Practical Nursing
Welcome to Gadsden Technical College School of Practical Nursing website!
Gadsden Technical College (GTC) Practical Nursing Program was started in 1997 with an approved class limit of 20. The program was 1350 hours. In 2011 the program policies and procedures were reviewed and evaluated to better address programmatic needs and to ensure students' successful completion, licensure and job placement. As a result the nursing program was re-structured and is an approved nursing program by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Board of Nursing. Wherein, this nursing program and its curriculum can only be administered in the State of Florida. The program currently has an approved class limit of 24 students annually and consists of 1350 hours of theory and clinical education and training. At present, nursing faculty are educated nursing professionals licensed by Florida Board of Nursing.
Nursing graduates are employed in various healthcare facilities in local and surrounding areas.
Nursing is a course of study that is demanding and rewarding. It has proven to be a profession with many opportunities and a variety of work environments from which you may choose. It requires hard work but the end results will certainly be worth the effort.
The Practical Nursing website provides you with the requirements and guidelines you will need to follow for admission into the program. Please take a moment and visit other related Practical Nursing areas. Applications are accepted annually in April.
Good luck to you in your future endeavors!
The Next Nursing Class Starts August of 2025!
Open Enrollment is: (4/01/2025 - 7/13/2025)
Application and requirements for admission is located under Documents and Forms.
Practical Nursing Requirements for Admission
GTC Online Application
TEAS Test Schedule
Health and Physical Requirements
Practical Nursing Curriculum
PROGRAM CONTENT / OBJECTIVES
Practical Nursing is a competency-based program and is 11-12 months in length. Included is classroom instruction with concurrent clinical experiences in long-term care facilities as well as in the acute care settings. It is designed to prepare the student as a licensed practical nurse in order to, under the direction of a registered nurse, plan and provide nursing care to the patient with less complex needs and to assist the registered nurse in the care of the patient with complex nursing needs.
Program Requirements - Applicants seeking admission to the Practical Nursing Program must be at least 18 years of age; interview with Gadsden Technical College Practical Nursing Coordinator and nurses; submit applications to GTC and the School of Practical Nursing; have a high school diploma or equivalent; score successfully on the TEAS tests; immunizations up to date as required and provide three references.
Students must keep their CPR certification current for the duration of the program. Successful completion of the program is dependent on meeting all the requirements of the program. A criminal background check and drug screening is required (drug screening will be performed randomly). Students may be denied participation in the clinical practicum by the facility if the outcome of their background and drug screening is unsatisfactory.
Licensure Requirements - In Florida, to become a Licensed Practical Nurse an individual must be at least 18 years of age; possess a high school diploma or its equivalent; have successfully completed the Practical Nursing Program under rules established by the Florida Board of Nursing (FBON); submit application to the board and pay fees to the FBN and to take the NCLEX examination; submit information to the Board for a statewide criminal records correspondence check through FDLE; be in good mental and physical health; and be able to communicate in the English language (Florida Statutes 464.008).
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
This program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the Health Science career cluster; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of Health Science career cluster.
This program is designed to prepare students for employment as Licensed Practical Nurses (SOC 29-2061). The program must be approved by the Florida State Board of Nursing in order for graduates to apply to take the examination to practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
The content includes, but is not limited to, theoretical instruction and clinical experience in medical, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, and geriatric nursing; theoretical instruction and clinical experience in acute, care, long term care and community settings; theoretical instruction and clinical application of vocational role and function; personal, family and community health concepts; nutrition; human growth and development over the life span; body structure and function; interpersonal relationship skills, mental health concepts; pharmacology and administration of medications; legal aspects of practice; and current issues in nursing.
This program is a planned sequence of instruction consisting of 2 occupational completion points.
| OCP | Course # | Course Title | Length |
| A | PRN0098 | Practical Nursing Foundations 1 | 300 hours |
| B | PRN0099 | Practical Nursing Foundation 2 | 300 Hours |
| B | PRN0290 | Medical Surgical Nursing 1 | 300 Hours |
| B | PRN0291 | Medical Surgical Nursing 2 | 300 Hours |
| B | PRN0690 | Comprehensive Nursing and Transitional Skills | 150 Hours |
PROGRAM LENGTH
This program is 1350 hours long. To complete this program students must earn Occupation Completion Points (OCPs) for courses and pass required FLDOE Board of Nursing licensure exam(s).
ENTRANCE/EXIT REQUIREMENTS
Reading, math, and language competencies are pre-assessed. The required basic skills grade levels must be met prior to program completions.
Former Students - Updates
Jessica Vazquez (class of 2018) and Andrea Vazquez (class of 2021) are a dynamic sister duo who graduated from Gadsden Technical College School of Practical Nursing.
They work and travel together as traveling nurses. They have traveled to:
- Delaware
- North Carolina
- Alabama
- Colorado
The sister duo plans to contract for more traveling nurse positions in the future.
Wherever they go, it will be with a smile on their faces.
The Gadsden Technical College (GTC) family is grateful to have had the opportunity to educate both young ladies, and we want to encourage them to continue smiling.
