Program Requirements

Required Courses and Sequence - Please see Nursing A.A.S. Degree Requirements

Program Academic Requirements

  • All courses listed in the first 2 semesters of the program must be completed before a student can progress to the third semester nursing course. All courses from the first 3 semesters must be completed before a student can progress to the fourth semester of the course. 
  • Required courses must be taken in sequence.
  • A minimum grade of "C" (75 percent) in theory and "S" (Satisfactory) in clinical in each nursing (NURS) course is required to earn a degree in Nursing.
  • A minimum grade of "C" is required for each course required for the nursing program.

Program Time Requirements

The nursing program must be completed within five years from the time of first enrollment in NURS 110, Fundamentals of Nursing. If the five-year time frame is exceeded, the student may apply to restart the program. Alternatively, if a student passed NURS 110 more than five years ago, but did not graduate from the nursing program, the student may take the Excelsior College examination NURX 210, the student may apply to enter the second semester of then Nursing program. Testing information is available from Excelsior College, 1.888.647.2388 or https://www.excelsior.edu/exam/fundamentals-of-nursing/.

Technology Requirements

The Tompkins Cortland nursing program utilizes Examplify for classroom tests. Once enrolled, students will need to have a personal laptop (PC with Windows 10 or Mac OS X 10.13 or higher) which will support the program Examplify (Examplify will NOT run on Chrome, Android, or Linux operating systems) For further computer requirements please refer to support@examsoft.com or (866) 429-8889. 

All courses within this program are listed as hybrid, and many assignments must be submitted online and formatted as Microsoft Word documents. Nursing students are expected to log in to the course's online page multiple times per week and to answer emails regarding coursework promptly. Additionally, all nursing students are required to attend exams, lab, and clinical field work in person.

Moral Character

Nursing students must demonstrate good moral character as defined by the New York State Education Department as part of the requirements for licensure. Current felony or misdemeanor charges or previous convictions in any state or county may interfere with nursing licensure. In addition, unprofessional behavior in previous work situations might necessitate further investigation by the state education department. For more details, contact the NYS Education Department, Office of the Professions, State Board for Nursing, by phone 518-474-3817 or email nursebd@mail.nysed.gov.

Health Requirements

A complete physical exam by a licensed practitioner (within six months of clinical) is mandatory for all new students entering the nursing program. A PPD (tuberculosis test) current within six months is mandatory (two step testing may be required if you have never been tested, have no documentation of prior testing, or have tested negative over twelve months ago). In the event of a positive PPD test, the student is required to submit the results and a copy of a clear X-Ray (within five years) and a signed annual review of symptoms. Students admitted to the nursing program are required to provide evidence of vaccination coverage (proof of vaccination and/or serological evidence of titer) for MMR, Meningococcal, Hep B, Varicella, and Tdap. Annual flu immunizations are mandatory while in the program.

New nursing admitted students and readmitted nursing students to the program should have the Certificate of Health Statement form completed.

Students who have already submitted the Certificate of Health Statement within the last academic year only need to complete the Nursing Student-Instructor Physical Update form.

If you have any questions regarding health requirements, please contact the Tompkins Cortland Community College's Health Center.

Insurance

All students must have malpractice insurance while in the nursing program. Once admitted information is sent to students about registering for this.

CPR

Students must be CPR/AED certified at the healthcare professional rescuer level before entering the nursing program. The minimum requirement is American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) or American Red Cross CPR for Healthcare Providers certification. CPR/AED certification must be kept current while in the program.

Technical Standards

Candidates for the nursing program must possess abilities necessary for learning skills related to the provision of nursing care and must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, certain essential technical skills. Candidates must be able to perform, with or without accommodation, certain essential functions in the areas of communication, observation, motor skills, conceptual and analytical reasoning, and social skills. It is advised to bring the Technical Standards document with you for a health provider to consider during your physical exam. If you are unsure about either your ability to perform the essential functions (listed in Section I), or your ability to learn the nursing skills (listed in Section II), or if you have questions about accommodations, please direct those questions to the Chair of the Nursing Program and/or the Coordinator of Access & Equity Services.