Schuylkill Medical Center Nursing Program Review
A division of the expansive Pennsylvania State University network, Schuylkill Medical Center (SMC) is a part of the Schuylkill campus of the school. This campus found its origin during the Depression when area residents were looking for inexpensive but quality post-secondary institutes of education. In 1934 the Pottsville area was adopted as a satellite location of Undergraduate study and it continues to offer not only thorough education and training but comprehensive medical services at the Medical Center.
Nursing Program Review
Providing comprehensive and attentive care to a variety of patients in the surrounding area is the main goal of Schuylkill Medical Center’s Nursing Program. In fact, graduates of this program are the primary source for nursing care in area medical settings. This program offers a generalized course of study that prepares students to sit for the nationally approved NCLEX examinations in order to earn licensure as Registered Nurses. Once licensed students can seek immediate employment in a wide array of treatment and care centers including acute care hospitals, private practice and rehabilitation units.
Length of the Program
Schuylkill Medical Center’s Nursing Program is intended as a full time program of study structured over a course of thirty months. The first year of a student’s study will be focused on general education courses that act as prerequisites to the Nursing concepts presented starting in the second year. Transfer students can present applicable credits from previous learning institutions to the program in order to avoid the full course of prerequisites. Each new class is admitted in the Fall and continues through two semesters each subsequent year. After completing this program students are eligible, if they so desire, to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree through the RN to BSN Program at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State).
Admissions Process
Students interested in the Nursing Program at SMC must complete a comprehensive admissions process in order to be eligible. First, students must offer documentation of previous academic achievements through a high school transcript or records from an approved secondary education program as well as any aptitude test scores and transcripts from post-secondary institutions. Applicants must also demonstrate ability to communicate, both through written and verbal means, in understandable English. Due to the emotionally and physically strenuous nature of careers in Nursing, qualified applicants must also be psychologically stable, physically healthy, and able to cope with mentally and emotionally difficult situations.
CLEP Examination Opportunity
Some students may possess knowledge that would enable them to challenge specific courses of the Nursing Program. Applicants believing this can take advantage of the Schuylkill Medical Center Nursing Program CLEP offering. The College Level Examination Program offers computer-based tests on a wide variety of subjects. Each 90 minute exam is designed to evaluate a student’s understanding of the material generally presented in the course itself. Successfully passing CLEP exams earns the student valid college credits that can be applied to whatever degree program that student is pursuing. This program is particularly useful for avoiding taking the necessary general education prerequisite courses that must be passed before a student can engage in formal Nursing study.
Contact:
Schuylkill Medical Center
420 South Jackson Street
Pottsville, PA 17901
Phone: (570) 621-5500
