Nursing Program, TSU (A.A.S.)

Volunteer State Community College | Division of Math & Science

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Dear Prospective Nursing Student:

We are glad to hear you are interested in the TSU Nursing Program at Volunteer State. Nursing is a challenging and rewarding field, and we enjoy helping others get started in the profession.

We want to take this opportunity to make you aware of some important information that will guide you in planning your course of study. Our deadline for receiving all application materials is March 15th in order to be considered for admission in the Fall of that year. This means we need to have a complete folder in our office that contains the following items:

1. Completed admission form for the Nursing program
2. Pre-Nursing exam score (arranged through VSCC Counseling and Testing Office, Ext. 3484)
3. Proof of GPA better than 2.50 (that does NOT reflect grades received in any remedial courses)
4. Proof of proficiency in Algebra at the intermediate level (either by placement test scores, completion of required developmental courses in Algebra, enhanced ACT score or completion of a College Algebra course with a C or better)
5. Proof of Chemistry with a lab with a grade of C or better (may be one year of High School Chemistry or one semester of College Chemistry)
6. Proof of acceptance into Tennessee State University

Please submit these documents together and at one time. Keep a copy of all your paperwork for yourself just to be safe. It is essential that you fulfill the above requirements before March 15th. DO NOT put off Chemistry or Algebra and be taking other classes instead. You will not be considered at all for our program until the Math, Chemistry and ALL developmental classes are completed. Once they are, you may feel free to get as many other support courses out of the way.

We REQUIRE you to attend one of our advisement sessions in which we will elaborate further on our program and respond to specific questions you may have. If you bring transcripts of other college work, we can give you a good feel for whether or not you can receive transfer credit. If you are already an LPN, you will want to learn about our LPN challenge option. You will also be able to obtain all the forms for application that you will need and find out how to register for the pre-Nursing exam. These sessions will be held at the Vol State campus. Call the TSU/VSCC Nursing Department for times and dates.

Please do not hesitate to call (230-3293), write us a note or come by our offices at Vol. State if we can be of further assistance. Best of luck as you pursue your educational goals!

TSU/VSCC Nursing Program

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING

ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN NURSING at VOLUNTEER STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

HOW IT WORKS

Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin is fortunate to be able to offer students in the Gallatin area the opportunity to complete an AAS Degree in Nursing. The Nursing Program is actually a degree program of Tennessee State University which has been extended to the Gallatin campus. The procedures for entering the program are somewhat different for students who want to complete their coursework at Volunteer State because all of the general education courses are VSCC courses taught by Vol State faculty; the grades for these VSCC courses will appear on a VSCC transcript. These Vol State grades will be transferred to TSU (after the student has been accepted into the Nursing Program) and substituted for the equivalent general education courses required of students enrolled in the program on the TSU main campus. The student would, therefore, enroll in VSCC to take the general education courses and, before being allowed to begin taking the Nursing courses, would fill out an application and be accepted to TSU, AND WOULD HAVE TO BE ACCEPTED INTO THE NURSING PROGRAM, as well. Acceptance into TSU is one step in the process while acceptance into the Nursing Program is a separate process which results in an official letter from the Dean of the Nursing School at TSU. The contract between Vol State and Tennessee State University specifies that the courses will be taught on the Vol State campus in Gallatin with clinical experience gained at hospitals as close to the Gallatin campus as possible. According to the contract, students are expected to take their general education courses at Volunteer State Community College (BIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, ENGLISH, and everything else that is required that doesn’t have NURSING in its title).

STEPS IN THE PROCESS

1. Fill out an application to Volunteer State Community College.
2. If needed, take the placement tests in Reading, Writing, and Algebra.
3. Meet with VSCC advisor to schedule all required Remedial or Developmental refresher courses. These required courses will be on a computer printout available from the VSCC advisor.
4. * VERY IMPORTANT: Be certain that ALL Developmental courses (if required by the placement test) and CHEM 1030 (or one year of high school chemistry with a grade of C or better) are completed by the end of Fall term to be eligible for the class beginning the NEXT FALL TERM. The TSU Nursing Admissions Committee will decide during the Spring term who will be admitted for the upcoming Fall class.
5. Attend one of the scheduled TSU Nursing Advising sessions. The schedule will be available from the TSU Office at VSCC (230-3293).

A student may request a VSCC application from the Office of Admissions (230-3688) to be completed and returned with the one-time $10.00 application fee. An application for admission to TSU may be requested from the Office of Admissions at Tennessee State University or from the TSU Office on the VSCC campus. Faculty and staff from TSU come regularly to the Gallatin campus to advise students enrolled or considering enrollment into TSU sources, and to teach TSU courses. TSU Nursing faculty have offices on the VSCC campus.

Many of the prospective Nursing students entering at Vol State have been out of school for some time. Students who are 21 or older will be REQUIRED to take a Tennessee Board of Regents’ Placement test. This is the same placement test used at all Board of Regents’ Community Colleges, Technical Institutes and Universities (TSU and Columbia State, for example). This test battery is part of the normal process of registering for college courses for all students who enter to pursue degrees. The test has parts on Reading, Writing, and Mathematics including algebra). MOST STUDENTS WHO ENTER COLLEGE TODAY NEED SOME ASSISTANCE IN READING, WRITING, OR MATHEMATICS AND, THEREFORE, ARE REQUIRED (based on Test results) TO TAKE SPECIFIC REFRESHER COURSES BEFORE THEY CAN ENROLL IN COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSES. All students who enroll in general education courses at Vol State to satisfy the TSU Nursing requirements will follow the very same testing procedure required of all other degree-seeking Vol State students.

ADMISSION TO VOLUNTEER STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

1. Complete the application and return it to the Office of Admissions with a $10.00 fee. Mark “PRE-NURSING 2-YR TSU” on the application as your MAJOR at Vol State. You will automatically be assigned to a Vol State faculty advisor who works with students to prepare them to enter the TSU Nursing Program when they are ready.
2. Take the Placement Test as soon after applying and before registration for VSCC classes. Call the Testing Office at VSCC to see when testing is scheduled (230-3484.) Your VSCC faculty advisor will interpret the test scores for you and assist you in selecting the proper classes. Unless REMEDIAL READING is required, you may begin immediately to take one or more Vol State General Education courses which will fulfill the Nursing requirements. HOWEVER, you will, of course, have to complete ALL REQUIRED REMEDIAL/ DEVELOPMENTAL COURSES BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE PLACEMENT TEST. All of these REQUIRED courses SHOULD be completed in your first or second semester to insure that you develop college-level skills BEFORE taking college-level courses.
3. As soon as possible after enrolling at Vol State, attend one of the scheduled TSU Nursing Advising Sessions. If you choose to complete all of the Vol State General Education courses required in the Nursing degree before taking any TSU Nursing courses, then completion of the Program will require more than the minimum of two years. MOST of the students currently in the TSU/VSCC Nursing Program took required Remedial/Develop-mental refresher and required VSCC General Education course for one or more years before being “accepted” into the Nursing Program. Once enrolled in the first Nursing courses (NUR 1010 and NUR 1200), four semesters are required to finish. Very few students choose to complete the Nursing Program in only two years.

HINTS

Nursing is a very demanding but rewarding profession. There is tremendous interest in the profession and places in the nursing class at Vol State (and elsewhere) are highly competitive. Planning ahead is absolutely essential. YOU MUST DEMONSTRATE CURRENT ALGEBRA SKILLS (on the Intermediate Algebra Placement Test or by passing the VSCC course DSPM 0850) AND HAVE COMPLETED A YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY COURSE WITH LAB (CHEM 1030 at VSCC will satisfy this requirement) BEFORE THE END OF DECEMBER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO BE ACCEPTED IN TO THE NURSING PROGRAM WHICH BEGINS IN AUGUST OF THE NEXT YEAR.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE

Please call the TSU Office at Vol State (230-3293), OR the Coordinator of the TSU Nursing Program (230-3282), OR a Secretary of the Division of Mathematics and Science at Volunteer State in Gallatin, TN (230-3261), OR Adrian Miller, TSU Community College Recruiter (353-3577).

Tom Miller 9/27/91, revised 11/01/06