Professional Nursing (LPN to RN)

Enhance your career by taking the next step! If you are a currently licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Florida, you can train to become a Registered Nurse (RN) in just one year! The Professional Nursing (LPN-RN) Program is specifically designed to prepare students for the RN licensing exam and to help secure employment as a Registered Nurse. The program consists of a blend of classroom instruction, simulation training, and clinical experience in local healthcare facilities across Collier County.

According to the Florida Board of Nursing and F.S. 464.019, the diploma nursing education program must consist of at least 50% clinical training, with no more than half comprising simulation exercises. The program includes a professional nursing curriculum that outlines clinical experiences and theoretical instruction in various areas, including medical, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, geriatric, and psychiatric nursing, across acute care, long-term care, and community settings.

The curriculum provides theoretical instruction and clinical application in several key areas, such as:

• Personal, family, and community health concepts
• Nutrition
• Human growth and development throughout the lifespan
• Body structure and function
• Interpersonal relationship skills
• Mental health concepts
• Pharmacology and medication administration
• Legal aspects of practice
• Leadership skills
• Professional role and function
• Health teaching and counseling skills

This comprehensive approach ensures that nursing students receive a well-rounded education, preparing them for various aspects of nursing practice.

AREA OF FOCUS

• Thinking
• Professional behavior
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Health promotion
• Coordination of care
• Health teaching
• Quality of practice
• Environmental health
• Professional role
• Professional practice

PORTFOLIO AND COURSE PROJECTS

There are a variety of projects within the one Occupational Completion Points. Students will need to complete all of the projects in order to satisfy the curriculum requirements for this course.

PROGRAM EXPERIENCES

Clinical Experiences
Clinical experiences are designed to ensure safe care practices using various materials, equipment, and procedures related to basic, intermediate, and advanced nursing care. Additionally, students engage in simulated scenarios that challenge them to address realistic client problems and situations they may encounter in the workplace.

These clinical practicum experiences take place in acute care, sub-acute care, long-term care, and community settings. Students gain practical experience at various healthcare facilities and organizations throughout Collier and Lee Counties that partner with iTECH to train our students. Most of these sites are located outside of Immokalee 

*It is important that students have reliable transportation to get themselves to their assigned site.

Graduate with Career- Ready Skills!

PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENT

• Student must hold a current, valid, unencumbered LPN license issued by the Florida Board of Nursing to enter and remain in the Professional Nursing (LPN-RN) program.

ENTRY & EXIT REQUIREMENTS

• Specific Admissions Requirements:
  • 18 years old
  • Accredited high school diploma or GED
  • TEAS (Nursing Entrance) Test *(limited to 3 tries in one year)
  • Writing Assessment
  • Interview
  • A Physical Examination, with proof of current immunizations and Tuberculosis Screening.
  • Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) – Level 2 Background Check and Drug Screen per iTECH policy. This policy is available upon request
  • Current American Heart Association or American Red Cross affiliated Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) card with basic life support for Health Care Provider. The course must be hands-on – no online courses accepted.
     

• Academic Progress and Program Completion:

  • Students must maintain an 80% academic grade average and attend at least 90% of scheduled class and clinical time.

  • During the final semester, all students will enroll in and complete the Virtual ATI Review prior to being issued their completion certificates and registered for the NCLEX exam.
     

• DOE Basic Skills Exit Requirements: Communications 11, Computation 11 (unless exempt)
• CASAS Exit Requirements: Communications 249+, Computation 245+ (unless exempt)

PREP FOR EMPLOYMENT

After successfully completing this program, the student will be able to perform the following:

1. Thinking:  Apply the clinical judgment measurement model thinking processes to all class content and clinical client situations, covering novice to advanced beginner health and illness concepts or content in preparation for meeting the Next Generation NCLEX-RN requirements starting in 2023. (Note:  Thinking is the first standard for each course or subject area.)
2. Professional Behavior:  Professional behavior will be demonstrated through communication, ethics, employability, safety, legal aspects, respectful and equitable practice, informatics, body structure and function review, assessment review, nursing process, electronic health record training, and orientation to the clinical facility.
3. Teamwork and Collaboration:  Work well with a team including interprofessional collaboration, medication administration, pharmacology, human growth and development of the older adult, advocacy, evidence-based practice (EBP), client-centered care, and experiences in geriatrics, rehab, and/or long-term care.
4. Health Promotion:  Promote well-being including mental health concepts, therapeutic communication, interpersonal and personal skills, relationship and counseling skills, as well as clinical opportunities in psychiatric inpatient and community health.
5. Coordination of Care:  Provide appropriate planning skills to understand and apply principles of human growth and development for the adult, scholarly inquiry, and resource stewardship in the general medicine setting of clients.
6. Health Teaching:  Demonstrate the use of teaching and learning principles for the education of the perioperative client and focus on the safe care of this client across the perioperative clinical setting.
7. Quality of Practice:  Exhibit quality improvement (QI) principles, human growth and development of the child, and care for the client in a children’s hospital setting or children’s specialty area.
8. Environmental Health:  Plan for a positive environment in the care of the family including proper nutrition, human growth and development of the perinatal clients, and clinical experiences in labor and delivery, OB OR, mom/baby units, and/or the outpatient family health clinic setting. 
9. Professional Role:  Function in the professional role of the nurse including licensure preparation and leadership roles including clinical care in specialty areas such as emergency rooms, intensive care units, and step-down areas.
10. Professional Practice:  Create a pattern of professional practice through a senior practicum intensive with a 1:1 preceptor in the acute clinical setting for a minimum of seventy-two hours, as well as a reflection of clinical judgment opportunities, use of self-evaluation, and application of life-long learning principles to show preparation for the NCLEX-RN examination.

• Internships
  There are potential internship opportunities for students who qualify.
   
• Workforce Education Internship Program
  Students participate in work-based learning experiences in their field of study outside of the classroom. ITECH has a Workforce Internship Program for those students who need work experience, but do not have an out-of-school job.
   
• Job Placement
  Our competent counseling staff provides job postings on a daily basis, with help in resume writing and the interviewing process.

CERTIFICATE

Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements of the program, the student applies to take the NLCEX-RN licensing examination. With a passing score on the licensing exam, the individual can use the title RN or Registered Nurse.