I am completely new to nursing/medical professions. Where should I start?
A great place to start is the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course which is available at Davis Tech. In addition to being a prerequisite for the Practical Nurse (PN) program, the CNA course will give you a great introduction to the nursing profession, and you will learn vital skills that will be built upon in the PN program.
Once you complete your CNA, you can get a job and get experience doing hands-on patient care. This will give you additional points on the PN program application. From there, you can go on to complete all the prerequisite and support courses required for PN admission and/or graduation.
How do I apply for the Practical Nurse Program?
The application document is available during our select application times (See “When can I apply for the Practical Nurse program?”). To apply:
- Go to www.davistech.edu/practical-nurse
- Select the "Apply Now!" Tab. Under Step 2 is a link to the Practical Nurse Program Application. The link will take you to a pdf file you can print out and either hand-deliver to Student Services or mail in to the Davis Tech Practical Nurse program by the deadline. We will only accept applications that are postmarked by the deadline.
- Step 3 is only completed after acceptance into the program.
What are the requirements for the Practical Nurse Program?
To be considered qualified for the program, applicants:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Have graduation high school (or equivalent)
- Have 3.0 or better cumulative GPA at the time of application
Additionally, all prerequisite and support courses must be passed with a C grade or better.
- High School GPA is not calculated into the cumulative GPA once 15 college credits have been completed.
- All university and/or college courses will be combined to produce one GPA.
- Remedial Math courses will not be included in the credit and GPA total. These include Math courses below the Intermediate Algebra level.
- If the same course was taken two or more times, the most recent course grade will be used to compute the GPA and the previous course grade(s) will be eliminated.
The following courses are prerequisite courses and must be completed by the first day of the PN program:
- Integrated Human Anatomy & Physiology I (HTHS 1110) or Human Anatomy (ZOOL 2100)
- Integrated Human Anatomy & Physiology II (HTHS 1111) or Human Physiology (ZOOL 2200)
- Introductory Psychology (PSY 1010) or Human Development (CHF 1500)
- Foundations in Nutrition (NUTR 1020)
The following course is a support course and must be completed before the second PN Semester:
- Introductory Pathophysiology (HTHS 2230)
In addition, applicants must have a current Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) state certification prior to starting the program.
For more information on how we select candidates for our program, please see “How do you select applicants?”
What prerequisite/support courses are offered at Davis Tech?
The Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course is available at Davis Tech. For more details about the CNA course at Davis Tech, go to www.davistech.edu/cna.
The other prerequisite and support courses can be taken at Weber State University or another regionally accredited university (restrictions may apply; if you have concerns about courses you have taken qualifying for prerequisite or support courses, please contact us).
When can I apply for the Practical Nurse program?
Qualified applicants can apply three times a year for our program. You can see the next application dates on our webpage www.davistech.edu/practical-nurse under the Summary & Costs tab.
For more information on the class schedule, please see “What courses are in the Practical Nurse program?”
How do you select applicants?
The Admissions Committee has a set of policies and procedures that are used to select our future students. Candidates are selected based on a competitive point system split into five areas:
Area 1: Cumulative grade point average (GPA). The higher your cumulative GPA, the more points you will receive. We use your high school GPA until you have 15 or more college credits completed.
Area 2: Completed Prerequisite and/or Support Courses: Completing prerequisite and/or support courses before you apply will award you points. More points will also be awarded if all prerequisite and support courses are completed at the time of application with a 3.0 GPA or higher in those courses. For a list of prerequisite and support courses, please see “What are the requirements for the Practical Nurse Program?”
Area 3: Completion of Progression Requirements: This area gives points to applicants who have completed requirements for progression into the Weber State University (WSU) RN program: CHEM 1050/1110, QL Math, ENGL 1010/2010. Please go to www.weber.edu/nursing to review these requirements.
Area 4: Additional Areas. This area gives points for each of the categories below:
- Paid medical work experience, such as 6+ months working as a CNA, Medical Assistant, Surgical Technician, Respiratory Therapist, Paramedic, or EMT.
- A typed, personal letter that is at least one page and no more than two pages in length describing why professionalism in nursing is important.
- References: three from a supervisor, employer, or teacher.
- Reapplication points are awarded one time only to applicants that were previously qualified on their most recent application.
- Points will be given to applicants that can prove personal military status (Active Duty, Reserves, Retired, Honorably Discharged, etc.).
Points Summary:
| Criteria |
Max Points |
| Cumulative GPA |
4 |
| Completed Prerequisite and/or Support Courses |
2 |
| Completed Program Requirements with 3.0 GPA |
5 |
| Completion of Progression Requirements |
1.5 |
| Medical Work Experience |
1 |
| Reference Letters |
1 |
| Personal Letter |
1 |
| Re-application Points |
.25 |
| Veteran Points |
.25 |
| Total |
16 |
When will I know if I’ve been accepted into the program?
It usually takes six weeks after each application deadline to process all applications and mail letters to every applicant.
How competitive is the application process for the Practical Nurse program?
The application process is very competitive. We typically receive between 100-200 applications each cycle for a class of 39 students.
Is the Practical Nurse program self-paced?
Unlike most of the programs offered at Davis Tech, the Practical Nurse program is taught in a “defined-entry, defined-exit” method. This means that all students attend the same courses at the same times set up for the program. For more information, please see “What are the days/hours of the Practical Nurse program?”
What are the days/hours of the Practical Nurse program?
The PN program starts with the Orientation to Practical Nursing course which will meet at Davis Tech 2-3 times a week from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for 6-8 weeks. This first part of the PN Program will start in February, July, and October each year.
Theory courses for the program start in January, May, and August, after completing Orientation to Practical Nursing, and are held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There may be some skills labs or pass-offs that will keep you after class until 6:30 p.m. Clinical courses are held on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The exact hours of your clinical courses will depend on which hospital you are assigned, but they are typically 8-12 hours long. No part-time or evening hours are available at this time.
Do I have to get a CNA if I have other medical certifications?
Yes. A current Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) state certification is required before the first day of the Practical Nurse program, even if you have other medical certifications.
Do I need to turn in transcripts with my application?
Yes. We require official (sealed) transcripts with each new application. We will also accept an electronic copy of your official transcripts from schools that offer that service. Transcripts must be sent from each college the applicant has attended. High school transcripts do not need to be sent if you have more than 15 college credits completed. Double check that test scores are included for classes that were tested out of (i.e.: AP, Accuplacer, ALEKS, CLEP, etc.). Please consult WSU about evaluating your international transcripts.
Transcripts can be mailed to:
Davis Technical College
Practical Nurse Program
550 South 300 East
Kaysville, UT 84037
Electronic transcripts can be sent from schools to: NursingAdvisor@davistech.edu or choose Davis Tech Nursing
We cannot accept faxed transcripts at this time.
Official transcripts must be ordered by the deadline, but can be received after that date as schools may need time to process your request.
TIP: When ordering transcripts online, you may need to put “Practical Nurse Program” in the first address line so your transcripts are directed to the right department within the school.
How should I format the Personal Letter for the Practical Nurse application?
One of the items that we’ve required you to turn in with your Davis Tech PN application is a Personal Letter. It is a typewritten letter, at least one page and no more than two pages in length, describing why professionalism in nursing is important.
You can choose how to format your Personal Letter – it does not have to be written in a specific style. If you would like to, you can address it to the Admissions Committee.
Does Davis Tech offer an RN program?
Weber State University (WSU) offers a contractual RN completion nursing program at the Davis Tech campus. This program is only for those who have successfully completed a Practical Nurse program. Current Davis Tech PN students are given first preference for this program, former Davis Tech PN students receive second preference, and then graduates of other programs are considered to fill any remaining slots. The nursing facility is housed on the Davis Tech campus. If admitted to this program, you are enrolled at Weber State, but take your nursing courses at the Davis Tech campus.
We recommend that you check WSU’s nursing webpage, www.weber.edu/nursing, to compare their program requirements with ours so you can make a seamless transition between both programs.
