Practical Nurse (Certificate)

Practical Nurse Program Overview

Talent Pipeline Program

Complete your Certificate in Practical Nursing debt free!

A student can be supported by Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) in their Talent Pipeline Program and complete their certificate debt free. They will be paid full-time pay and benefits to work 16 hours/week during school semester.

Contact Courtney Warren at BHS for more information about the Talent Pipeline: cwarren@bhs1.org

Nursing combines science and the art of working with people. Nurses are integrally involved in the lives of their clients, helping them to maximize their health and cope with illness. Nurses perform multiple roles in the care of their clients. Not only do they provide hands-on care, they also act as educators, counselors, coordinators and conciliators. Using scientific knowledge and technical skills, nurses continually assess the physical, emotional and social status of their clients. Nurses work with clients and their families to devise care plans for each situation. As they continually monitor client progress, they make important decisions about appropriate methods to deal with problems.

Nursing offers diversity in roles and settings, a wide range of career paths, employment opportunities and competitive salaries. People are attracted to nursing by the focus on caring, flexibility of working schedules and challenges to excel within the profession. Licensed Practical Nurses are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, home care, clinics, health centers, physicians' offices and the military. Berkshire Community College's (BCC) nursing program is a sequence of lecture, laboratory and clinical courses. Graduates are eligible to take the licensing examination to become Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs).

Accreditation

The Practical Nursing program at Berkshire Community College located in Pittsfield, MA is accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

Spring 2023 - The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Practical Nursing program is Initial Accreditation.

Admissions

  • Admission Requirements

    The following requirements must be completed to be considered for admission into the PN program:

    • Evidence of secondary school graduation or its equivalent. Submit official transcript(s) from high school or high school equivalency, previous colleges or post-secondary schools attended.
      Note: International transcripts will only be accepted for consideration if they have been translated and evaluated by a NACES approved foreign credential evaluation service provider. BCC recommends SpanTran or World Education Services
    • Math: ACCUPLACER QAS score of 250 or greater OR successful completion of MAT-028 or MAT-028C or higher (if taking college math, must earn a C or better);
    • BIO-150 (Intro to the Human Body) or BIO-201 and BIO-202 (Anatomy and Physiology I and II - each with labs) with C (73) or better within 7 years (For students intending to bridge (LPN to ADN) at BCC, BIO 201 and BIO 202 (each with labs) require a grade of 77 (C+) or better if taken after January 2018);
    • Completion of ENG-101 (English Composition 1) with a C (73) or better
    • Completion of PSY-107 (Introductory Psychology) with a C (73) or better;
    • Attend a mandatory PN matriculation meeting (see below in Step-by-Step procedure)
  • Step-by-Step Procedure to Apply for Matriculation
    1. Apply to BCC as a pre-LPN (Practical Nursing) student, if not already an active BCC student.
      • Note: All students, regardless of eligibility to our nursing programs, must first be accepted to the college itself before applying for matriculation into a nursing program.
    2. Apply for financial aid, if not already completed
    3. Send all official high school/GED/HiSET, AP scores (if applicable), post-secondary and college transcripts (if applicable) to BCC's Admissions Office.
      • Note: Any international transcripts will need to be evaluated and translated by a NACES approved organization such as SpanTran or WES.
    4. Review and complete admission requirements as indicated above
    5. Schedule a meeting with one of the nursing academic counselors to determine eligibility to apply for matriculation
    6. Attend a mandatory PN matriculation meeting
      • Note: Students must attend one mandatory PN matriculation meeting prior to applying for matriculation, otherwise, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
    7. Complete and sign the PN matriculation application and submit (along with all required documents) to Nursing Admissions by the established deadline for the PN program
      View matriculation applications and deadlines

Application Deadline

  • Fall 2024: August 1, 2024 - applications can be submitted between Dec 1, 2023 - August 1, 2024

Forms

Learn More

  • Expected Outcomes

    Graduates of this program should be able to:

    • Provide holistic care that recognizes an individual's preferences, values and needs and respects the patient or designee as a full partner in providing compassionate, coordinated, age and culturally appropriate, safe and effective care.
    • Demonstrate accountability for the delivery of standard-based nursing care that is consistent with moral, altruistic, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles.
    • Influence the behavior of individuals or groups of individuals within their environment in a way that will facilitate the achievement of shared goals.
    • Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context of the health care system, and by demonstrating the ability to use microsystem resources in providing client care at optimal quality and value.
    • Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.
    • Interact effectively with patients, families, and colleagues, fostering mutual respect and shared decision making, to enhance patient satisfaction and health outcomes.
    • Function effectively within nursing and interdisciplinary health care teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, shared decision-making, team learning and development.
    • Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
    • Use data to monitor the outcomes and uses data to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
    • Identify the value of using best current evidence coupled with clinical expertise and consideration of patients' preferences, experience and values to make practice decisions.
  • Program Outcomes
    • NCLEX-PN Annual Pass rate: 2023– 100% Pass Rate for first time test takers
      Annual Program Completion Rate at 150% of Usual Time MABORN - 2021-2023 – 67%
      Annual Program Completion Rate at 100% of Usual Time ACEN - 2022-2023 - 76%
      Number of graduates for 2023 = 16

    For transfer credits, please see transfer policy for PN program.

  • Job Growth and Wages

    The median annual wage for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses was $48,070 in May 2021. Employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses is projected to grow 6 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

    About 58,800 openings for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

  • Local Employers
    • Berkshire Health Systems
    • Integritus Healthcare
    • Local nursing homes
    • Doctor's offices
    • Private home care
  • Courses
    • Health Maintenance of the Adult and Aging
    • Gerontology Practicum
    • Health Alterations of the Adult and Aging
    • Health Care of the Family

    Visit the College Catalog to learn more

  • Nursing Meet and Greet Sessions

    In order to gain admittance into the College's nursing programs, applicants must attend one Nursing Meet and Greet session. Please sign up for a Nursing Meet and Greet.

  • Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR for Healthcare Providers at BCC