Nursing

The Century College Nursing Department is launching an updated Nursing Associate of Science degree program beginning with the Fall 2023 cohort!

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.

Century College Nursing Program Curriculum Plan

Starting Fall 2023 Cohort

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

* It is highly recommended that students complete BIOL 1020 or 1041 and CHEM 1020 or 1041 for the Biology and Chemistry requirements for the Nursing program. However, if the student does not complete BIOL 1020/1041 and CHEM 1020/1041 as prerequisites for BIOL 2031 due to recent High School coursework, or has already completed a transfer equivalent of BIOL 2031 without taking the equivalents of BIOL 1020/1041 and CHEM 1020/1041, one MnTC Goal 3 BIOL course and one MnTC CHEM course worth 4 or more credits each, excluding BIOL 2031, 2032 and 2035, may be used.

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

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)

The Century College Nursing department will use the following holistic admissions criteria to select candidates for the Nursing Associate of Science Degree.

Experience and Attributes (Essays): 40%

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 (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? 
       

ATTRIBUTES (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.
       
   7. 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%

(see separate tab below this section titled, “Health Science Reasoning Test HSRT-AD”)

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

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)

Test takers 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). 

Students will be able to take the HSRT-AD once per application cycle. Information about cost and testing availability and administration are available in the HSRT section below.  

DEADLINE
the deadline to take the HSRT-AD test is the same deadline for the Nursing Application deadline.

Students are encouraged to review the test preparation suggestions offered by Insight Assessment.  Also, see the next drop down section called Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT-AD).  There you will find how to sign up to take the test, preparations, and what you can bring to the test.

(see separate tab below this section titled, “Health Science Reasoning Test HSRT-AD”)

Additional Metrics: 20%

Century College will base twenty percent of the admission on two additional metrics:

1. 1. 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 Nursing Program Information Guide is available HERE.
       
      The results will demonstrate an understanding of the expectations of the nursing program (10%). This quiz will be taken as part of the online nursing application.
       
   2. (SEE CHART) Credit for earning a previous college degree in any field or a health-related certification/licensure demonstrating previous educational attainment and success (10%). Students should submit official transcripts or certification information. We only need the highest attained point documentation. There is no stacking of points. We will only take your one highest points attained.

Full Acceptance into Nursing Program

Once offered a spot in the nursing program, students will also be required to have completed the following courses or their equivalents with a 2.75 GPA by start of Fall semester 2023:

• • 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

*It is highly recommended that students complete BIOL 1020 or 1041 and CHEM 1020 or 1041 for the Biology and Chemistry requirements for the Nursing program. However, if the student does not complete BIOL 1020/1041 and CHEM 1020/1041 as prerequisites for BIOL 2031 due to recent High School coursework, or has already completed a transfer equivalent of BIOL 2031 without taking the equivalents of BIOL 1020/1041 and CHEM 1020/1041, one MnTC Goal 3 BIOL course and one MnTC CHEM course worth 4 or more credits each may be used.

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

This list is subject to change.

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.

• 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 once per application cycle.

• 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.

• 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
the deadline to take the test is the same deadline for the Nursing Application deadline.