Practical Nursing, Certificate

The Practical Nursing (LPN) program is in person, Monday through Friday, from 8am to 4:30pm Clinical rotations will be from 7am to 3pm

The following requirements must be completed in order to apply for the Practical Nursing program:

1. Document program eligibility in one of the following ways:
   1. Coursework in Math and English. Please see an advisor to evaluate your coursework.
   2. College-level placement exam scores for Reading, Writing and Math. The following exams are accepted: SAT, ACT, PERT, Accuplacer, ALEKS. Requests for testing accommodations must be made in advance, prior to testing, with the Disabilities Resource Center.
2. Arrange for official transcripts from high school and each post-secondary institution attended to be sent to the Office of Records at least one month prior to the program application due date.
3. Submit online application via your eSantaFe account by the posted application due date.

Contact the Disabilities Resource Center at 352-395-4400 to learn about testing accommodations.

To help protect patients and students, upon acceptance to a Health Science Program, all students must undergo state and federal background checks and show proof of certain immunizations and negative drug screenings as required by clinical affiliates. Students will be provided instructions to complete these tasks at the appropriate time. For more information, please visit the "Before You Apply" webpage.

See Application Dates and Deadlines and closely review other requirements Before You Apply.

All tuition and fees are estimated costs and subject to change without notice.

Program Costs Breakdown

Tuition for 1350 Contact Hours

• Summer
  • $1,430.72 Florida Residents
  • $5,130.86 Non-Florida Residents
• Fall
  • $1,686.97 Florida Residents
  • $6,049.82 Non-Florida Residents
• Spring
  • $1,686.97 Florida Residents
  • $6,049.82 Non-Florida Residents

Lab Fees:

• Summer $216.00
• Fall $319.00
• Spring $180.00

Additional Expenses

• $350.00 Uniform, shoes, logo patch
• $550.00 Books
• $450.00 Health Physical and Required Immunizations up to
• $55.00 American Heart Association BLS/CPR card (2 person infant/child) health care provider course and card required; online BLS/CPR training not accepted.
• $20.00 Flu vaccination
• $185.00 Level 2 and Expanded National Background Screening; Drug Test
• $400.00 Laptop computer (recommended)

Program Cost Totals

• $5,519.66 Florida Residents
• $17,945.50 Non-Florida Residents

Scholarships

There are many scholarships available for Santa Fe College students to apply to. Please visit the Scholarships webpage for more information and how to apply.

Financial Aid

There are many options to finance your education. You may be eligible for Federal Grants, Work Study, State Grants, Federal Loans, and Institutional Scholarships. Please visit the Financial Aid page for more information and how to apply.

Selection criteria is subject to change. It is the applicant's responsibility to check this page for up-to-date requirements and information. Please contact the Health Sciences Advising Office with questions.

Practical Nursing Point Accumulation

Up to 60 points may be earned from coursework.

Letter grades will earn 10 (A), 8 (B+), 6 (B), 4 (C+), or 2 (C) points in the following courses. Points are awarded for 1st and 2nd attempts only.

• BSC2085/L and BSC2086L Anatomy & Physiology
• ENC1101 College Composition
• HUN1201 Human Nutrition
• MAT1033 or higher in Algebra or Statistics tracks
• HSC1000 Intro to Healthcare
• HSC2531 Medical Terminology

Work experience and prior certification may earn up to 8 points as follows:

• Students receive points only if ALL THREE items are documented. The Work Experience Form may be found on the How to Apply webpage:
  
  • Current CNA license
  • Certification from FBON-approved program
  • 6 months or more of full-time CNA employment (or part-time equivalent)

Military Service (5 points)

Five points will be awarded to US Armed Forces active duty and honorably discharged veterans. Includes recent Reservist and National Guard combat deployments. DD-214 required for documentation of service. Minimum one year active duty service required. Part-time Reservist or National Guard service must equal 365 active duty days (i.e, weekend service, annual 2-week assignment and deployment). Service dates may be combined. Veterans who receive a general discharge must be classified without misconduct.

The Practical Nursing Program at Santa Fe College is a twelve month certificate program. This is a contact hour program that is regulated by the Florida Department of Education. The student is responsible for having 1350 actual hours in program class and clinical assignments. SF placement data indicates our graduates are employed in fields related to their certificate. Graduates consistently score at or above national and state means on state licensure exams.

The students spend approximately 50% of their program in clinical experiences and 50% in classroom and lab instruction., North Florida Regional Medical Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Shands at the University of Florida, clinics and long-term care facilities are utilized for clinical experiences. Students should note that clinical training could be any day, Monday through Sunday, at varying hours.

• PRN0000C PROCESS 1 (400.0 contact hours)
  
• PRN0120C PROCESS 2 (475.0contact hours)
  
• PRN0121C PROCESS 3 Prerequisites: PRN0126C (475.0contact hours)

Practical Nursing Process 1 (PNP 1) is designed to introduce the student to selected fundamental concepts and technologies that are utilized in the practice of nursing. Concepts of health, stress adaptation, biological, psychological, and social needs provide the student with a theoretical basis for the data collection, planning, implementation, and evaluation of nursing care to selected patients. Students have the opportunity to practice data-collection techniques, nursing care skills, critical thinking skills, time management, and organization in the clinical and laboratory environment. Medication administration will be practiced in the laboratory environment. Clinical experiences are provided in anursing simulated laboratory and various healthcare facilities. Faculty supervision will be provided during laboratory and clinical experiences. Throughout this course, the student is expected to develop a beginning understanding of the various roles and responsibilities inherent in the practical nursing profession. 400 Hours

Practical Nursing Process 2 (PNP 2) is designed to introduce the concepts of medical and surgical nursing and the nursing process in acute and long-term care settings. The health-illness continuum is covered including pathophysiological processes and medical-surgical interventions. Nursing care of patients with various disorders are discussed. This course encompasses general concepts of pediatric nursing, including health maintenance of the child and family, community resources, role of communicator, teacher, manager, disease prevention, and health promotion.

This course continues pharmacological concepts and principles related to the safe administration of therapeutic agents by nurses to patients of all ages. The course is designed to facilitate the students' understanding of the mechanisms of drug actions and provide a safe approach to drug administration. Clinical experiences are provided in both a nursing simulated laboratory and various healthcare facilities under faculty supervision. 475 hours

Practical Nursing Process 3 (PNP 3) builds upon the concepts of medical and surgical nursing introduced in Practical Nursing Process 2. The health-illness continuum is covered including pathophysiological processes, medical-surgical interventions, and nursing care of various disorders. This course encompasses family planning issues, normal fetal growth and development, pregnancy, labor and delivery, healthy newborn, high-risk pregnancies and complications during and after delivery, gynecological problems, and nursing care for normal and high-risk pregnant women and infants, communication skills, mental health status and psychosocial functioning, therapeutic nurse/patient relationship, psychodynamics of behavior, patterns of specific maladaptive behavior, moral/ethical/legal dilemmas, crisis theory and intervention, and group therapy. In addition, students discuss current issues in health care, nursing leadership, transition into the workplace, mental health and end of life. Students use the QSEN model in acute and long-term care settings. Clinical experiences are provided in various healthcare facilities under faculty supervision which allows students to progress toward a graduate practical nurse. 475 hours

The Nursing Programs of Santa Fe College provide quality nursing education that is student-oriented and accessible to a diverse student population, in response to the current healthcare needs of our community. We add value to the lives of our students and enrich our community through excellence in teaching and learning, innovative educational programs, student services, community leadership and service in healthcare.

The Practical Nursing program is a practice discipline with cognitive, sensory, affective and psychomotor performance requirements. Based on these requirements, the following list of Program Performance Standards has been developed. Each standard has an example of activities which a student will be required to perform, with or without an accommodation, while enrolled in the Practical Nursing program. The Program Performance Standards should be used as a guide to assist applicants in determining whether or not accommodations or modifications are necessary in order to meet program participation requirements. Applicants who identify potential difficulties with meeting the Program Performance Standards should communicate their concerns to the Academic Chair for Nursing Programs. If the concern is related to a documented disability, applicants are responsible for contacting the Disabilities Resource Center. Determination of reasonable and appropriate accommodation will be made on an individual basis in consultation with the Disabilities Resource Center. Additionally, applicants should assess their aptitude and ability to perform professional duties by reviewing the Program Performance Standards below and discussing them with their healthcare provider.

Critical Thinking

Standard: Critical thinking sufficient for clinical judgment.
Examples: Handle multiple priorities and apply reasoning and evaluation skills. Concentrate for prolonged periods of time in a health care environment.

Interpersonal

Standard: Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
Examples: Display patience, empathy and concern for others. Deal with fear and hostility in a calm manner. Work with others in stressful situations.

Communication

Standard: Communication abilities sufficient for interaction with others in prompt, coherent and concise manner. Must be able to follow spontaneous verbal and/or written instructions. Must understand and speak the language fluently enough to exchange ideas, follow directions and covey detailed instructions to others accurately, loudly and quickly. Able to accurately document pertinent information.
Examples: Communicate needs in a prompt, clear and concise manner. Must communicate patient response to therapy with others, documentation of therapeutic procedures performed on patient, consult with other health care providers in a professional manner.

Mobility

Standard: Physical abilities sufficient to move from room to room and walk in hallways; maneuver in small spaces; Includes the strength necessary to lift patients as needed. Must be able to bend, crouch, squat, kneel, balance, reach above head, or twist at waist. Must be able to sit and/or walk for extended periods of time. Includes strength necessary to lift patients as needed.
Examples: Walking to and from departments to patient rooms; walking room to room to take care of all patients on a team; assisting in patient transport.

Tactile and Motor Skills

Standard: Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to safely and effectively perform nursing care duties. Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment and to provide nursing intervention.
Examples: Perform palpation; give injections; start IVs; sterile and non-sterile dressing changes; urinary catheterization; assist patient with daily activities; draw up and administer patient medications; assess patient skin color; read thermometers.

Hearing

Standard: Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health needs.
Examples: Auscultation of BP, breath sounds, heart sounds, bowel sounds; hearing alarms in units, call bells, telephones, and conversing with patients, family, and staff.

Visual

Standard: Visual ability sufficient for observation and assessment.
Examples: Observe and monitor patients; read patient charts/flow sheet/monitors

Disclosure

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is not the bill that you will receive from Santa Fe College. It is an estimate of what it costs the typical student to attend Santa Fe College for one academic year including tuition, books, course materials, living expenses, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses.

Tuition and fees in the cost of attendance below are calculated for credit hour programs, assuming enrollment in 12 credit hours in the Fall and Spring semesters. Actual tuition and fees may vary by program. For a better understanding of your chosen program’s tuition and fees, see program costs above.

Undergraduate Lower Division Courses (A.A./A.S. Degree Courses)

	Off-Campus*	Off-Campus with Parent**
Tuition and Fees In-State: $106.77 per credit Out-Of-State: $382.90 per credit	In-State: $2,563 Out-Of-State: $9,190	In-State: $2,563 Out-Of-State: $9,190
Books, Course Materials, Supplies, and Equipment	$783	$783
Living Expenses (Food & Housing)	$10,367	$3,654
Miscellaneous Personal Expenses	$2,394	$2,394
Transportation	$1,197	$3,942
Total	In-State: $17,304 Out-Of-State: $23,931	In-State: $13,336 Out-Of-State: $19,963

Undergraduate Upper Division Courses (Bachelor's Degree Courses)

	Off-Campus*	Off-Campus with Parent**
Tuition and Fees In-State: $126.33 per credit Out-Of-State: $428.83 per credit	In-State: $3,032 Out-Of-State: $10,292	In-State: $3,032 Out-Of-State: $10,292
Books, Course Materials, Supplies, and Equipment	$783	$783
Living Expenses (Food & Housing)	$10,367	$3,654
Miscellaneous Personal Expenses	$2,394	$2,394
Transportation	$1,197	$3,942
Total	In-State: $17,773 Out-Of-State: $25,033	In-State: $13,805 Out-Of-State: $21,065

*Off-Campus: you intend to live off-campus but not with your parent(s).

**Off-Campus with Parent: you intend to live with your parent(s) or other relatives.

Note: All costs and rates are subject to change for the upcoming year.

For more detailed information, visit SF's Cost of Attendance page.