RCTC’s Practical Nursing (PN) program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) located at 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, in Atlanta, Georgia 30326 (http://www.acenursing.org/), and has been accredited since its inception. The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the practical nursing program is continuing accreditation.
The PN program admits students each fall for the ten (10) month program. The students graduate with a diploma in practical nursing and are prepared to take the NCLEX-PN exam by the NCSBN.
Upon completion of the Practical Nursing program at RCTC, students will achieve the following outcomes:
- Cultivate accountability, integrity, and responsibility for ongoing professional growth in nursing practice as a valid member of the health care team. (Professionalism)
- Practice within the ethical and legal framework for the practical nurse. (Professionalism)
- Identify the rationale for clinical decisions by integrating evidence-based knowledge and practice to the nursing process to provide safe nursing care across the life span. (Critical Thinking)
- Develop caring relationships with respect for human dignity and diversity. (Caring)
- Collaborate with patient, family, and the health team using evidenced-based knowledge and practice to achieve quality patient-centered outcomes. (Collaboration)
- Safely implement nursing interventions based on the need for health promotion, health maintenance, health restoration, and end-of-life care within the scope of the practical nurse. (Nursing Intervention)
RCTC is proud of our student’s achievements and maintains a continuous improvement plan for continued student success. The following tables demonstrate the outcome data for the Practical Nursing Program.
Program Outcome 1: First-time NCLEX-PN pass rates will be 80% or greater.
| Year | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| NCLEX-PN first-time pass rate as reported by the MN Board of Nursing: January 1-December 31 | 92.31% | 100% | 97.44% |
Program Outcome 2: Program completion rate will be at or above 47% (% of students completing within 100% of the program length).
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Program completion rate | 54.3% | 35% | 44.4% |
| Program completion rate within 150% of program length | 69.6% | 44.7% | 51% |
Program Outcome 3: 87% of graduates will gain employment in an LPN position within six (6) to twelve (12) months post-graduation.
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Number of Graduates | 25 | 28 | 34 |
| Response Rate | 84% | 76% | 94% |
| Job Placement Based on Responses | 100% | 100% | 97% |