Helene Fuld College of Nursing Review
Helene Fuld College of Nursing (HFCN) is a private college located in Central Harlem in New York City. All classes are taught on campus, including liberal arts and science courses and nursing courses. There are about 400 students who attend this college full-time or part-time. This College of Nursing provides opportunities for Licensed Practical Nurses to step up to become RNs who have an Associate Degree.
Nursing Program
Associate in Applied Science
Helene Fuld College offers a nursing program that leads to an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN, the national exam for licensure as a Registered Nurse. Requirements for admission to the college include never having been charged or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in any state or country. Also, applicants should not have been required to surrender their license for professional misconduct or have any charges pending against them for this offense.
Admission requirements to the program are that the applicant must be a high school graduate or have a GED, should be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen, and must be a current Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with at least one year’s experience. Also, the applicant must take reading comprehension, mathematics, and basic nursing skills tests administered by computer and score satisfactory percentages on all of these. The college also requires a writing entrance exam, and the applicant must be proficient in writing to enter the program. In addition, three references are required. Students must complete an introductory course in Selected Topics in Chemistry and Mathematics at the college. It is also an option to pass a challenge exam in these areas to bypass this course. Applicants must have the necessary physical and mental ability to handle to job of being an RN, including clear speech, visual and auditory acuity, a sense of smell that is able to detect changes in odors, and a sense of touch that is needed for nursing. They must also be physically able to lift patients and to do a variety of lifting and other physical work.
The AAS program takes one year of full-time studies to complete. The year is divided into quarters. Students take Selected Topics in Chemistry and Math, Anatomy and Physiology I, Medical-Surgical Nursing I, Introduction to Psychology, and English I during the first quarter. The second quarter consists of Anatomy & Physiology II, Psychiatric-Community Mental Health Nursing, Human Development, and English II. During the third quarter, students must complete Anatomy & Physiology III, Parent-Child Health Nursing, and Introduction to Sociology. The fourth quarter consists of Microbiology, Medical-Surgical Nursing II, and Professional Foundations. There are also hours of clinical experience that are required before a student qualifies to graduate and to take the NCLEX-RN. Clinical experience is completed in a variety of settings that provide experience in psychiatrics, obstetrics, adult and pediatric care, and other nursing care. Students may also elect to complete the RN program over a period of two years. This requires taking classes year-round at a lighter course load.
All students must maintain a minimum 2.4 grade point average for all of their classes. Students must complete 36 quarter-credits in nursing at Helene Fuld College and 42 quarter-credits in specified general education courses. Students who would like to continue their education and earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing may transfer their AAS credits from Helene Fuld College to many other four-year colleges in New York.
Contact:
Helene Fuld College of Nursing
24 East 120th Street
New York, New York 10035
(212) 616-7200