Academic Programs

After successful completion of the Practical Nursing Program, students will receive the Practical Nursing Diploma and be eligible to take the NCLEX-PN examination. Students may enter the nursing workforce or continue to the Associate Degree in Nursing Program (after graduation, students are eligible to take the RN licensing examination). 

Successful completion of prerequisites is required before beginning the nursing program.

At the time of application, you must have completed or be in the process of completing all of the nursing program prerequisites. Prospective, transfer, current, and returning students to Minnesota West should contact the campus Student Services Office for help with course advising regarding the nursing program.

• Completion of a federally approved NA/HHA (Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide) course of 75 hours or more in length after 1990.
  1. If a NA/HHA course has been taken within the past 3 years, the student is not required to be on the MN NA Registry.
  2. If a NA/HHA course is greater than 3 years old, the student must be on the MN NA Registry.
  3. A test-out is available for those students who have taken a course after 1990 and need to obtain certification on the Minnesota NA Registry.

Clarification: If a student is just taking the NA course to meet the NA requirement for the nursing program, they do not need to test out at the end.  However, the student will not be certified as an NA/HHA and will not be able to work in this role without the test-out.

• Human Anatomy (BIOL 2201) is a prerequisite to the Practical Nursing Program. This course has a time limit of 5 years.  Additional courses with a 5-year limit are Physiology and Developmental Psychology. Applicants should review the currency of courses with a nursing advisor.
• EMS 1112 or a current CPR certification from the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR course with an in-person skills test-out certification. You must remain CPR certified through the completion of the program.

The following course sequence is required for completion of this program. Only students who have been accepted into the Nursing program are allowed to take the NURS courses.  The non-nursing course, PSYC 1150 Lifespan Developmental Psychology, may be taken either before or during the Fall term.  All other prerequisite courses must be taken before the beginning of the program.  Recommended courses to prepare for the Practical Nursing Program are:  MATH 1111 College Algebra, BIOL 2245 Medical Terminology, and CSCI 1102 Computer Applications I.

Notes:  NURS courses have a time limit of 2 years. If a NURS course was taken more than 2 years ago, the course would need to be re-taken, even if successfully completed.

Practical nursing students are required to participate in the ATI Testing Program.

Required end of program assessment will include:

• Completion of a ATI Integrated predictor exam prior to graduation
• Completion of a ATI Review course prior to authorization to test for NCLEX-PN exam.

**Clinical experiences are a part of the program and are done in healthcare facilities located in southwest Minnesota. On-campus and online learning students need to be prepared to travel to assigned clinical sites as part of the program.

The Practical Nursing program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College at the Worthington, Granite Falls, and Pipestone Campuses located in Worthington, Granite Falls, and Pipestone, Minnesota is accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE. Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-975-5000
https://www.acenursing.org/

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Practical Nursing program is continuing accreditation.
View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program on the ACEN website.