Southwest Georgia Technical College Nursing Program Review

On its campuses in Thomasville, Grady County, and Mitchell County, Southwest Georgia Technical College provides students in southwestern Georgia with the opportunity to learn and advance in their chosen professions, including health sciences, business, industrial technology, and computer sciences.

Part of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), the college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and awards associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates to its graduates. One of its largest academic divisions is the School of Health Sciences, which offers more than twenty different program options, including two programs in nursing.

Associate of Science in Nursing

Southwest Georgia Technical College (SWGTC) offers an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree on its main campus in Thomasville. The program is also available in Valdosta, in collaboration with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The program begins in Thomasville in both the spring and the fall, and in Valdosta in the summer. In total, the program requires six semesters of study; two semesters are devoted to prerequisites (including several science classes, English, and math) and four semesters to the college’s general education requirements and nursing classes. A total of seventy-two credit hours is required for graduation. Southwest Georgia Technical College also offers a variation of the standard ASN program for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) who wish to earn a full associate degree. This LPN-ASN bridge option begins in the spring only, and allows the LPN to skip a full semester’s worth of nursing classes. Seventy-two credit hours are still necessary for graduation, but some of these can be transferred from the LPN’s previous education. At the end of the ASN program, students are prepared to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX_RN) and begin working as Registered Nurses (RN). The ASN program is approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.

Practical Nursing Diploma

For a swift entry into the nursing field, a student at Southwest Georgia College can opt to get a diploma in practical nursing rather than going through the full ASN program. This requires only sixty credit hours, and typically takes five semesters. One semester is devoted to prerequisites and four semesters focus on nursing skills. The program is offered on the main campus in Thomasville, beginning in the fall, and on the Grady County campus, beginning in the spring. Successful completion of the program allows a student to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX_PN) and seek work right away as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). (The college boasts an 85-percent job placement rate for program graduates.) At a later date, if she wishes to advance in the nursing field, the LPN can use her Practical Nursing Diploma and work experience to bridge into a program such as Southwest Georgia Technical College’s LPN-ASN Bridge Program, as described above. The Practical Nursing program at Southwest Georgia Technical College is approved by the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nursing.

Contact:
Southwest Georgia Technical College
15689 U.S. Highway 19 North
Thomasville, GA 31792

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