Candidates first apply for acceptance as an undergraduate through the college or university admissions office. Each school lists its specific admission requirements in its bulletin or on its website. For example, at the Crouse Hospital College of Nursing in Syracuse, New York, the deadline for applicants for the fall semester is February 1. A candidate gains acceptance into the college's nursing school once he meets the requirements of the nursing major.
An nursing school applicant must provide copies of transcripts from the school(s) she has attended, and her GPA in the nursing program's prerequisite courses is one factor used to determine her chances for admission. The minimum required score varies, however, with the University of Tennessee at Martin requiring a score of 2.5, while California State University, Fresno, insists on a 3.0 GPA. Some universities require applicants to first sit for an exam, allowing the selection board to choose suitable candidates based on test scores. At CSU Fresno, for example, applicants must score at least 75 percent on the Assessment Technologies Institute's Test of Essential Academic Skills, or TEAS.
Nursing schools also ask for documented proof of applicants' physical and mental health history, along with evidence of recent vaccinations and screenings. Candidates prone to recurring diseases or with a history of drug abuse are unlikely to gain acceptance into the program, and some schools perform criminal history background checks as part of the application process. As a retention policy, nursing programs typically require accepted candidates to keep current health records; for example, at DePaul University, a Catholic institution in Illinois, students must provide evidence of a tuberculosis skin test or chest X-ray conducted within the past year.
Accepted nursing students must maintain a specific GPA to ensure retention in the program. At DePaul University, the policy is a 2.5 GPA or C grades in "all academic work" at the school. A student who fails to meet these criteria could be put on probation. Retakes of failed classes aren't allowed, and if taking additional classes doesn't improve his GPA after two quarters, the university could drop him from the program.
If a supervisor rates a student's performance during practical lessons -- such as administering injections and dressing wounds during a clinical experience -- as unsatisfactory or dangerous, she fails the clinical assessment test and may get a suspension notice from the clinic. In that situation, an Academic Program Review committee reviews the suspension and determines the appropriate measures.