Regardless of the program concentration, many of the general nursing admission requirements remain the same for all students. These include submission of an official high school or GED transcript, submission of all prior college/university transcripts, a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (or 2.5 effective after October 2011), acceptance by EPCC as an academic student and successful completion of an Accuplacer test with minimum passing scores of "6" for Writing, Essay, "82" for Reading and "63" for Elementary Algebra. Along with these requirements, students seeking admission to the vocational nursing or registered nursing programs must attend a Health Careers Orientation Session and submit a Specialized Admissions Application.
Each semester the nursing programs have a scheduled ranking date before which prospective students must complete and submit their pre-program specific requirements. Among these requirements, several mandatory prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better within the last 10 years prior to ranking. These include Anatomy and Physiology I (BIOL 2401), Anatomy and Physiology II (BIOL 2402) and either Introductory Mathematics for Business and Social Science (MATH 1324) or Pre-Calculus I College Algebra and Geometry (MATH 1314) or a higher level math class. Effective October 2011, Pharmacology (RNSG 1301) will be a mandatory prerequisite as well.
Students seeking admission to the transition programs of paramedic to registered nurse or licensed vocational nurse to registered nurse must meet additional prerequisites prior to ranking. Depending on the concentration, students must show they have already earned their licensure (paramedic or vocational/practical nurse) and have worked at least 6 months full-time or 1 year part-time work in the field. A letter from a current employer documenting work experience is required. Paramedic students must also submit an Application for Advanced Placement (nontraditional student) with a nursing counselor at the Rio Grande campus. In addition to the general mandatory courses for all nursing programs, both programs require completion of Microorganisms and Disease (BIOL 2420) and Human Growth and Development (PSYC 2314) with a grade of "C" or better. Licensed vocational nursing students must also complete Health Assessment (RNSG 1115) prior to acceptance.
Outside of the nursing curriculum prerequisites, students in each of the nursing concentrations must have earned a "C" or better in a range of general EPCC courses. These vary in number from three to seven courses and include Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 2301), Expository English Composition (ENGL 1301), Human Growth and Development (PSYC 2314), Business Computer Applications (BCIS 1305), Fundamental of Effective Speech (SPCH 1315) and at least one selection for a humanities elective.
All of the nursing programs require students to hold a current CPR certificate (from a 7- to 8-hour course) and First Aid certificate (from an 8-hour course). They also must be immunized for Hepatitis B (series of three vaccinations), Tuberculosis, Measles, Mumps and Rubella (two vaccinations), Varicella (two vaccinations), Tetanus/Diptheria (Td) or Tetanus/Diptheria and Pertussis (Tdap) and Influenza. Students must also have completed a physical examination, the physical standard technical form and a nursing orientation form online at the college's "Student Success in Nursing" webpage.