NHTI's Nursing – LPN to RN Completion Option degree program (which is 4 semesters, as our accreditor counts prerequisites as a semester) is for the LPN who wishes to advance to a registered nurse (RN) and provide direct patient care in a variety of settings. Our faculty members create learning experiences that foster innovative teaching and learning, support and enhance student development, promote the use of college resources, and encourage civic engagement.
The mission of the Nursing program is to prepare students to qualify as collaborative members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team as an entry-level registered nurse, to meet the needs of a diverse community in an evolving world, and to pursue higher education.
Do you have questions? Contact Kelley Taylor, department chair, at ktaylor@ccsnh.edu or 603-271-6484 x4127.
Apply for this program today on our Admissions page with step-by-step instructions and enrollment pathways build just for you!
Preference will be given to applicants whose applications are complete (with the exception of the interview) and received by the Admissions Office by the deadline.
Admissions Deadline: Jan. 10, 2025, for Summer 2025
Applicants must have:
- High school or college biology with lab and chemistry with lab, both with grades of C or higher
- College preparatory Algebra I with a C or higher or NHTI’s MATH 092C with a C or higher
- A completed course in BLS CPR from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or the National Safety Council. Online-only programs are not approved. For more information on CPR requirements, see Health Services.
- Preference will be given to students who hold an active, unrestricted New Hampshire Practical Nursing license and are in good standing with the NH Board of Nursing; all applicants must submit a copy of their current LPN license with their application for admission
- Submit, on NHTI nursing reference forms, two references from professionals, supervisors or teachers. The form is available here as a PDF, or contact the Admissions Office.
- Complete the NLN Nursing Accelerated Challenge Exam I: Foundations of Nursing and receive a minimum score of 74 or higher. NLN NACE registration information is available here as a PDF: NLN NACE Testing 2023-24 and NLN Student Guide for Testing, or contact the Admissions Office.
- Completion of NHTI courses ENGL 101C, PSYC 105C, PSYC 220C, BIOL 195C, and BIOL 196C with grades of a C or higher (or the equivalent from another institution).
Courses with virtual/online labs are not accepted, except for labs completed online in the 2020-21 academic year due to COVID-19. Transfer credit will depend on course content, applicability to the program, grade earned, and length of time since completion. Students who have satisfactorily completed college-level Anatomy & Physiology w/ lab with a grade of C or better may have their high school-level science prerequisites waived.
- Current NHTI Students: Students who wish to enter the Nursing program and are currently enrolled in General Studies or another NHTI program must complete and submit the Change of Program form, along with the other Specific Admission Requirements, to the Admissions Office prior to the application deadline.
- Previously Enrolled in Another Nursing Program: Candidates who previously attended and did not complete a Nursing RN or LPN program at another institution within the last five years must also submit a “Letter of Good Standing” from their prior program’s Department Head to the Admissions Office and complete a Success Plan by the application deadline; qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview with the Nursing Student Affairs Committee.
Selection Criteria
Admission is determined by a cumulative point system based on high school-level prerequisite courses and grades, applicable college courses and grades, and admission exam scores. References are considered critical to the admission process and are evaluated. Qualified candidates not accepted may be assigned to a prioritized waiting list based on the above criteria. They may be admitted if an opening becomes available prior to the beginning of the first course. The waiting list will be discarded six to eight weeks prior to classes beginning; students must reapply.
Upon Acceptance
Acceptance is conditional based on the submission the following documents no later than four weeks prior to the beginning of the semester:
- Submit health requirements for Allied Health clinical clearance to Health Services. Prior to the start of the clinical nursing courses, students are required to have on file in the Health Services Office documentation of current medical insurance, a complete physical exam, current immunizations, and a completed course in BLS CPR from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or the National Safety Council (online-only programs are not approved). For more information on CPR requirements, see Health Services.. Professional liability malpractice insurance is arranged by the college and will automatically be charged to the student’s account. Students’ health insurance plans must meet N.H. requirements. Yearly Marketplace health insurance open enrollment is November-mid December and is effective January 1. This is the only time to sign up unless a qualifying life-changing event occurs.
- Complete criminal background check as directed through NHTI’s approved vendor. Background checks from previous employers or other vendors are not accepted. Students are required to undergo and meet the Nursing Department’s criteria for a criminal background check. No student is exempt. Students are provided with procedural and cost information and are responsible for all costs associated with these testing procedures. Students will repeat the criminal background check prior to their second year.
- Complete drug and alcohol testing as directed through NHTI’s approved vendor. Drug testing from previous employers or other vendors are not accepted. Students are required to undergo and successfully meet the Nursing department’s criteria for drug and alcohol screening. No student will be exempt. Students are provided with procedural and cost information and are responsible for all costs associated with these testing procedures. Drug and alcohol screenings are required prior to clinical, prior to the second year, and randomly throughout the program.
Readmission Procedure
Matriculated nursing students who have withdrawn, have been suspended for not achieving the minimum grade in a nursing, science or math course, and are not able to continue in the Nursing program may be considered for readmission only once. Readmission is not guaranteed, and students must reapply to the semester they left. Returning students must satisfy the admission criteria. Readmission will depend on space and clinical/faculty availability. Students who have failed a Nursing course due to unsafe clinical performance may not be eligible for readmission and should consult with the Nursing department chair to determine readmission eligibility.
The Nursing department chair will notify students of the specific readmission procedure after course failure or withdrawal. Students must submit a new application to the Admissions Office and complete a Success Plan to be considered for readmission to the program. These must be submitted by the application deadline (Oct. 1 for Spring readmission and March 1 for Fall readmission); after the deadline, qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview with the Nursing Student Affairs Committee.
Additional Requirements
There’s a strong demand for nurses. Our graduates have been offered jobs immediately after graduation and passing the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®) licensing exam. They work in intensive care units, emergency rooms, maternity, pediatrics, home care, long-term care, and other healthcare settings. Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN®. Our graduates’ first-time pass rates on the NCLEX licensing exam exceed the national average. Once a student passes the exam and becomes an RN, they can work full-time and continue their education online to earn a bachelor’s/master’s degree in nursing through one of our transfer opportunities; many of our partners offer tuition discounts.
The following program of study, which begins each May, reflects a three-semester curriculum plan that students enrolled in the Nursing program are required to complete for graduation. Eleven credits are awarded from the NLN Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam I: Foundations of Nursing score. Transfer credit for the five prerequisite college courses will be evaluated on an individual basis and may result in an additional 18 credits awarded. Non-nursing courses must be taken in the semester indicated in the plan of study below or may be taken earlier. Nursing courses must be taken in the sequence listed below. Nursing theory classroom, simulation lab and clinical instruction must be completed concurrently.
Summer Semester
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Accreditation
The Nursing program is approved by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (NHBON) and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Upon satisfactory completion of the program, graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN®. Graduates should contact the Board of Nursing in the state in which they intend to practice regarding licensure requirements. NHTI’s NCLEX-RN® pass rates can be viewed at https://www.oplc.nh.gov/new-hampshire-board-nursing. NHBON licensing regulations may restrict candidates who have been involved in civil or criminal legal proceedings. Questions should be addressed to NHBON or individual states’ Board of Nursing.
New Hampshire Board of Nursing
7 Eagle Square
Concord, NH 03301
603-271-2152
The Associate Nursing Program at NHTI - Concord’s Community College in Concord, N.H., is accredited by the:
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-975-5000
The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Associate Nursing Program is Continuing Accreditation. View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm
Clinical Experiences
Students must satisfactorily meet the health requirements for Allied Health Clinical Clearance, criminal background check, and drug and alcohol testing prior to participating in clinical. All students may be required to do a day, evening and/or weekend clinical rotation depending on clinical agency/faculty availability. Transportation to and from the clinical agency is the student’s responsibility.
NHTI has developed practicum opportunities for students to foster hands-on learning while simultaneously receiving credit. The college’s first priority must be to ensure that patient safety is not compromised by students during learning experiences. Students must demonstrate sufficient emotional stability to withstand the stresses, uncertainties and changing circumstances that characterize patient responsibilities. Students are expected to exercise sound judgment, accept direction and guidance from a supervisor or faculty member, and establish rapport and maintain sensitive interpersonal relationships and confidentiality with peers, staff, and/or patients. Technical standards have been established to provide guidance to students as to skills and abilities requisite to participate in the nursing program. Clinical sites are in hospitals and community-based settings:
- Catholic Medical Center, Manchester, N.H.
- Concord Hospital, Concord, N.H.
- New Hampshire Hospital, Concord, N.H.
- Community agencies throughout N.H.
Health, Character, and Technical Standards
Standards have been established to provide guidance to students as to skills and abilities requisite to participate in the nursing program.
- General abilities: The student must possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and smell so that data received by the senses may be integrated, analyzed, and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. A student must also possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration, and movement that are important to the student’s ability to gather significant information needed to effectively evaluate patients. A student must be able to respond promptly to urgent situations that may occur during clinical training activities and must not hinder the ability of other members of the healthcare team to provide prompt treatment and care to patients.
- Observational ability: The student must have sufficient capacity to make accurate visual observations and interpret them in the context of laboratory studies, medication administration, and patient care activities. In addition, the student must be able to document these observations and maintain accurate records.
- Communication ability: The student must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally to elicit information and to translate that information to others. Each student must have the ability to read, write, comprehend, and clearly speak the English language to facilitate communication with patients, their family members, and other professionals in healthcare settings. In addition, the student must be able to maintain accurate patient records, present information in a professional, logical manner, and provide patient counseling and instruction to effectively care for patients and their families. The student must also be able to clearly communicate effectively verbally and in writing with instructors and other students in the classroom setting.
- Motor Ability: The student must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to perform complete physical examinations using the techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A student must be able to develop the psychomotor skills reasonably needed to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medication, management and operation of diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment, and such maneuvers to assist with patient care activities such as lifting, wheel chair guidance, and mobility. The student must have sufficient levels of neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination as well as possess the physical and mental stamina to meet the demands associated with extended periods of sitting, standing, moving, and physical exertion required for satisfactory and safe performance in the clinical and classroom settings including performing CPR if necessary. The student must possess the ability of manual and visual dexterity such as to draw up solutions in a syringe.
- Intellectual, conceptual, and quantitative abilities: The student must be able to develop and refine problem-solving skills crucial to practice as a nurse. Problem-solving involves the abilities to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize objective and subjective data, and to make decisions, often in a time-urgent environment, that reflect consistent and thoughtful deliberation and sound clinical judgment. Each student must demonstrate mastery of these skills and possess the ability to incorporate new information from peers, teachers, and the nursing and medical literature to formulate sound judgment in patient assessment, intervention, evaluation, teaching, and setting short- and long-term goals. Students must demonstrate arithmetic competence that would allow the student to read and understand columns and/or writing, tell time, use measuring tools, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
- Behavioral and social attributes: Compassion, integrity, motivation, effective interpersonal skills, and concern for others are personal attributes required of those in the Nursing programs. Personal comfort and acceptance of the role of a nurse functioning under supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor is essential for a nursing student. The student must possess the skills required for full usage of the student’s intellectual abilities; the exercise of good judgment; the prompt completion of all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical settings; and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients and other members of the healthcare team. Each student must be able to exercise stable, sound judgment and to complete assessment and interventional activities in a timely manner to assure patient safety and well being. The ability to establish rapport and maintain sensitive, interpersonal relationships with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds is critical for practice as a nurse. The student must be able to adapt to changing environments; display flexibility; accept and integrate constructive criticism given in the classroom and clinical settings; effectively interact in the clinical setting with other members of the healthcare team; and learn to function cooperatively and efficiently in the face of uncertainties inherent in clinical practice.
- Examinations: Certain courses in the Nursing programs require students to take timed and/or online examinations. Students may be required to take timed, online, and/or other types of examinations in a proctored, secure setting that is acceptable to the program.
- Ability to manage stressful situations: The student must be able to adapt to and function effectively to stressful situations in both the classroom and clinical settings, including emergency situations. Students will encounter multiple stressors while in the Nursing program. These stressors may be (but are not limited to) personal, patient care/family, faculty/peer, and or program-related.
The healthcare environment contains substantial amounts of latex. Applicants with latex allergies place themselves at risk of reaction. The Nursing Department does not recommend that individuals with a latex allergy pursue a career in healthcare.
Length of Time to Complete the Nursing Program
All required Nursing courses must be completed within two years from when the student begins the first Nursing course in the LPN-RN Completion Program (NURS 178C). Eligible students will be readmitted to the Nursing program per specifications of the Readmission Policy. Students may be readmitted only once during the four two years. Readmission will depend on, among other factors, space and clinical/faculty availability. Students who do not complete the program within the required timeframe must reapply for admission into NURS 178C.
Nursing Grade and Progression
All Nursing courses integrate theory and clinical experience. Failure to receive a satisfactory grade in either theory or the clinical experience portion of the course will result in a failing grade. All Nursing courses must be passed with a C or higher before proceeding to the next level. A grade of C or higher is required in BIOL 195C, BIOL 196C and BIOL 202C and Math elective to enter or progress in the Nursing courses.
Performance on Licensure Exam: NCLEX-RN Pass Rates (first-time test takers)
| Pass Rates | Class of 2020 | Class of 2021 | Class of 2022 | Class of 2023 |
| NHTI Pass Rate | 98.25% | 94.92% | 87.72% | 100% |
| New Hampshire Pass Rate | 96.20% | 93.35% | 88.94% | 95.91% |
| National Pass Rate | 86.57% | 82.48% | 79.90% | 87.74% |
Job Placement Rates (employed within 9 months after graduation, aggregated data), based on survey responses
| Graduating Class | Employment Rates |
| 2023 | 100% |
| 2022 | 100% |
| 2021 | 100% |
| 2020 | 93% |
| 2019 | 100% |
Program completion rates (within 100% of program-stated length time, aggregated data)
| Time Frame (Fall to Spring) | Completion Rates |
| 2022-2024 | 58.43% |
| 2020-2022 | 74.63% |
| 2019-2021 | 73.91% |
| 2018-2020 | 61.53% |
Program Competencies
1.Utilize the nursing process, clinical reasoning, and evidence-based practice to design, implement, and evaluate care focusing on the self-care requirements for the patient with commonly occurring illnesses.
2.Incorporate principles and concepts from nursing knowledge and liberal arts education utilizing critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical judgment and humanistic values.
3.Design and implement a plan of care in collaboration with the patient and health care team with a focus on the wholly compensatory nursing system.
4.Evaluate effective therapeutic and collegial communication needed to enhance health outcomes.
5.Manage nursing care directly and/or through delegation for the patient with a range of self-care deficits throughout the life cycle.
6.Create an optimal environment for the patient utilizing microsystem resources, evidence-based practice, quality improvement processes, and patient safety standards.
7.Establish a caring relationship with the patient to provide holistic and culturally-sensitive nursing care throughout the life cycle.
8.Demonstrate accountability for standard-based nursing care given by self and delegated to others adhering to professional, ethical and legal standards within nursing.
RN to BSN Pathways
The Nursing program maintains articulation agreements with colleges so students can continue their education to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Nursing.
Our articulation agreements include but are not limited to Aspen University, Chamberlain University, Colby-Sawyer College, Franklin Pierce University, Granite State College, Purdue University Global, Rivier University, Salve Regina University, and Southern New Hampshire University.
These programs accept our Nursing program credits, and most will transfer in up to 90 credits. This allows students to take additional general education credits at NHTI. Some also offer NHTI graduates who have successfully passed their NCLEX-RN exam a discounted tuition rate. Transfer policies vary. The receiving college or university has sole discretion in determining the amount of credit to be awarded.
Students should not make assumptions about which credits are transferable even if an articulation agreement exists. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate person at the receiving institution to discuss policy, learn what documentation is required, and determine and confirm transferable credit.
