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LVN 45 Quarter-Unit Option

Forty-Five(45) Unit LVN Option per California Board of Registered Nursing Guidelines (No BSN Degree Earned)
 

Background

1) Licensed vocational nurses who do not wish to complete the course work for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing but wish to take the NCLEX-RN examination to be licensed as a Registered Nurse in California must follow the guidelines set forth by the Board of Registered Nursing, Effective 1997: Section 1429

Preparation Required for Licensed Vocational Nurses

  • “A licensed vocational nurse shall be eligible to apply for examination for licensure as a registered nurse under this chapter provided she has successfully completed the approved curriculum in a school accredited by the board and meets all other requirements as set           forth in section 1429”.
  • Additional educational required of licensed vocational nurse applicants shall not exceed a maximum of thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter nursing course units.
  • These nursing courses shall be taken in an accredited school and shall be beyond courses equivalent to the first year of professional nursing courses.
  • These nursing courses shall include:
    • Nursing intervention in acute, preventive, remedial, supportive, rehabilitative and teaching aspects of nursing.
    • Theory and courses with concurrent clinical practice shall include advanced medical-surgical, mental health/psych nursing, pediatrics and obstetrics nursing.

CSUSB Department of Nursing Policy for the Forty-Five Unit Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Option

  1.  The burden of responsibility to qualify to take the examination for registered nurse licensure rests within the licensed vocational nurse.

  2.  California LVNs are required to obtain objective counseling from the nursing department chair or designee to clarify that the LVN 45-unit Option does NOT lead to a degree. LVNs that complete the Option may sit for the NCLEX-RN examination and if successful may be licensed in the state of California with a “non-graduate license.” There may be no reciprocity for licensure in any other state. LVN candidates, during the
    objective counseling session, will be asked to sign a statement acknowledging item 2 above. The statement will be placed in their student file in the Department of Nursing.

  3. These students are to apply for admission to the University as “No Objective” candidates; they will not enter as nursing majors. Students are not required to complete the lower division general education requirements; pre-requisite nursing core courses or additional preparatory course in the major.

  4. Students qualifying for admission to designated nursing courses will be considered along with all other qualified applicants on a space available basis as the program is impacted.

  5. Once the courses designated are complete, the Department of Nursing’s Admission Coordinator will complete the California Board of Registered Nurses’ “Individual
    Candidate Roster” form, the “Candidate Worksheet” showing any course waivers of equivalency, and their request for transcripts. Students completing this option will not be a graduate of the University’s nursing program and are not eligible to receive the DON nursing pin.

  6. 6. Students desirous of enrolling to take the courses designated by the Department of Nursing are required to meet all prerequisite requirements. In compliance with Public Law 1435.5, a maximum of forty-five quarter units obtained by successful completion of the following nursing courses are required and include:

    1. BIOL 220 Principles of Microbiology (5)

    2.  BIOL 224 Human Physiology and Anatomy II (5)

    3.  NUR 220/221 Intermediate Nursing Process & Lab (8)

    4.  NUR 316 Health Assessment (4)

    5. NUR 322/323 Advanced Nursing Process & Lab (8)

    6.  NUR 400/415 Psych/Mental Health Nursing & Lab (7)

    7. Geriatrics Threaded Across Curriculum (0)

    8. NUR 404 Leadership & Management in Nursing (4)

    9. NUR 408 Preceptor Seminar (optional) (1)

    10. NUR 409 Preceptor Capstone Lab (4)

Courses Approved by the BRN on September 15, 2016.