Practical Nursing Program – Admission

Application and Admissions Requirements

Applications are accepted from March 15 until 11:59pm June 1, for to start in the Fall Semester Practical Nursing Program.

Applications received before or after those dates will not be considered.

  • The Practical Nursing program has a mandatory orientation that takes place prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
  • Orientation will consist of in-person events as well as time to process documentation needed for the program.
  • The Practical Nursing program is considered full-time. Students have on-campus lectures and labs and off-campus clinical experiences. Students should expect to study 20+ hours per week outside of these scheduled classroom times.

* STAT Program Application for current high school students.

Pre-requisites

  • High school diploma or GED.
  • Must apply and be accepted into RCTC.
  • Minimum GPA of 2.0 – calculated from the past 5 years of college credits.
  • Completion of Math 0094 or CHEM 1101 or higher with a “C” or better or equivalent test score. (**)
  • Successful completion of a Nursing Assistant course (NA 1500) or active-status as a CNA
  • Health 1110 or equivalent BLS For Healthcare must be completed prior to classes beginning in August – online certification is not acceptable.
  • All students interested in applying to the Practical Nursing Diploma program will be required to take the HSRT Test. Sign up to take the HSRT Text.

Admission Point Structure

  1. The HSRT composite score and cumulative GPA will be utilized to rank applicants.
  2. HSRT score divided by a factor of 10 (Ex: Composite score of 72% = 7.2).
  3. Cumulative GPA – all grades from all institutions from the previous 5 years will be included in calculation.
  4. Applications of students not accepted into the program each round will not be retained. If a student chooses to reapply, the student must resubmit the entire application for the next admission cycle.


Cumulative GPA

  • 3.75 – 4.00 = 15
  • 3.50 – 3.74 = 13
  • 3.25 – 3.49 = 11
  • 3.00 – 3.24 = 9
  • 2.75 – 2.99 = 7
  • 2.50 – 2.74 = 5
  • 2.25 – 2.49 = 3
  • 2.00 – 2.24 = 1

Additional questions regarding the Program Admission Requirements can be directed to Jennifer Dahle, Academic Advisor, via email Jennifer.Dahle@rctc.edu.

Upon Offer of Admission into the Program

  • Attend a mandatory Nursing Orientation.
  • Submit completed health forms, physical exam, immunizations, hepatitis, annual Mantoux and health insurance documentation. Information will be provided after acceptance into the program.
  • Complete a State of Minnesota Background Study and a national criminal background check. Further information will be provided at orientation.
  • Students may enter the Associate Degree Nursing program after completion of the Practical Nursing program as a LPN-Mobility student.

Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) – Preparation Resources

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 in problems and making decisions in a thoughtful way.

  • HSRT Sample Tests
    Links to two sample tests that show how the test interface works.
  • HSRT Test Prep – Quizlet
    Flashcards, test questions, matching
  • HSRT YouTube Videos
    Several videos providing an overview of HSRT test, sample questions/answers and test tips.
  • iPREP