACE, then you have a total of 107 points.
3. If you completed your LPN degree at UACCM, add 2 more points, for a total of 109 points.

Pre-requisite:  33 hours at $130 per credit hour (pch) = $4290

Estimated costs above does not include textbooks. Visit theuaccmbookstore.com for pricing.

Clinical Supplies and Other Additional Costs:

*Semester 1 (Level 1) students will register and complete during the first semester depending upon facility rotation scheduling. Certification is good for one year & required for students to remain in compliance with clinical facility policies.

**Semester 1 (Level 1) students must register online prior to 1st day of classes and pay with debit/credit card.

Level 3:  NCLEX-RN® ($350), AR Application for Licensure ($100), Background check ($41), LiveScan fingerprinting ($25) Temporary License ($30) TOTAL = $546

Academic Progression

Students are required to maintain a 75% in each course. Students are required to successfully complete all courses in a semester in order to progress to subsequent semesters. Final course grade will not be rounded to nearest whole number.

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%

Transfers

Due to differences in nursing curriculum in other nursing programs, UACCM will not accept transfer credit for previously taken Registered Nursing courses. Students who were enrolled in another program will follow the same requirements and admission procedures as students who have never attended another nursing program.

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.
  • Registered 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 Registered 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 Check and Drug Screen Upon Admission

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. ACA §17-3-102 provides an opportunity to request a waiver of eligibility criteria related to a criminal background in certain circumstances. Links to ACA §17-87-312 and ACA §17-3-102 can be found below.

• Nurse Practice Act
• 17-3-102. Licensing restrictions based on criminal records

Background check and urine drug screen will be conducted at the student’s expense on selected applicants prior to the beginning of the program. Directions for conducting both of these will be provided with the letter of acceptance. If an applicant’s/student’s background check and/or urine drug screen is unsatisfactory, he or she will not be admitted to the program.

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 RN program must successfully complete a Nursing Skills Checkoff Exam prior to the semester of re-entry.

Required Physical and Metal Abilities

The delivery of nursing care is both physically and mentally demanding. Students preparing to enter the UACCM Registered Nursing program are required to be physically and mentally capable of completing the clinical and classroom requirements. At a minimum, the following mental and physical abilities will be required throughout the nursing program. These same abilities will likely also be needed throughout a nursing career.

The following mental and physical abilities are required in the nursing program:

• Work in a standing position and walk for long periods of time.
• Lift and transfer patients up to 6 inches from a stooped position, then push or pull weight up to 3 feet.
• Lift and transfer patients from a stooped to an upright position to accomplish bed-to-chair and chair-to-bed transfers.
• Apply up to 10 pounds of pressure to bleeding sites and in performing CPR.
• Respond and react immediately to auditory instruction, request, and/or monitor equipment, perform auscultation without auditory impairment.
• Perform up to twelve hours in a clinical laboratory setting.
• Perform close and distance visual activities involving objects, people, and paperwork, as well as discriminate depth and color perception.
• Discriminate between sharp/dull and hot/cold when using hands.
• Perform mathematical calculations for medication preparation/administration.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using appropriate grammar and vocabulary and penmanship with classmates, faculty, and members of the community.
• React appropriately under stressful situations.
• Demonstrate evidence of critical thinking in various settings.
• Demonstrate gross and fine motor dexterity.
• Participate effectively in group activities.