Practical Nurse (PN) Program

The Practical Nursing Certificate program is designed to meet the educational needs of individuals seeking a career as a licensed healthcare professional. Graduates are employed in various healthcare settings, including long-term care facilities, hospitals, clinics, physician offices, home health services, and community health facilities. The Practical Nursing Program is conducted over a 40-week period beginning in the fall. Classes, labs, and clinicals are scheduled on a full-time basis. The theoretical, lab, and clinical components of nursing courses must be taken concurrently and sequentially.  A minimum grade of C (75%) is required for progression in all Practical Nursing courses.

The Practical Nursing Program has been approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. Graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

The Practical Nursing program at Massachusetts Bay Community College, located at the Framingham, MA campus, is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326. The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the practical nursing program is initial accreditation. View the public information disclosed by ACEN regarding this program on the ACEN website: www.acenursing.org/search-programs

Graduates of the program will be able to:

• utilize the nursing process and judgment in the provision of client-centered care;
• communicate effectively to contribute in team decision making and collaboration;
• function within the professional standards of practice to deliver safe, ethical, holistic, and evidence-based nursing care;
• demonstrate leadership skill within the role of the practical nurse; and
• utilize information technology in evaluation and application of evidence-based nursing care.