Associate Degree Nursing

Your Guide to Getting Started in Associate Degree Nursing at Pitt Community College

Minimum Required Pre-Requisites

Must be completed or in progress by the spring semester before program entry.

  • Must be a high school graduate or hold a high school equivalency diploma
  • Must have a minimum 2.5 GPA in general education and recommended courses for the ADN program
  • BIO 168 with a C or better within the past 10 years counting back from the date of enrollment in the program
  • BIO 169 with a C or better
  • High School Chemistry or one semester of college-level chemistry with a lab with a C or better
  • ENG 111 with a C or better
  • Proficiency in math required as exhibited by one of the following criteria:
    • High school GPA of 2.2 or higher within the past 10 years; or
    • Successful completion of DMA 010-040; or
    • Successful completion or MAT 070; or
    • Completion of college-level math with a C or better; or
    • Completion of MAT 003 with grade of P2
    • Completion of MAT 025
  • Must have a minimum total score of 59% on the TEAS within the past 3 years counting back from the date of enrollment in the program. (Due by February 15)

General Education and Recommended Courses

The grades in these courses earn quality points toward admission to the program.

  • ACA 111 – College Student Success
  • ENG 112 – Writing/Research in the Disciplines
  • HSC 110 – Orientation to Health Careers
  • HUM 115 or PHI 240 – Critical Thinking or Introduction to Ethics
  • PSY 150 – General Psychology
  • PSY 241 – Developmental Psychology

Major Core Courses

Must be formally admitted to the Associate Degree Nursing Program to take NUR courses.

  • NUR 111 – Intro to Health Concepts
  • NUR 112 – Health-Illness Concept
  • NUR 114 – Holistic Health Concepts
  • NUR 113 – Family Health Concepts
  • NUR 211 – Health Care Concepts
  • NUR 212 – Health System Concepts
  • BIO 271 – Pathophysiology
  • NUR 213 – Complex Health Concepts

Admission to the Associate Degree Nursing Program is competitive. Applicants compete for admission based on the sum of quality points and points earned for TEAS. Applicants earn quality points by completing the general education and recommended courses required for the Associate Degree Nursing Program with a C or better.

CriteriaPoints Calculation
Quality Points for General Education CoursesMultiply credit hours by quality point value (A=4, B=3, C=2) for each course completed with a grade of C or better.
Total Quality PointsSum of quality points from all general education and recommended courses based on the best grade earned.
GPA CalculationDivide total quality points by total credit hours attempted in general education and recommended courses.
TEAS PointsAwarded based on total score: 90% or greater earns 20 points, between 76% and 89% earns 12 points, between 66% and 75% earns 6 points, between 59% and 65% earns 0 points.

Pitt County Schools Health Sciences Academy (PCSHSA) graduates who participated in the Health Sciences Academy in their junior and senior years of high school, earned college credit for general education courses required for their program of interest with an “A” or “B,” and fulfilled all responsibilities of the Health Sciences Academy program will receive a 10% increase to their quality point calculation. These points are awarded to PCSHSA graduates who have graduated within five years prior to enrollment in a health sciences program at PCC. PCSHSA graduates are not guaranteed acceptance into any health sciences program.

Students admitted to health sciences programs are required to complete a clinical practicum. Clinical facilities may require criminal background checks, drug screenings, credit checks, professional license checks, and/or proof of US citizenship prior to or during participation in the clinical portion of a program. Any expenses associated with these requirements are the responsibility of the student. Pending the outcome, clinical facilities may deny a student the opportunity to complete the clinical portion of a program. A student who is unable to complete the clinical portion of a program will not be able to graduate. Criminal background checks, drug screenings, credit checks, professional license checks, and/or proof of US citizenship may also be required after graduation by examination boards, state licensing boards, and employment agencies. Pending the outcome, a graduate may be disqualified from examination eligibility, state licensure, and/or employment.

Students admitted to health sciences programs are required to have a physical examination to determine if they are physically and emotionally capable of performing the essential functions of the program and must submit a completed medical form. A record of immunizations, including, but not limited to, an annual Influenza vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine must be included with the medical form. A medical or religious exemption for vaccines must be approved by the clinical site(s). PCC does not grant vaccine exemptions in lieu of the clinical site(s) and does not guarantee vaccine exemptions will be approved by the clinical site(s).

Programs at PCC that prepare students for professional licensure are designed to prepare a student to apply for applicable licensure in North Carolina. In order to ensure whether the program meets requirements for professional licensure outside North Carolina, PCC recommends the student contact the program director prior to enrolling in the program.

It is the policy of PCC not to discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, handicap, religion, age, or national origin in the recruitment and admission of students; the recruitment, employment, training, and promotion of faculty and staff; and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by federal laws and regulations. PCC is an equal opportunity institution.

Health Sciences admissions policies are not to be regarded as an irrevocable contract between PCC and students. PCC reserves the right to change any provisions or requirements at any time. Every effort will be made to minimize the inconvenience such changes create for students.

Program Overview

The Associate Degree Nursing curriculum provides knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to meet individual needs which impact health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Course work includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary team providing safe, individualized care while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). Employment opportunities are vast within the global health care system and may include positions within acute, chronic, extended, industrial, and community health care facilities.

Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses

Eastern North Carolina Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (ENC RIBN) is a partnership between Beaufort Community College, Carteret Community College, Coastal Carolina Community College, College of the Albemarle, Craven Community College, James Sprunt Community College, Johnston Community College, Lenoir Community College, Pitt Community College, Roanoke Chowan Community College, Wayne Community College, and East Carolina University. Candidates are enrolled in both the designated community college and at East Carolina University.

More information about Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses

Why Choose Nursing at PCC?

Hospitals
Clinics
Physicians’ Offices
Medical Laboratories
Government Agencies
Industry

Intro to Health Concepts
Health-Illness Concepts
Holistic Health Concepts
Family Health Concepts
Nursing Transition Concepts
Health Care Concepts
Health System Concepts
Pathophysiology
Complex Health Concepts

Students will be able to relate to the individual as a holistic, complex, multidimensional, unique, and significant being across the lifespan.
Students will be able to internalize foundational principles of professional nursing practice to provide safe, culturally competent, therapeutic care for individuals across the lifespan.
Students will be able to transfer knowledge of the concepts within the domains of health care system to safely and ethically administer care to the individual across the lifespan.
Students will demonstrate professional behaviors consistent with employer expectations.

Associate of Applied Science in Nursing