Bradfrord-Union Area Career Technical Center is a continuing education and vocational training school located in Starke, Florida. The center offers vocational training in commercial vehicle driving, masonry and cosmetology as well as job training in early childhood education, administration and accounting. The center's health care programs include Patient Care Technician and Practical Nursing. The Patient Care Technician program trains students to work as home aides and nursing assistants in the health care industry. The Practical Nursing program prepares students to pass the state licensing exam and become Licensed Practical Nurses, employable in hospitals, long-term care facilities and clinics.
Admission to the Practical Nursing program is contingent on several factors. Each potential student must take the Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE), a reading, math and language test, and score a grade 11 skill in all sections. Students that have already earned an associate's or bachelor's degree are exempt from the test. Potential students must have a high school diploma or have passed the GED. Students must also pass a level two background check and have a complete immunization record. The Practical Nursing entrance committee reviews all applicants, awarding points for each element of the application, and determines which applicants to interview. After the interview, the highest ranking students are invited to enroll in the Practical Nursing program.
The Practical Nursing program consists of three terms of integrated nursing skills mandated by the Florida State Board of Nursing. In addition to courses, each term includes a number of clinical experience hours at health care facilities in the community. The first term focuses on the fundamentals of math, science, the health care industry and nursing basics like ethics, infection control, patient care, nutrition, development and diseases. The first term includes 90 hours of clinical practice. The second term covers diagnosis and symptoms, common acute and chronic conditions, health of surgical patients, pharmacology and patient care plans. The third term focuses on conditions, health and treatment in obstetrics and geriatrics.
Practical Nursing program graduates are trained in the fundamentals of nursing practice and prepared to pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nurse (NCLEX-PN). The NCLEX-PN is a computerized test administered by the state of Florida that graduates must take within six months of the start of any job. If a graduate of the program fails the exam they may not continue working until they retake and pass the exam after a 50 day grace period. After passing the exam, graduates of the program are official Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).