Wytheville Community College’s (WCC) Associate Degree in Nursing Program (ADN) will be undergoing a complete curriculum revision beginning in the Spring semester 2018.  Along with other nursing programs in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), WCC’s ADN program is moving to a Concept Based Curriculum (CBC).

The CBC was designed by nurse educators across the state and is intended to move away from a content-laden curriculum to a curriculum in which knowledge transfer will occur across multiple contexts.  The conceptual model of learning incorporates an active learning culture and focuses on deep learning of nursing’s most central concepts.

The CBC is made up of five semesters, unlike the current four-semester curriculum. The first semester of the CBC includes five pre-requisite courses (see curriculum plan) that must be successfully completed before a student can be admitted to the nursing major.  Students interested in majoring in nursing will be admitted to WCC under the Health Sciences Certificate curriculum to allow completion of the pre-requisite courses.  The student will apply to enter the nursing major in the Fall semester. The first cohort of students in the CBC will be admitted to the nursing major for the Fall 2018 semester.

What this means for students seeking admission to the ADN program:

1. Complete the WCC application for admission prior to the Spring Semester 2018. Identify an interest in the Health Sciences Certificate curriculum with a specific interest in nursing.

2. Enroll in the pre-requisite courses (see curriculum plan).  Students who are enrolled in the pre-requisite courses may apply for admission to the nursing major prior to completing the courses. Qualified applicants may be “conditionally admitted” to the nursing major dependent upon successful completion of the pre-requisite courses. BIO 141, Anatomy and Physiology I must be completed with a grade of “C” or above.

3. Complete and submit the Health Professions Selective Admissions packet prior to the admission deadline (February 15).  Admission requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• In addition to the admission requirements established for the college, entry into the Nursing program requires competency in English and Math Essentials MTE 1-5 as demonstrated through the placement and diagnostic tests, or by satisfactorily completing the required MTE units or equivalent.;
• One unit each of high school chemistry and high school biology with a “C” grade or better. Students who do not meet the high school prerequisites, may gain proficiency through the college’s developmental courses. The high school requirements may be waived if Biology 141 and 142 (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) are completed with a grade of “C” or better;
• Score at or above the 45th national percentile rank on the TEAS Test for RN, as mandated by the VCCS. Equivalent scores for the NET, or NLN nursing preadmission tests will be considered if taken within three years. Students have unlimited opportunities to obtain a satisfactory score and must wait 30 days before retesting;
• A 2.5 average for high school courses or a 2.5 cumulative average for all college coursework. **Curricular GPA may be considered if the cumulative GPA is less than 2.5

Persons interested in applying to the nursing curriculum are invited to contact Sherrie Phillips, Program Director at sphillips@wcc.vccs.edu or 276-223-4846 for additional information.  

 Concept Based Curriculum Sequence:

* All courses with NSG prefix must be taken in sequence