Transition LVN to RN

San Angelo Transition LVN to RN Program

Apply to the Transition LVN to RN Program

The Transition Associate Degree Nursing Program is a 12-month program designed for currently licensed vocational nurses who want to continue their education and become registered nurses.

The lecture portion of the program is delivered online. The program is approved by the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Students admitted to the program complete a Transition Nursing course during the first semester and, after successful completion, join the second-year generic Associate Degree Nursing students.

Resources

Select the Health Professions option in CastleBranch to begin the background check and drug-screening process.

Nursing has been an integral part of Howard College's history for more than 50 years. The Vocational Nursing program began in 1958, and the Associate Degree Nursing program began in January 1976. The Big Spring campus hosts Vocational Nursing, Registered Nursing, and Transition programs. The San Angelo Vocational Nursing program began in 1980.

Since June 2003, the lecture portion of the second year of the RN program has been delivered through an online learning environment.

In 2016, the San Angelo campus received approval from the Texas Board of Nursing for both a Transition LVN-to-RN program and an RN program. The lecture content for the second year of both programs is delivered online.

Clinical rotations are varied and supported through affiliation agreements with hospitals and clinics in Big Spring, San Angelo, and surrounding communities.

“Unless we are making progress in our nursing every year, every month, every week, take my word for it we are going back.”

Florence Nightingale, 1914

Mission

The Associate Degree Nursing program supports the mission of Howard College. The program prepares entry-level professionals to meet the nursing-care needs of the communities it serves through quality, innovative education that supports lifelong learning.

Howard College seeks to serve its 13-county service area by offering an accessible Associate Degree Nursing program. The program supports economic, community, cultural, and personal development through community partnerships, innovative teaching, and student development.

Recognizing the diversity of individual learners, the program is committed to excellence in nursing education through a supportive and caring environment that facilitates personal and professional growth, educational mobility, and lifelong learning.

The mission of the generic and accelerated LVN-to-RN pathways is to prepare professional nurses who are critical thinkers and outstanding providers of evidence-based health promotion, disease prevention, rehabilitation, and care for patients across the lifespan in San Angelo and surrounding areas.

Philosophy

The faculty of the Associate Degree Nursing program, as an integral part of Howard College, accept the purposes and objectives of the college.

The faculty believe each individual possesses worth and dignity and has unique abilities for achieving maximum potential. Individuals have the capacity for growth and the freedom to make choices for which they are accountable. Individuals and society seek balance among mental, social, physical, and spiritual dimensions.

The faculty believe nursing is a practice discipline with a unique body of knowledge based on principles and concepts from the sciences and humanities. The goal of nursing as a caring profession is to assist individuals, families, and communities in health promotion, maintenance, and restoration throughout the life process.

Nursing fulfills this goal through communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and the nursing process. Within a dynamic internal and external environment, each individual strives to maintain homeostasis on the wellness-illness continuum through adaptation.

The faculty believe nursing education is a dynamic teaching-and-learning process necessary for implementing the nursing process and developing the clinical, human, economic, and community-relations skills unique to nursing practice. Education is a process of self-realization that incorporates life experiences, knowledge, clinical skills, values, individual potential, and accountability to the profession and society.

Approaches to Learning

Learning occurs when a need or problem is encountered. Readiness influences direction and motivates the learner.
An atmosphere of mutual respect and trust supports the learning process.
Reinforcement of desired behavior through rewards enhances retention.
Practice and feedback reinforce desired behavior.
Learning occurs when the learner accepts primary responsibility for the learning process. Learning is lifelong.
Active involvement allows the learner to participate in problem-solving based on individual life experiences.
Learning progresses sequentially and hierarchically.
Socialization defines values, attitudes, and behavior patterns considered appropriate by the immediate social environment and continues throughout maturity.

The faculty accept responsibility for assisting and facilitating the educational process through guidance and resources. Faculty establish objectives, organize materials, design learning activities, select content, and evaluate performance in ways that support student learning.

Program Goals

The goal of nursing as a caring profession is to assist individuals, families, and communities in health promotion, maintenance, and restoration throughout the life process. The faculty believe nurses attain this goal through communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and the nursing process.

The program outcomes—Critical Thinking, Communication, Skills Competencies, and Professional Growth and Development—are consistent with the Texas Board of Nursing's Differentiated Essential Competencies of Graduates of Texas Nursing Programs.

Critical Thinking and Communication

Prepare graduates to perform safe nursing practice as defined by the Texas Board of Nursing competencies for the Associate Degree Nurse entering practice.

Skills Competencies

Prepare graduates to articulate within the full continuum of nursing practice.

Professional Growth and Development

Encourage graduates to commit to professional growth and continuous self-development.

Employability

Provide the community with graduates who are eligible to apply for the NCLEX-RN.
Provide the community with graduates who demonstrate foundational nursing knowledge and technical skills.

Admission Criteria and Course Requirements

Apply to Howard College and complete all general admission requirements.

Review Howard College application requirements.
Maintain good academic and disciplinary standing with Howard College and any transfer institution.
View the Health Professions Orientation video on the Health Professions San Angelo homepage. Completion is required for all applicants to San Angelo Health Professions programs.
Complete the following prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher by the application deadline:
- BIOL 2101 and BIOL 2301 – Anatomy and Physiology I lecture and lab
- BIOL 2102 and BIOL 2302 – Anatomy and Physiology II lecture and lab
- BIOL 2120 and BIOL 2320 – Microbiology for Non-Science Majors lecture and lab
- ENGL 1301 – Composition I
- PSYC 2314 – Lifespan Growth and Development
Note: Additional courses are required for program completion. Because of the intensive nature of the program, students are encouraged to complete as many of these courses as possible before applying. Course timing may affect financial aid eligibility while enrolled in program courses.
Successfully complete the Health Education Systems Incorporated Assessment Next Generation PN exit examination.
- The examination must be proctored and is offered at Howard College. Contact Manuel Tobias at mtobias@howardcollege.edu to schedule the examination.
- Exit-examination scores from an LVN program may be used.
- The examination may be taken once every 30 days, with a maximum of three attempts per admission cycle.
- Only proctored HESI scores are accepted, and results are valid for five years.
Successfully complete a criminal background check through CastleBranch at the time of application.

Application Process

Submit a complete online Health Professions application for the Transition LVN to RN program along with unofficial transcripts from each college or university attended. Incomplete applications may not be prioritized for review.

Fall semester application deadline: April 1
Spring semester application deadline: November 1

Applicants must also participate in an in-person interview as part of the selection process.

Immunization and Licensure Requirements

Hepatitis B: Two- or three-dose series, or a positive titer.
Measles, Mumps, and Rubella: Two-dose series or a positive titer.
Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis: One dose within the last 10 years.
Varicella: Two-dose series or a positive titer.
Tuberculosis screening: Required annually.
Influenza vaccination: Required seasonally.
LVN license: Current proof is required.

Requirements After Acceptance

Complete an approved American Heart Association or American Red Cross Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers course.
Pass a 10-panel drug test before beginning clinical rotations.
Provide documented proof of health insurance.
Pass a physical examination using the form provided by the program.
Provide documentation of all required immunizations or an exemption accepted by the clinical facility.