The Nursing program is designed to provide the basic education for a registered nurse within contemporary society.

The Nursing curriculum prepares registered nurses who will be able to:

• Provide safe, effective nursing care to people of diverse cultures across the lifespan in a variety of health care settings.
• Be proactive to developments and changes which effect healthcare needs of individuals, groups and communities.

The Nursing program promotes excellence in nursing education through general education studies, nursing studies and supervised clinical experiences in varied healthcare settings.

The nursing curriculum provides experiences in meeting human needs holistically across the health-illness continuum.

Theoretical and clinical learning experiences are integrated within the clinical nursing courses.

Harcum College offers two (2) Nursing tracks: DAY Nursing and EVENING Nursing. The Nursing portion of the program may be completed in a two-year DAY Nursing track, or a primarily part-time eighteen month EVENING Nursing track. Graduates complete 71 credits in the Nursing Program and are awarded an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Nursing and are then eligible to take the National Council for Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Program Outcomes 

Graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing program will:  

1. Provide holistic nursing care in a variety of settings, responding to the unique needs of diverse clients across the lifespan.
2. Employ the nursing process and critical thinking in the planning and delivery of holistic nursing care.
3. Communicate effectively and professionally with diverse clients and members of the interdisciplinary health care team.
4. Collaborate with clients and the interdisciplinary health care team to facilitate health promotion, health restoration, health maintenance and illness prevention in varied health care settings.
5. Demonstrate caring and competence in a variety of roles: provider of care, manager of care and member within the discipline.
6. Integrate knowledge from biological, social, behavioral and nursing sciences as a basis for thinking critically and guiding actions in the practice of nursing.
7. Utilize the teaching-learning process with diverse clients across the life span to promote health and wellness.
8. Demonstrate self-direction and accountability while practicing within the professional, legal, ethical and regulatory standards as a registered nurse.
9. Incorporate personal and professional growth in nursing through lifelong learning and professional and community activities.

Application Requirements:

• Harcum College Application
•  Official College Transcript(s)  (must be received in a sealed envelope)
• Official High School Transcript or GED documentation for applicants who do not hold a baccalaureate degree
• Professional Resume
• Essay - Why I Chose Nursing as My Career (typed; 1.5 inch spacing; no longer than 2 pages)
• Two (2) Letters of Recommendation on Professional letterhead
• Child Abuse History Clearance
• Criminal Clearance Check Original ONLY(dated within year of application)
• Letter stating when you will have all 10 prerequisite courses completed
• TOEFL Scores - all applicants, regardless of citizenship, who have not attended school in the United States at the secondary level for at least three years, fulltime, or do not have a degree from an accredited United States college or university must present paper-based TOEFL or internet TOEFL scores

TEAS Exam
Once the Admissions office receives your complete packet you will be contacted to take the TEAS exam on campus. Candidates for EVENING are scheduled to take the exam in November and December. Candidates for DAY are scheduled to take the exam in February and March. Each candidate must take the TEAS exam and is strongly encouraged to prepare for it. Harcum College requires a set score of 65%. This information will be a factor in the decision making process. Students may only retake the TEAS exam once. 

Acceptance into the Nursing Program is competitive. Completion of requirements does not guarantee admittance into the Nursing Program.

Acceptance Requirements:

• Provide evidence of an optimal level of individual health to complete Core Performance Standards
• Meet all health and immunization requirements of the Nursing Program, including titers for Rubeola, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella Zoster, Hepatitis B, and Poliovirus
• Provide proof of current certification in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers with AED (American Heart Association) or Basic Life Support for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross)
• Provide evidence of a negative 10-panel urine drug screening test
• Completed prerequisite courses with a minimum GPA of 2.8; a grade of C or better in each course; a grade of B required for all science courses

Note: The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing requires Harcum College to inform applicants that they may be denied a licensure or the privilege of taking the licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) if they have been convicted or have pleaded guilty by a judge of a misdemeanor, felonious act, or illegal act associated with alcohol or an illegal act associated with substance abuse(s) in the course of this Commonwealth or any other state, territory, country.

For more information, contact the State Board of Nursing phone: 717-783-7142

List of Prerequisite Courses that are needed for both nursing tracks:

*both courses must be completed at the same college or university

In addition, all science courses must be taken within 10 years, or they expire and cannot be used to fulfill the prerequisite courses.

Progression Criteria/Degree Requirements:

  Progression in the Nursing Program leading to an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing requires the student to:

• Achieve a minimum grade of C in each Nursing course
• Meet Core Performance (Health) Standards
• Maintain required immunizations
• Hold current certification in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers with AED  (American Heart Association) or Basic Life Support for Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross)
• Satisfy the 71 credits required for completion of the Nursing Program

The application of theory in practice is integral to learning in the clinical setting. Therefore, course grades are based upon the assessment of two components:

1. The didactic (classroom) component – the student’s knowledge of nursing content
2. The clinical practicum – the student’s demonstration of nursing theory in practice through the attainment of specific, clinical, practicum learning objectives.

Students must successfully pass both theory and clinical practicum to progress to the next Nursing course.  Failure in either the didactic or clinical component results in a course failure. 

An “unsatisfactory” rating in any clinical practicum results in a failing grade for clinical, and thus a failure for the Nursing course. 

Students who are unsuccessful in a Nursing course must follow the procedures outlined in the Nursing Student Handbook. A second time that a student achieves below the grade level necessary for progression in the Nursing Program will result in suspension from the Nursing Program.

All degree requirements of the Nursing Program must be completed within four years after beginning the first Nursing course, Introduction to Nursing Practice (NUR 101).

In all cases, the Nursing faculty reserves the right to take action when a student is not performing at the expected level of achievement and/or is deemed unsafe in the clinical setting. Specific policies and requirements related to the Nursing Program are contained in the Nursing Student Handbook.

Accreditation

The Harcum College Nursing Program received initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission in March 2007. The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 3343 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326, phone: 404-975-5000

Full approval from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing was received in October 2005. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, State Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 2646, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649; phone: 717-783-7142; or fax: 717-783-0822; or email: st-nurse@state.pa.us  

The Harcum College Nursing Program was placed on provisional approval status by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing on November 2, 2010, as a result of graduates’ first-time pass rates on NCLEX-RN. The Pennsylvania Board of Nursing reaffirmed the Provisional status in October 2011.The Nursing Program is currently undergoing self-study revisions to improve graduates’ first-time pass rates. Find out more...