Program Review for Pre-Nursing
Program Review Framework & Criteria
I. Connection: From interest to application (Qualitative, program head and dean)
1) Please provide a description of any changes to the program since the last cycle and the appropriate updates to the catalog (general education changes, program requirement changes, ancillary program costs for students, hours/credits of credentials, etc.).
The Pre-Nursing CSC has not had any changes. It continues to be offered as a 28-29 credit hour CSC. Students often enter this program to complete pre-application and pre-requisites to be eligible to apply to nursing. The CSC does not have to be 100% complete to apply to the practical nursing program of the associate degree nursing program. The courses are a great mix to serve students who have an interest in one or both nursing tracks. It does include nurse aide courses as well. Students do not have to be a nurse aide to apply to nursing.
For students who do enroll in the nurse aide courses that are a part of the Pre-nursing CSC, will have to have a COVID vaccine due to mandates from clinical facilities. Religious exemptions and medical exemptions will be reviewed and approved by clinical facilities. The nurse aide class (NUR 21/27) has not been offered since spring 2020 due to the pandemic and loss of the nurse aide instructor. A program change effective 11/2021 includes that the college now employ a full-time nurse aide instructor. Students in the CSC who elect to complete the nurse aide courses will benefit from this addition.
2) How do students find out about the program? Please provide examples of advising activities, marketing materials, or other outreach and engagement events designed to recruit students to the program.
The program is advertised in the college catalog. In addition, the program is highlighted on the Practical Nursing advising sheet. We advise students of the program option. It is a default program of study for those college students who identify nursing as their major. Students are not able to self-select nursing due to the competitive application process. Upon applying to the college a student who selects nursing (ADN or PN) is defaulted to pre-nursing. If this is not the best fit for a student they are advised accordingly by the G3 Healthcare Program Advisor. Career coaches also direct interested high school students and help the student identify the best program of study to accomplish their goal. Prior to COVID high school students participated in field trips to learn more about the college, pre-nursing is discussed so that students are aware of the program option. There is no brochure for this program at this time.
II. Entry: From application to pathway entry (Qualitative, program head and dean)
1) Please provide a description of your program credentials and how they stack into one another.
Pre-nursing is not a stackable credential. The general education courses included in the program allow students the opportunity to complete pre-application and pre-requisite requirements for application based nursing programs. The nurse aide course is not required to apply to nursing and is not a pre-requisite. The Pre-Nursing CSC provides an opportunity for interested students to complete nursing program pre-requisites and pre-application requirements while also taking nurse aide classes if they choose to do so.
Questions for consideration:
1.a. What is the employability (or transferability) of each credential?
A student who completes the CSC is eligible to apply for nurse aide certification in the state of Virginia. The pathway is not designed for transfer. There is a nationwide shortage of healthcare workers, nurse aide included. In the local area has multiple nursing homes and a local hospital, all employ nurse aides.
1.b. Do all credits from a sub-credential transfer into the parent credential?
This CSC is not stackable.
1.c. What is the timeframe of completion for all credentials within the program (i.e. is the program setup to award sub-credentials prior to the parent credential)?
The program can be completed in two semesters. Due to the pandemic and lack of faculty and clinical sites for nurse aide, the NSG 21/27 course has not been offered since spring 2020. This creates a delay in completion. All other courses have remained available. We plan to schedule a dynamically dated late spring nurse aide course for spring 2022 now that we have hired a new nurse aide faculty member.
2) Program enrollment, if applicable, disaggregated by specialization (Quantitative, IE)
a. Annual program FTE and HC over the last review cycle (To include SCHEV program ratios and SCHEV class ratios)
| Pre-Nursing (CSC) | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 |
| Headcount | 131 | 107 | 116 | 95 |
| FTE | 41 | 38 | 38 | 33.23 |
III. Progress: Pathway advancement (Quantitative, IE)
1) Student learning outcomes data
2) Program credit attainment (15/12 in one semester, 30/24 for those who enrolled in two consecutive semesters)
| Pre-Nursing | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 |
| Cohort Size | 131 | 107 | 116 | 95 |
| 12 or less credits (1 semester only) | 17 | 14 | 13 | 20 |
| 13-15 credits (1 semester only) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 24 or less credits (2 semesters) | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| More than 24 credits (2 semesters) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total taking 2 semesters worth of credits | 5/131 | 7/107 | 1/116 | 3/95 |
3) Program retention and persistence relative to the start date of the program (subsequent term calculation)
Pre-Nursing | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 |
| Persistence | 77% | 76% | 70% | 65.8% |
| Retention | 44% | 45% | 45% | 36.6% |
IV. Completion: Credential attainment (Quantitative, IE)
1) Sub-credential attainment and timeframe (are students completing sub-credential prior to or at the same time as parent credential?)
The CSC is not stackable. Students who successfully complete the CSC are eligible to apply for certification as a nurse aide with the Virginia State Board of Nursing.
2) Parent credential attainment and timeframe, if applicable, disaggregated by specialization
The pathway is not stackable.
This may be further explored by comparing students who were in Pre-Nursing CSC that went on to complete nursing (ADN or PN). While the CSC does not stack into the certificate or degree a large number of students who complete the nursing program started their pursuit in pre-nursing first.
| Pre-Nursing (CSC) | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 |
| Graduates | 2/131 | 3/107 | 0/116 | 1/95 |
| Out of graduates, those who graduated within 150% timeframe | 2/2 | 1/3 | -- | 1/1 |
a. Are students completing within 6 semesters (150% of graduation time)?
It is suspected that the 150% completion time is low in comparison to those who start the program. This is likely due to the low number of students who complete the full CSC. Students who are already nurse aides, may receive advanced standing credit for their current state certification as a nurse aide in lieu of completing the courses (NUR 21/27).
V. Transition: Employment or transfer post-credential (Quantitative, IE)
1) Transfer outcomes (students who transfer with associate degree, students who transfer without)
This program is not intended for transfer however a percentage of students who begin this program may change their program of study to practical nursing or associate degree nursing after being accepted into the competitive entry programs. They may also change their program of study to the Pre-BSN degree pathway.
2) Student perspective/satisfaction
| Question | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
| The courses I took at P&HCC prepared me for my educational goals. | 76.6 | |||
| The faculty at P&HCC are fair and supportive of students. | 91.0 | |||
| The faculty at P&HCC demonstrate thorough knowledge of the subject matter. | 89.8 | |||
| In the courses I took at P&HCC, classroom activities and outside assignments were appropriate and meaningful. | 79.8 | |||
| I would recommend the faculty at P&HCC | 87.4 |
VI. Sustainability: Future Program Outlook (Mixed methods, IE, program head and dean)
1) Program forecast (major expenditures, changes, personnel needs, etc.); any future costs should be explained in this section)
The program includes 28-29 credits total. The courses are routinely offered on campus by full-time or adjunct instructors. The exception is the nurse aide courses which are are included in the CSC. Due to Board of Nursing regulations the instructor to student ratio in lab and clinical is 1:10. When the NUR 21 and 27 course is offered it must be capped at ten total seats (these seats are shared between credit and non-credit). in order to expand the seats available an adjunct would have to be used to maintain the course ratios.
The TRRC awarded P&HCC funds to add an additional skills lab. This will allow more flexibility in offering the nurse aide courses that are embedded in the CSC. An additional skills lab requires more equipment (beds, manikins and related) and supplies. The grant funds awarded should support this new lab initially, replacing disposable will be required beyond the life of the grant. Equipment needs after the grant expires can be planned in yearly ETF and Perkins purchases.
a. Any other pertinent information relevant to the review process should be provided here (e.g. community need, state/federal requirements, external accreditation, SCHEV low enrollment warning, etc.)
The Nurse Aide Program must be approved by the Virginia State Board of Nursing. The nurse aide classes whether offered in the Pre-Nursing CSC or the Nurse Aide CSC, may only occur with BON program approval. The most recent site visit was postponed due to no primary nurse aide faculty and no current students enrolled in the nurse aide course. We have temporarily inactivated the program at the BON due to inability to meet all required program requirements for nurse aide programs/courses. The newly hired Nurse Aide faculty member is currently aligning the nurse aide curriculum to the state regulated nurse aide curriculum following the regulation passed in May 2021 that all nurse aide programs must follow the state curriculum. The program has not had a primary instructor since August 2020, the addition of the new faculty member is providing the necessary program support and dedicated instructor who will also serve as the coordinator. Once the program is in compliance and able to offer courses, (goal of mid spring 2022), students enrolled in the Pre-Nursing CSC who want to complete the nurse aide courses will be able to enroll if they choose to.
b. Employment forecast for program (Analyst data)
Nurse aides are in demand locally and nationally.