Healthcare-Professional-to-RN Bridge (Cordele)

Application Periods

NEXT CORDELE HCP-TO-RN BRIDGE COHORT - FALL 2024
Acceptance Cohort Application Period Classes Begin
Spring* June 2 - November 1 January
Summer* November 2 - April 1 May
Fall* January 1 - June 1 August

* NOTE: The Healthcare-Professional-to-RN Bridge Program only accepts a cohort every 5 semesters. Additionally, it is strongly advised that new applicants apply to the University AT LEAST ONE MONTH PRIOR to submitting an application for the program. This will allow the University time to fully evaluate the student’s application/supporting documentation and perform any necessary transfer articulations. 

Background

The Healthcare Professional to RN Bridge program is an accelerated Associate Degree Nursing program for applicants who already hold active paramedic and/or LPN licensure. Currently, the Healthcare-Professional-to-RN Bridge accepts a new cohort of students every 5 semesters and, as such, may begin in the Spring, Summer, or Fall semester. This accelerated program meets one day a week to incorporate classroom lecture, online activities, and clinical rotations. Courses within this program are primarily on-campus (that is, on Albany State University's Cordele Campus) with the potential for some courses to be offered as online or hybridized, but please be aware that this is not guaranteed.

Clinical experiences are held in our clinical skills lab(s), Magnolia Manor, Phoebe Sumter, and Crisp Regional, as well as other facilities within the surrounding area as needed. All students will be expected to comply with all requirements set forth by the clinical institution, including their code of conduct. The institution reserves the right to prevent entry or request withdrawal from the clinical site any student the institution believes constitutes a risk of harm to patients, visitors, or employees or who fails to follow the institution’s policies and procedures. If students are precluded from a clinical site by an institution, the Department of Nursing has no obligation to find an alternative clinical site for the student, and this may prevent the student from progressing in the Nursing Program.

Program Format

Freshmen desiring to attend this program will enter ASU as a Health Science major with a secondary major/degree indicator of "AS in Nursing," which MUST be specified upon application to the University. During the student's first two semesters, he/she will complete eight of the nine nursing Core classes necessary to become eligible to apply for the nursing program beginning the following semester. After being accepted into the nursing program, this track comprises four (4) additional consecutive semesters with the remaining Core curriculum course(s) incorporated into the curriculum pattern.

Throughout the nursing curriculum, students are exposed to the various fields and specializations within the nursing profession, including Women's Health, Pediatrics, Adult Medical-Surgical, and many others. This program culminates with the student earning an Associate of Science in Nursing, which, following successful completion of the state licensing exam for Registered Nurses (the NCLEX-RN), prepares students with the knowledge and clinical skills to function as a beginning nurse. Additionally, our ASN graduates are prepared to enter baccalaureate- and (in the case of RN-to-MSN programs) graduate-level nursing programs to order to advance their careers!

Admission Criteria

Admission to the nursing program is competitive, and the number of students is limited by the number of faculty and clinical facilities available. Meeting minimal requirements does NOT guarantee acceptance. When faculty-to-student ratio limits the acceptance of all qualified students, students will be granted admission according to their qualifications and the completeness of their application packet.

GENERAL ASN Program ADMISSION CRITERIA

Applicants must:

  1. FIRST, submit an application to Albany State University and be admitted in good standing.
  2. AFTER being accepted as a student at Albany State University, submit the completed program application, application fee, and TEAS results by the application deadline.
    • Applicants who take the TEAS exam at Albany State University’s West Campus Testing Center may submit a printed copy of their results page with the application and money order.
    • Applicants who take the TEAS exam at a testing site other than ASU’s West Campus Testing Center will need to purchase the “TEAS transcript” through ATI Testing’s online store and indicate that they wish to have their scores transferred to Albany State University.
  3. Successfully complete and exit all learning support courses.
  4. Complete 10 hours of the associate program’s Core Curriculum with a minimum grade of “C” in the following courses: Anatomy and Physiology I, English Composition I, and an approved math course (Quantitative Reasoning, College Algebra, or higher-level math course)
  5. Have a minimum cumulative Nursing Grade Point Average (NGPA) of 2.8 in the three (3) core courses listed above. Passing, failing, and repeated course grades in the above courses will be computed to obtain the NGPA.
    • While not required for program admission, there are five (5) additional Core curriculum courses that students are required to complete prior to graduation: Anatomy and Physiology II, Microbiology, General Psychology, American Government, and an elective in Humanities/Fine Arts (either a Literature, Foreign Language, or Appreciation course). All courses must be passed with a “C” or better, and performance in these courses will also be included in the calculation of a student’s NGPA if taken prior to admission into the program.
    • Grades in Core courses applicable to the nursing program that are older than 10 years may be excluded from NGPA calculations.
  6. Pass the standardized entrance exam for admission to nursing at or above the established percentage rate within no more than two (2) attempts within 12 months of application submission. As TEAS scores are valid for 12 months after the published testing date, scores older than 12 months of age at the time of application submission will not be considered.
    • Currently, the entrance exam is the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), and the minimum qualifying score is 65.0. Pre-admission cutoff scores for admission vary each semester based on applicants’ performances.
  7. Complete all required science courses with a grade of “C” or higher in each course. Sciences courses taken more than 5 years prior to enrolling in the nursing program will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the departmental chairperson and/or the program director.
    • If the applicant is not an active healthcare professional (LPN or paramedic), his/her Anatomy and Physiology courses will need to be repeated if greater than 5 years old at the time of potential admission into the nursing program. If the applicant is an active healthcare professional (LPN or paramedic), these courses will need to be repeated if greater than 8 years old at the time of potential admission into the nursing program.
      • Applicants may elect to either retake both Anatomy and Physiology courses or retake only Anatomy and Physiology II as a “refresher” course to meet this science requirement.
    • Microbiology courses will not have to be repeated.
  8. Applicants who were previously enrolled in another institution’s nursing program but who are interested in apply to Albany State University must submit a letter from the Dean, Departmental Chairperson, or Program Director of their former program verifying the applicant left his/her program in good standing. Applicants who have failed (D, F, or WF) two (2) nursing courses, whether at a 2-year or 4-year institution (including ASU), must wait a period of 3 calendar years before they can be considered for admission to ASU’s nursing program. If accepted to ASU’s nursing program, no transfer credit will be given for prior nursing courses.
  9. ASN students who have completed an LPN Nursing Program or the Advanced Naval Corpsman Hospitalman Course (NER-HN-001) and have one year of active practice within the past two years may challenge NURS 1101, NURS 1105 and NURS 1111 for credit. Appointments to challenge these courses will be made after the application, a copy of PNE transcript and a copy of current Georgia license have been submitted.
  10. ASN students wishing to repeat NURS 1101/1301 must submit a new application for admission to the nursing program. Readmission will be on a space-available basis and adhere to admission requirements.
  11. LPNs and paramedics who have been practicing as an LPN or a paramedic for at least one year may be eligible for the Healthcare-Professional-to-RN bridge program, provided all other admission criteria have been met.

NOTE: Students are subjected to compulsory background checks per clinical agency requirements and may also be required to submit to random tests for illegal use of controlled substance as a provided by the law or regulations of the contracting agency. If the site refuses to allow a student to attend clinical experiences, the nursing program is not obligated to find another clinical site. The student may not be able to complete the nursing program at ASU. Therefore, it is important to conduct personal record checks prior to admission to the nursing program.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA: HCP-to-RN Bridge Program

Applicants interested in applying to the Healthcare-Professional-to-RN Bridge program will need to meet the same general admission criteria for all ASN programs listed above. Additionally, students applying to this bridge program must also satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Hold a valid Paramedic certification or LPN license with a minimum of 1 year of experience;
  2. Have completed seven of the eight nursing Core classes detailed in the General ASN Program Admission Criteria with a NGPA of 2.8 or higher; and
  3. Applicants to the Healthcare-Professional-to-RN Bridge program may have no previous failing grades from other nursing programs, whether at a 2- or 4-year institution.

Healthcare-Professional-to-RN Bridge students with previous work experience will have fewer clinical hours than generic students. Additionally, preference will be given to students with the highest NGPA, the highest entrance exam scores, and those who have completed all Core coursework.

 Programs of Study

Pre-Spring 2023 Cohorts

NOTE: Please be aware that this program of study is currently being taught out and is no longer available. This chart is applicable only to those who were enrolled in the Fall 2022 HCP-to-RN Bridge cohort or earlier and will be removed after the Fall 2023 semester.

Area/Course Name Hours
Area A1: Communication Skills 6 hours
ENGL 1101: English Composition I; OR
ENGL 1101H: English Composition I Honors
3
ENGL 1102: English Composition II; OR
ENGL 1102H: English Composition II Honors
3
Area A2: Quantitative Skills (choose ONE) 3 hours
MATH 1001: Quantitative Reasoning; OR
MATH 1111: College Algebra I; OR
Higher-level MATH course
3
Area C: Humanities/Fine Arts (choose ONE) 3 hours
Literature Options:
ENGL 2111: World Literature I; OR
ENGL 2111H: World Literature I Honors; OR
ENGL 2112: World Literature II; OR
ENGL 2112H: World Literature II Honors; OR
ENGL 2121: Survey of British Literature I; OR
ENGL 2122: Survey of British Literature II; OR
ENGL 2131: American Literature I; OR
ENGL 2132: American Literature II; OR
ENGL 2141: African-American Literature I; OR
ENGL 2142: African-American Literature II; OR
Fine Arts Appreciation Options:
ARTS 1100: Art Appreciation; OR
MUSC 1100: Music Appreciation; OR
THEA 1100: Theater Appreciation; OR
Foreign Language Options:
FREN 1001: Elementary French I; OR
FREN 1002: Elementary French II; OR
FREN 2001: Intermediate French I; OR
FREN 2002: Intermediate French II; OR
LATN 1001: Elementary Latin I; OR
LATN 1002: Elementary Latin II; OR
LATN 2001: Intermediate Latin I; OR
LATN 2002: Intermediate Latin II; OR
JAPN 1001: Introduction to Japanese I; OR
JAPN 1002: Introduction to Japanese II; OR
JAPN 2001: Intermediate Japanese I; OR
JAPN 2002: Intermediate Japanese II; OR
SPAN 1001: Elementary Spanish I; OR
SPAN 1002: Elementary Spanish II; OR
SPAN 2001: Intermediate Spanish I; OR
SPAN 2002: Intermediate Spanish II
3
Area E: Social Sciences 6 hours
POLS 1101: American Government  3
PSYC 1101: General Psychology 3
Area F: Courses Related to Major 12 hours
BIOL 2211K: Introduction to Microbiology 4
BIOL 2412K: Human Anatomy & Physiology I 4
BIOL 2412K: Human Anatomy & Physiology I 4
Area G: Professional Nursing Courses 33 hours
NURS 1105: Pharmacology for Nurses (ASN) 1
NURS 1301: Fundamentals of Nursing (Bridge) 5
NURS 1311: Adult Health II (Bridge) 7
NURS 2115: Adult Health III (ASN) 8
NURS 2117: Nursing Leadership 1
NURS 2311: Nursing Care of Women & Children (Bridge) 8
NURS 2313: Psychiatric Nursing (Bridge) 3

Spring 2023 Cohorts and Later

NOTE: This is the current program of study for students accepted for the Spring 2023 HCP-to-RN Bridge cohort or later.

Area/Course Name Hours
Area A1: Communication Skills 3 hours
ENGL 1101: English Composition I; OR
ENGL 1101H: English Composition I Honors
3
Area A2: Quantitative Skills (choose ONE) 3 hours
MATH 1001: Quantitative Reasoning; OR
MATH 1111: College Algebra I; OR
Higher-level MATH course
3
Area C: Humanities/Fine Arts (choose ONE) 3 hours
Literature Options:
ENGL 2111: World Literature I; OR
ENGL 2111H: World Literature I Honors; OR
ENGL 2112: World Literature II; OR
ENGL 2112H: World Literature II Honors; OR
ENGL 2121: Survey of British Literature I; OR
ENGL 2122: Survey of British Literature II; OR
ENGL 2131: American Literature I; OR
ENGL 2132: American Literature II; OR
ENGL 2141: African-American Literature I; OR
ENGL 2142: African-American Literature II; OR
Fine Arts Appreciation Options:
ARTS 1100: Art Appreciation; OR
MUSC 1100: Music Appreciation; OR
THEA 1100: Theater Appreciation; OR
Foreign Language Options:
FREN 1001: Elementary French I; OR
FREN 1002: Elementary French II; OR
FREN 2001: Intermediate French I; OR
FREN 2002: Intermediate French II; OR
LATN 1001: Elementary Latin I; OR
LATN 1002: Elementary Latin II; OR
LATN 2001: Intermediate Latin I; OR
LATN 2002: Intermediate Latin II; OR
JAPN 1001: Introduction to Japanese I; OR
JAPN 1002: Introduction to Japanese II; OR
JAPN 2001: Intermediate Japanese I; OR
JAPN 2002: Intermediate Japanese II; OR
SPAN 1001: Elementary Spanish I; OR
SPAN 1002: Elementary Spanish II; OR
SPAN 2001: Intermediate Spanish I; OR
SPAN 2002: Intermediate Spanish II
3
Area E: Social Sciences 6 hours
POLS 1101: American Government  3
PSYC 1101: General Psychology 3
Area F: Courses Related to Major 12 hours
BIOL 2211K: Introduction to Microbiology 4
BIOL 2411K: Human Anatomy & Physiology I 4
BIOL 2412K: Human Anatomy & Physiology II 4
Area G: Professional Nursing Courses 33 hours
NURS 1105: Pharmacology for Nurses (ASN) 2
NURS 1301: Fundamentals of Nursing (Bridge) 4
NURS 1311: Adult Health II (Bridge) 7
NURS 2115: Adult Health III (ASN) 8
NURS 2116: Directed Study/Capstone  3
NURS 2311: Nursing Care of Women & Children (Bridge) 6
NURS 2313: Psychiatric Nursing (Bridge) 3

Curriculum Patterns

Pre-Spring 2023 Cohorts

NOTE: Please be aware that this curriculum pattern is currently being taught out and is no longer available. This pattern is applicable only to those who were enrolled in the Fall 2022 HCP-to-RN Bridge cohort or earlier. This information will be removed after the Fall 2023 semester.

Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
BIOL 2411K Anatomy & Physiology I (4)
ENGL 1101 Engl. Comp. I (3)
MATH 1001/1111 (or higher-level MATH) (3)
POLS 1101 American Government (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 13
Area C Elective (Lit./Foreign Lang./Appreciation) (3)
BIOL 2412K Anatomy & Physiology II (4)
ENGL 1102 Engl. Comp. II (3)
PSYC 1101 General Psychology (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 13
BIOL 2211K Intro to Microbiology (4)
NURS 1301 Fundamentals of Nursing – Bridge (3)
NURS 2313 Psychiatric Nursing – Bridge (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 10
Semester 4 Semester 5 Semester 6
NURS 1105 Pharmacology for Nurses (1)
NURS 1311 Adult Health II – Bridge (8)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 9
NURS 2117 Nursing Leadership (1)
NURS 2311 Nurs. Care of Women/Child. – Bridge (6)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 7
NURS 2115 Adult Health III (8)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 8

Spring 2023 Cohorts and Later

NOTE: This is the current curriculum pattern for students accepted for the Spring 2023 HACP-to-RN Bridge cohort or later.

Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
BIOL 2411K Anatomy & Physiology I (4)
ENGL 1101 Engl. Comp. I (3)
MATH 1001/1111 (or higher-level MATH) (3)
POLS 1101 American Government (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 13
Area C Elective (Lit./Foreign Lang./Appreciation) (3)
BIOL 2412K Anatomy & Physiology II (4)
PSYC 1101 General Psychology (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 10
BIOL 2211K Intro to Microbiology (4)
NURS 1301 Fundamentals of Nursing (Bridge) (4)
NURS 2313 Psychiatric Nursing (Bridge) (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 11
Semester 4 Semester 5 Semester 6
NURS 1105 Pharmacology for Nurses (2)
NURS 1311 Adult Health II (Bridge) (7)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 9
NURS 2311 Nurs. Care of Women/Child. (Bridge) (6)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 6
NURS 2115 Adult Health III (8)
NURS 2116 Directed Study (Capstone) (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 11