Nursing

The Century College associate degree Nursing Program is designed to educate students who are prepared to begin professional nursing careers and administer safe, culturally competent person-centered nursing care in a variety of health care settings in our increasingly diverse communities.

The Century College Nursing Department launched an updated Nursing Associate of Science degree program in  the Fall 2023.

Program highlights:

• A total of 64 credits are taken over 4 semesters
• Cohorts of 72 students will be accepted to start each fall and spring
• The program is currently offered in a full-time, day-time format only.
• Upon graduation, students will be able to sit for the NCLEX exam to become licensed as a registered nurse

Admissions:

• Students will apply via an online special application on the Century College nursing website.
• Application deadlines will be March 1 ^st (fall start) and October 1 ^st (spring start)
• Applicants will be scored using holistic admission criteria

Holistic Admission Criteria:

• Essay Questions-40%
• Health Science Reasoning Test-40%
• Previous Degrees or Certifications-10%
• Quiz on Program Information-10%

More information about the application process and criteria is available under Application Requirements.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Options:

Students will continue to be able to transfer to universities both within and outside of Minnstate for their BSN degrees as one of our primary goals continues to be that all graduates attain a baccalaureate degree in nursing to meet workforce needs in our communities and beyond.

The Century College associate degree Nursing Program was initiated in September 1974 as a joint nursing program with Inver Hills Community College effectively utilizing a collaborative strategy to provide the east metro of the Twin Cities, nursing graduates of excellence.

The early 2000’s was an evolving time in nursing education. National nurse education leaders across the country sought how nursing education could change due to the shifting priorities and roles of the registered nurse. Our Century College nursing program effectively adapted to this ever-changing nursing education landscape. In January 2011, Century College associate degree nursing program became a successful independent program from Inver Hills Community College and in 2014 joined forces with the Minnesota Alliance for Nursing Education (MANE) to provide a BSN articulation program with Metro State.

In August of 2023, Century College Nursing Associate of Science Program once again is an independent program, with many partnering colleges and universities accepting our graduates into BSN programs. The Century College Nursing Program continues to provide holistic, prepared, safe, culturally competent person-centered graduates of excellence.

Century College Nursing Program Curriculum Plan

Beginning Fall 2023

64-credit program: 33 credits of general education, and 31 Nursing credits.

*Students may take BIOL 1041 instead of BIOL 1020 and/or CHEM 1041 instead of CHEM 1020.

**For Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 cohorts, PHIL 1031 will be accepted if completed before applying to the program.

The bolded General Education courses may be completed in the semester listed or anytime before and do NOT require admission to the Nursing program. We recommend completing these courses as soon as possible.

Experience and Attributes (Essays)
40% of total score

Century College will base forty percent of the admission score on students’ ability to demonstrate experiences and attributes displayed by those successful as nursing students and in the nursing profession. This will be scored based on the following questions students will answer as part of the online nursing special application:

EXPERIENCE ESSAY Each question 200 word Max.
(self-efficacy, caring attitude, conflict resolution, adaptability):

1. 1. Why did you choose to pursue nursing as a profession? What characteristics do you have that would make you a good nurse?
   2. Please describe your experiences with service professions, including personally and professionally. How did this experience impact your decision to pursue a nursing degree? If possible, use an example that does not include parents or relatives in the healthcare field.
   3. Please describe any leadership, volunteer, or community service experiences you have had. How did this experience impact your decision to pursue a nursing degree?
      
      If there is anything from above you would like to further clarify, please do so here.

ATTRIBUTES ESSAY Each question 200 word Max
(communication, collaboration, resourcefulness, resiliency, equity):

1. 4. Please describe a challenge that you have faced either personally, professionally, or academically. How did you overcome this challenge? What resources did you utilize (if any) to assist you? What lessons did you learn and how will you use this experience in the future?
   5. Please describe your communication style(s). Describe a time your communication style impacted teamwork and collaboration. Describe a situation when you used communication to resolve a conflict.
   6. Please describe a circumstance in which you have demonstrated a commitment to the care, health, safety, or human rights of others, especially individuals or communities that do not share your social, economic, or cultural background. Support your response with at least one example.
      
      If there is anything from above you would like to further clarify, please do so here.

Note: Each question must be answered in 200 words or less. Credit will be awarded for each question based on the evidence provided.

Critical Thinking (Health Science Reasoning Test)
40%of total score

 
OVERVIEW

The Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) is used as one admission criterion for selecting students in the Nursing Associate of Science degree at Century College.

The HSRT-AD assesses the following reasoning skills, independent of clinical practice skills or health care content knowledge:

• • OVERALL Critical Thinking Skills– Sustained use of critical thinking to form reasoned judgments
  • Analysis – Accurate identification of the problem and decision-critical elements
  • Inference – Drawing warranted and logical conclusions from reasons and evidence
  • Evaluation – Assessing the credibility of claims and the strength of arguments
  • Induction – Reasoned judgment in ambiguous, risky, and uncertain contexts
  • Deduction – Reasoned judgment in precisely defined, logically rigorous contexts
  • Numeracy – Sustained use of critical thinking skills in quantitative contexts (quantitative reasoning)

• Century College will base forty percent of the admission on your critical thinking and reasoning skills as demonstrated by Insight Assessment’s Health Sciences Reasoning Test-Associate Degree Level (HSRT-AD).

• You will have 50 minutes to answer 35 scenario-based questions. Tests are scored on a 100-point scale with a corresponding qualitative rating (Superior, Strong, Moderate, Weak, Not Manifested).

• Rating	Superior	Strong	Moderate	Weak	Not Manifested
  Score	100 - 93	92 - 82	81 - 74	73 - 63	Below 63
  Points	40	30	20	10	0

• You will be allowed to take the HSRT-AD up to two times per application period. (see application deadline above) You must wait two weeks between each testing attempt so don’t wait until the end to try and take it twice. 

• The HSRT-AD is designed to measure a person’s Critical Thinking Reasoning Skills. You will be presented with questions that ask for the best response from a multiple-choice list. All the information needed to answer is provided in the question itself. The person taking the test is invited to apply their critical thinking reasoning skills to that information and then select the best response from the list. No studying or specialized subject-matter knowledge is needed since the questions provide the content about which the test taker will be reasoning. Building strong reasoning skills involves engaging problems and making decisions in a thoughtful way.
• Students are encouraged to review the test preparation suggestions offered by Insight Assessment.

• To familiarize yourself with the testing interface, you can take one of the free sample assessments (click the yellow Test Taker Login button on the Insight Assessment website). There are also some sample critical thinking skills questions and thinking mindset questions available. These questions are only examples, not the same ones used on tests like the HSRT-AD. Students are encouraged to review the test preparation suggestions offered by Insight Assessment.

REGISTRATION

Registration is required in advance to take the HSRT. The cost of the test is $55 paid at the time of registration.

Click HERE to register and sign up for the HSRT. (When you click the link to sign up and register for your HSRT, you will need to select the test day/time and Add to Cart. Open Cart and Check out. IMPORTANT – you will need to Create a New Personal Account on this site by following the account creation instructions on that site) then you can purchase your HSRT.

TEST LOCATION

Century College, West Campus, 3401 Century Ave N, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Room: 2470 (Testing Center)

DAY OF TEST

• Bring a photo ID - verification will be required prior to testing
• You are allowed to bring a simple calculator for the test. (no scientific, phone or watch calculators allowed)
• Arrive 15-30 minutes early for check-in. Students arriving late will not be allowed to test and will not be refunded the test fee.
• Know where you are going. Click here for the West Campus maps.

The following items are prohibited during the test:

• No food or drink
• No textbooks or reference books of any kind
• No sunglasses, hats, or a hood
• No electronic devices except simple calculator described above.
• No personal items, including coats, these should be left at home or in your vehicle, otherwise, a space will be provided. Items may be retrieved after the test.

DEADLINE
Students MUST take the test by the Nursing Application deadline. (see section above titled Application Link and Deadline for dates.)

 “Open Book” QUIZ
10% of total score

On the application, there is a twenty-question quiz on the following Nursing Program Information Guide. This will be an “open book”, so be sure to read this and have it open when you apply and reach that quiz section of the application.

The results will demonstrate an understanding of the expectations of the nursing program . This quiz will be taken as part of the online nursing application.

Prepare for the Open Book Quiz here: Nursing Program Information Guide.

Completed Degrees, Diplomas, Current Certifications, Current Licensures
10% of total score - (see chart)

Credit for earning a previous college degree or diploma in any field or a current health-related certification/licensure demonstrating previous educational attainment and success (10%).

Students MUST submit official transcripts showing proof of attained Degree or Diploma.
Or, students MUST upload copy of the current certification/licensure documents. Note: submitting a transcript showing you took a class does not prove current certification/licensure.  we will need a copy of the current certification/licensure. (see chart)

We only award points for the highest Document submitted.
There is no stacking of points. We will only take your one highest points attained.

Once offered a spot in the nursing program, students will also be required to have completed the following courses or their equivalents with a combined 2.75 GPA before they can start the program or they could still be dropped.

• • BIOL 1020-Biology Concepts or BIOL 1041-Principles of Biology I*
  • CHEM 1020-Chemistry Concepts or CHEM 1041-Principles of Chemistry I*
  • ENGL 1020 or 1021-Composition I
  • PSYC 1041-Developmental Psychology: Lifespan

Note: If you did not attain a combined 2.75 GPA in the above courses, the following completed courses can be used to calculate the full acceptance 2.75 GPA: BIOL 2031, 2032, and/or 2035. These will be considered in place of BIOL 1020/1041 and/or CHEM 1020/1041 to reach the 2.75 GPA requirement if needed.

Special Instructions

“These additional requirements are only for students accepted into the nursing program. Further information will be sent to accepted applicants.”

Background Study

Minnesota Department of Human Services requires any individual having contact with patients to complete a background study prior to starting the clinical experience. An individual may be disqualified from having patient contact and would not be permitted to participate in the clinical experience if a clearance is not issued. This would result in the inability to successfully complete the nursing course requirements. The Minnesota Board of Nursing requires all new licensure applicants to complete an FBI Fingerprint Federal Background Study. Results of this study may affect a new licensure applicant’s ability to become licensed as a Registered Nurse in Minnesota.

Immunizations

To protect the health of the people our students care for, our clinical partners require students to fulfill certain health requirements including immunizations and screenings. These immunizations include:

• COVID-19
• Varicella
• Hepatitis B
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)
• Influenza
• Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria (Tdap)
• Mantoux/Tuberculosis (TB) test

CPR

This list is subject to change.

Century College, in collaboration with the Minnesota Alliance for Nursing Education (MANE), offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum, with an Associate of Science in Nursing awarded part-way through the program.

The program is designed as four years of full-time study, with the first two semesters devoted to prerequisite/preparatory courses required for admission to the nursing program.

Successful completion leads to an Associate of Science (AS) in a Nursing degree offered at Century College and eligibility to take the NCLEX-RN licensure examination. Students will:

• Work as a key member of the professional healthcare team to provide quality patient care in a variety of fast-paced healthcare facilities
• Experience interactive simulated labs and actual clinical rotations in a variety of healthcare settings
• Deliver safe, caring, competent, holistic nursing care to patients

The MANE curriculum continues for three additional semesters leading to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Nursing (BSN) offered by a collaborating MANE university. The intent is that all courses, in a variety of formats, will be offered in rotation through MANE partner campuses. For more information about MANE, please visit www.manemn.org

Planning for Your Program

• Nursing MANE Curriculum Plan
• Letter to students currently in the Nursing Program
• Nursing (MANE) – Associate in Science (75 credits)
• MANE Teach Out Course Schedule