For those who are applying for one of the nursing programs offered at Kapiʻolani Community College, a few changes have been made to the application requirements.
The ATI-TEAS pre-admission exam score has been lowered for the Associate Degree in Nursing Program (ADN) and Practical Nursing Program (PRCN).
The ADN entrance exam score minimum was 78 percent to apply, and has been lowered to a minimum of 65 percent, according to the ADN program overview website.
The PRCN entrance exam score was a minimum of 65 percent and has been lowered to a minimum of 60 percent to apply, as posted on the PRCN program overview website.
The lowering of test scores is in the pilot phase to track students who have a lower entrance exam score, to see how well they perform in either nursing program, according to the ADN program overview website.
But don’t let the lower entrance scores fool you.
The nursing program underwent some recent changes to entrance testing scores. Photo: Dusty Behner/Kapiʻo
The nursing councilors caution that even though the minimum score has been lowered, it does not mean that competition to get into either of KapCC’s programs will be less fierce. There are a limited number of spots in each program, and the number of applicants grows each year. Prospective applicants need to strive for good grades in the prerequisite courses and a competitive score on the ATI-TEAS, to be admitted.
Counselors are now encouraging current PRCN students who want to become Registered Nurses (RN’s) to apply for the ADN program after completion, instead of relying on entrance into the LPN-RN transition program to become a RN. This is due to the necessity of having one’s LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) license in hand upon acceptance to the transition program.
Since there is a possibility for delay in receiving one’s license after passing the NCLEX-PN exam, students will only be accepted on an alternate basis if they are not already LPN’s. If alternates have not received and presented a license to the KapCC nursing office by the time class starts, the students will be dropped from the transition program.
Per the ADN overview website, the five-year time limit on science prerequisite courses for ADN program applicants has been removed. Although it still exists for prerequisite science courses for the PRCN program.
For about a year, students applying for the ADN program could be accepted if they had completed six of the 10 prerequisites. Starting in December 2012, as noted in a special announcement on the ADN overview website, applicants need to have finished all 10 of the required prerequisites either by the time they apply or before the program begins. Applicants can still be finishing up prerequisite courses at the time they submit applications, but they will be put on the alternate list due to pending grades.
Students who have finished the co-requisites that coincide with the ADN and PRCN programs will be given an advantage since applicants are admitted based on those who are the ‘best qualified’ for success.
For more information about the programs, applications and how to apply, visit:
ADN program: http://www.kcc.hawaii.edu/object/adn.html,
PRCN program: http://kapiolani.hawaii.edu/object/prcn.html