Nursing

Every Fall start application - First Day of Spring Semester to March 1.
The Nursing Fall 2023 application will be open January 09 – March 01, 2023; and will close at 11:59 pm.
The application link will be here when the application is open.

Every Spring start application – First Day of Fall Semester to October 1.
The Nursing Spring 2024 application will be open from August 21 – October 01, 2023; and will close at 11:59 pm.
The application link will be here when the application is open.

For help with your StarID for logging into the Nursing Program application, please click here.

Please note, you must have an active Century College admission application on file in the past 365 days or be registered for classes within the past 365 days for your StarID to be active. Click here to submit or resubmit a general admission application, and do so by December 5, 2022.

The Century College Nursing department will use the following holistic admissions criteria to select candidates for the Nursing Associate of Science Degree.

Experience and Attributes (Essays): 40%

Century College will base forty percent of the admission score on students’ ability to demonstrate experiences and attributes displayed by those successful as nursing students and in the nursing profession. This will be scored based on the following questions students will answer as part of the online nursing special application:

EXPERIENCE (self-efficacy, caring attitude, conflict resolution, adaptability):

1. 1. Why did you choose to pursue nursing as a profession? What characteristics do you have that would make you a good nurse?
       
   2. Please describe your experiences with service professions, including personally and professionally. How did this experience impact your decision to pursue a nursing degree? If possible, use an example that does not include parents or relatives in the healthcare field.
       
   3. Please describe any leadership, volunteer, or community service experiences you have had. How did this experience impact your decision to pursue a nursing degree? Did the COVID-19 pandemic influence your ability to participate in these activities and if so, how?
       

ATTRIBUTES (communication, collaboration, resourcefulness, resiliency, equity):

1. 4. Please describe a challenge that you have faced either personally, professionally, or academically. How did you overcome this challenge? What resources did you utilize (if any) to assist you? What lessons did you learn and how will you use this experience in the future?
       
   5. Please describe your communication style(s). Describe a time your communication style impacted teamwork and collaboration. Describe a situation when you used communication to resolve a conflict.
       
   6. Please describe a circumstance in which you have demonstrated a commitment to the care, health, safety, or human rights of others, especially individuals or communities that do not share your social, economic, or cultural background. Support your response with at least one example.
       
   7. If there is anything from above you would like to further clarify, please do so here.

Note: Each question must be answered in 200 words or less. Credit will be awarded for each question based on the evidence provided.

Critical Thinking (Health Science Reasoning Test): 40%

Century College will base forty percent of the admission on students’ critical thinking and reasoning skills as demonstrated by Insight Assessment’s Health Sciences Reasoning Test-Associate Degree Level (HSRT-AD).

The HSRT-AD assesses the following reasoning skills, independent of clinical practice skills or health care content knowledge:

• • OVERALL Critical Thinking Skills– Sustained use of critical thinking to form reasoned judgments
  • Analysis – Accurate identification of the problem and decision-critical elements
  • Inference – Drawing warranted and logical conclusions from reasons and evidence
  • Evaluation – Assessing the credibility of claims and the strength of arguments
  • Induction – Reasoned judgment in ambiguous, risky, and uncertain contexts
  • Deduction – Reasoned judgment in precisely defined, logically rigorous contexts
  • Numeracy – Sustained use of critical thinking skills in quantitative contexts (quantitative reasoning)

Test takers have 50 minutes to answer 35 scenario-based questions. Tests are scored on a 100-point scale with a corresponding qualitative rating (Superior, Strong, Moderate, Weak, Not Manifested). Students are required to score a minimum of 74 in order to qualify for admission.

Students will be able to take the HSRT-AD once per application cycle. Information about cost and testing availability and administration should be available in January 2023 for applicants to complete by the March 1, 2023 application deadline.

Students are encouraged to review the test preparation suggestions offered by Insight Assessment.

Additional Metrics: 20%

Century College will base twenty percent of the admission on two additional metrics:

1. 1. A twenty-question quiz on program information in the Nursing Program Information Guide for Applicants is available on the nursing program website (coming soon) to demonstrate an understanding of the expectations of the nursing program (10%). This quiz will be taken as part of the online nursing application.
       
   2. Credit for earning a previous college degree in any field or a health-related certification/licensure (Examples include Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, Certified Medical Assistant, etc. CPR, BLS certifications will not be accepted.) demonstrating previous educational attainment and success (10%). Students should submit official transcripts or certification information to the Transfer Student Services Office.

Full Acceptance into Nursing Program

Once offered a spot in the nursing program, students will also be required to have completed the following courses or their equivalents with a 2.75 GPA in order to start the program:

• • BIOL 1020-Biology Concepts or BIOL 1041-Principles of Biology I*
  • CHEM 1020-Chemistry Concepts or CHEM 1041-Principles of Chemistry I*
  • ENGL 1020 or 1021-Composition I
  • PSYC 1041-Developmental Psychology: Lifespan

*It is highly recommended that students complete BIOL 1020 or 1041 and CHEM 1020 or 1041 for the Biology and Chemistry requirements for the Nursing program. However, if the student does not complete BIOL 1020/1041 and CHEM 1020/1041 as prerequisites for BIOL 2031 due to recent High School coursework, or has already completed a transfer equivalent of BIOL 2031 without taking the equivalents of BIOL 1020/1041 and CHEM 1020/1041, one MnTC Goal 3 BIOL course and one MnTC CHEM course worth 4 or more credits each may be used.

Special Instructions

Background Study

Minnesota Department of Human Services requires any individual having contact with patients to complete a background study prior to starting the clinical experience. An individual may be disqualified from having patient contact and would not be permitted to participate in the clinical experience if a clearance is not issued. This would result in the inability to successfully complete the nursing course requirements. The Minnesota Board of Nursing requires all new licensure applicants to complete an FBI Fingerprint Federal Background Study. Results of this study may affect a new licensure applicant’s ability to become licensed as a Registered Nurse in Minnesota.

Immunizations

To protect the health of the people students care for, our clinical partners require students to fulfill certain health requirements including vaccinations. See the nursing program web page for further information.