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There may be weekend clinicals depending on instructor availability, but they are not guaranteed. A clinical
preceptorship during the last few weeks of the program may involve weekday and weekend rotations as well as
day, evening or night rotations for students in both programs.
OTHER
Students working on their general education courses are encouraged to take a full load (12 credit hours) for at
least one semester to get an idea about the amount of time required for the nursing program.
Canvas is used to enhance the nursing courses so students must have computer and internet access.
Students will need a laptop or iPad with reliable battery power (less than three years old) for computerized
testing during the program. Student for whom this is a financial burden must notify the HSC provost to petition to
use one of the school’s computers for testing.
Due to computerized charting in clinical facilities, students must have good keyboarding skills. Students who hunt
and peck are encouraged to take a keyboarding course.
Students must demonstrate computer literacy. Options for meeting this requirement will be given at orientation.
In order to accommodate more students in the ADN program, some classes may be delivered via
videoconferencing to the Athens campus. Students will still have to go to the HSC in Kaufman for certain
activities.
Applicants will be given instructions for obtaining fingerprints for an FBI criminal background check for the Texas
Board of Nursing. These must be done at least 90 days prior to the start of nursing classes. The student must have
a “blue” card, a positive outcome letter or an eligibility letter (declaratory order) before starting classes. Students
who need to complete this requirement will be sent an email in January with instructions.
Any nursing applicant who has been arrested, convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation, diagnosed
with, treated, or hospitalized in the past five years for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, bipolar
disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder, or
addicted to or treated for the use of alcohol or any other drug within the past five years, must petition the Texas
Board of Nursing for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the licensing examination, the NCLEX-
RN. The Texas Board of Nursing can be reached at 512-305-7400. The application for a declaratory order can be
downloaded from the BON website at
. This declaratory order
must be completed and the eligibility letter received before the student starts nursing courses. If the case must
be sent to the enforcement division, the processing may take 6-24 months, so applicants must apply early. If a
student is not able to start nursing courses due to waiting for a declaratory order, a space will be reserved for the
following year pending positive outcome from the Texas Board of Nursing.
The ADN Program uses diagnostic testing from HESI throughout the program. If the designated passing score is
not achieved, the student must complete required remediation. Achievement of the required score is not
necessary for progression to Levels II, III or IV, but may be required before graduation. The HESI Exit Exam is used
as the final semester examination for Level IV. Students must check their Level IV syllabus to determine what the
required score on the HESI Exit Exam is for that semester and the number of attempts allowed in order to achieve
that score.
