B次元

Practical Nurse Certificate (LPN)

Your first step toward a nursing career

Start your journey to a successful and fulfilling career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). B次元鈥檚 Practical Nurse Certificate Program prepares you for a career as an LPN 鈥 which may be completed in as little as 16 months*. In this program, you will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to provide compassionate nursing care in a variety of settings.

Students in this program receive 46 college credits upon completing this course 鈥 30 in Nursing and 16 in Liberal Arts and Sciences. As a result, PNC program graduates may be eligible to transfer these credits for advanced placement in the AAS in Nursing program offered at B次元, giving you a head start toward a career as an RN.

B次元 LPN graduates who successfully complete the program, pass their licensure and work for six months are able to return to B次元 for the AAS Nursing Program and enter in the Senior Year of the program. Many students will continue to take their auxiliary classes while getting ready to complete the Nursing Program’s Senior Year coursework鈥損otentially saving over $12,000 dollars toward their degree.

*Note: A transcript review will determine if you need required liberal arts and science courses in addition to the nursing classes. This could result in two additional terms of study (weekend options are not available for Liberal Arts courses).

If you are passionate about pursuing a career in Nursing and would like to get your foot in the door, to schedule a tour of our Albany, NY campus or .

Weekend Schedule

Nursing classes, including off-site clinical experiences, require student participation on the weekends*. Both lecture and lab classes are offered on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as clinical experiences at an off-site clinical facility.

*Note: Some activities such as open lab hours and advising may not be held exclusively on the weekend.

One of New York鈥檚 best
Students who complete the required coursework are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). B次元 PNC graduates consistently surpass the annual mean pass rate for the NCLEX-PN庐 in New York State. This strong performance has earned Maria a top 10 ranking in New York State from . Maria is also the only LPN program in the Capital Region earning a ranking in the top 5 from .

The Practical Nurse Certificate (PNC) is a college credit-bearing program in the Nursing Department that prepares program graduates to sit for the New York State National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Please note, that completion of a nursing program does not guarantee a nursing license. Graduates must be granted a license in the individual state in which they wish to practice. If you plan to practice in another state, you should check that state’s licensure requirements.
 

PracticalNursing.org badge indicating top-ten ranking for Maria LPN Program

Accreditation

B次元鈥檚 Practical Nursing Certificate Program is accredited by the . At the completion of the program, graduates are eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination for practical nurse licensure.  B次元 has made the following determinations regarding the program meeting specific state licensure or certification requirements:
 
Meets (state abbreviations)Does Not MeetA Determination has not been made
 NY AL,AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA,HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME,MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Student Location
B次元 will determine a student鈥檚 location at time of application, during which students provide their home or permanent address. Once a student is aware of a change to their address they must submit the online change of address form available on the College鈥檚 website within 45 days of the address change.

  • End of Program Student Learning Outcomes

    After completion of the Practical Nurse Certificate program (LPN training) at B次元, the graduate will be able to:

    • Demonstrate clinical competency by applying principles to meet the basic physical and psychological needs of clients through the lifespan with primary focus on activities of daily living (ADL), caring interventions, technical skills, and safety needs of clients.
    • Demonstrate knowledge of data gathering and Nursing Care Concepts of the human system, with consideration of how the environment, cultural and ethnic diversity affect client care in various environments to promote, maintain and manage health.
    • Teach basic health promotion/maintenance and self-care to an individual using a designed teaching tool to promote teaching and learning.
    • Communicate in a collaborative manner with the client, significant support persons, members of the health care team, and with community resources.
    • Incorporate critical thinking into clinical decision making when advocating care for clients, families, significant support persons or groups in a variety of environments.
    • Demonstrate professional behavior in an accountable, responsible manner within the legal scope of LPN practice, as a member of the profession of nursing.
  • Course Sequence

    First Term

    Course

     

    Credits

    BIO 103

    Introduction to Human Biology*

    4

    ENG 111

    Composition I 

    3

      

    7

    Second Term

    PSY 100

    General Psychology

    3

    SOC 101

    Introduction to Sociology

    3

      

    6

    Third Term

    PNC 101

    Fundamentals of Practical Nursing I

    6

    PSY 200

    Developmental Psychology

    3

      

    9

    Fourth Term

    PNC 102

    Fundamentals of Practical Nursing II

    8

      

    8

    Fifth Term

    PNC 103

    Fundamentals of Practical Nursing III

    8

      

    8

    Sixth Term

    PNC 104

    Fundamentals of Practical Nursing IV

    8

      

    8

    * BIO 209 or BIO 210 may be substituted

  • Application Requirements
    • High School graduate or GED with a minimum GPA: 80 (high school graduates); 2.0 GPA (transfer students)
    • A physical examination, including tuberculosis testing, required immunizations and basic life support (BLS) are required before the student will be allowed to take clinical courses.
    • Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS VI): The TEAS VI is a multiple-choice assessment of basic academic knowledge in reading, mathematics, science and English and language usage. Applicants will be admitted on the basis of meeting the minimum requirements for entry and their TEAS test scores. Admissions decisions will be based on space availability. For more information including registering for the exam, please visit the Testing Requirement page.
  • Graduation Requirements
    • Earn a minimum grade of 鈥淐+鈥 in all nursing courses required in the PNC Program.  The student must pass both theoretical, lab, and clinical components of a nursing course.
    • Each state and/or profession has procedures for certification and licensure including, among others, consideration of felony convictions, pending criminal charges and professional misconduct. As a result, completion of a program does not guarantee licensure or certification.
  • Advance Placement Options

    B次元 PNC graduates may be eligible for advance placement in the Associate degree in Nursing program at B次元. Successful candidates will receive transfer credit for the first two semesters and enter the second year of the Associate degree program in nursing.

    Advance Placement nursing applicants must meet all nursing admission and program requirements. For consideration, candidates will require the following:

    • Successful completion of the NCLEX-PN庐 and a copy of a current PNC license must be submitted at the time of application.
    • Proof of a minimum of six months work experience as a licensed practical nurse, a letter of employment verification, and a resume of work experience must be submitted at time of application.
    • Completion of all Associate degree program required liberal arts credits with the exception of microbiology (BIO 203). This may be completed upon advance placement.

    Please note that advance placement is dependent on seat availability and is at the discretion of the Associate Dean.

  • Student Achievement Data

    Year

    NCLEX-PN庐 First-time Pass Rate

    Program 150% Completion Rate

    2024

    89.80%

    52.88%

    2023

    87%

    74.29%

    2022

    83.33%

    33.33%

    2021

    94%

    34.29%

    2020

    100%

    44.44%

    2019

    100%

    29.03%

    2018

    93.75%

    60.00%

    2017

    91.7%

    70%

  • Articulation Agreements
    • Graduates of Nursing Assistant program at Capital District EOC with license to practice as Nursing Assistant to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with Certified Nurse Assistant to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with Home Health Aid Certificate to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with Home Health Aid Certificate to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with AAS in Human Services to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with AAS in Health Studies to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Fulton-Montgomery Community College graduates with General Education Certificate to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
    • Schenectady County Community College graduates with Nurse Aide certificate or Home Health Aide certificate to Practical Nurse Certificate program at B次元
Maria Stories

Amelia Foss-Machlowski is currently employed at St. Peter鈥檚 Hospital in their general surgery department where she helps with clinical and clerical work office work. Thanks to a partnership between B次元 and St. Peter's Health Partners, Amelia is currently enrolled in the Practical Nurse Certificate (LPN) weekend program.  St. Peter鈥檚 Health Care Partners pays for her tuition in exchange for her commitment to work for them upon graduation.

Melissa Popp, B次元 PNC graduate, shares her White Tea Ceremony 2020 Speech!