Readmission Policy

Berkshire Community College

Associate Degree Nursing Program

Readmission Policy

Students applying for readmission into the Nursing program need to meet all requirements and follow the readmission procedures stated below. All students who fail or withdraw from the program at any time and wish to return to the nursing program must comply with the admission or readmission policy as published and current at the time the student seeks to return.

Students with two nursing prelicensure RN program failures, two withdrawals, or a combination of, one program failure and one withdrawal, (taken at another institution, at BCC, or in combination) will not be considered for admission or readmission to the program. If a student withdraws or unsuccessfully completes the program due to an unexpected urgent medical leave, with a health care provider’s written documentation at the time of withdrawal, they will be eligible to apply for readmission.

To be eligible for readmission, students must readmit within twelve months of leaving the program.The student must have been in good standing - rectifying any documentation of unprofessional behavior or clinical safety concerns before leaving the program for any reason or in any manner - failure versus withdrawal, in order to be considered for readmission.

Students whose dismissal from the program was due to unsafe clinical practice or unprofessional behavior(s), will not be considered for readmission to the program.

After a period of 10 years, qualified students with two ADN nursing program failures/withdrawals will be considered for admission one time as long as they were in good standing when they left the program and had rectified any documented instances of unprofessional behavior or clinical safety concerns that occurred before they left the program for any reason or in any manner – whether by failure or withdrawal.

Students who withdraw from any semester due to unforeseen circumstances, while in good academic standing, with an exam grade average of 75 or greater at time of withdrawal, can petition to immediately repeat the semester they withdrew from. Students who meet this criterion will not be required to pass readmission assessments or skills testing if re-entering the semester immediately following the time of withdrawal. In addition, if a student is re-entering 102, 201, and 202, they will be required to attend a skills refresher prior to the beginning of the semester. Students should contact the Dean of Nursing or Designee prior to withdrawal to discuss their options. Students must follow all other aspects of the Readmission Procedure as outlined below.

Readmission for NUR101

A student who wishes to reapply for NUR101 after a program failure or withdrawal may reapply as per the admission policy. The student may be eligible for immediate readmission for the next semester depending on space availability and if the student:

Earned or withdrew with an average of “C” for the semester and;
Scored >19 on the admission’s rubric score and;
Agrees to enroll in tutoring and;

Eligible students will be ranked by the above criteria if depending on space availability. Students with the highest passing nursing course grade for the semester will be offered readmission first.

Readmission for NUR 102, NUR 201, NUR 202

The candidate for readmission will be required to demonstrate retention of prior nursing knowledge by completing the requirements listed below.

A student requesting readmission to NUR 102 must achieve an 75% or higher on the ATI RN Fundamentals exam (initial attempt) or an alternate version for a second attempt. There will not be more than two attempts allowed for any readmission exams. Students are responsible for the cost of the exams.
- Students applying for immediate readmission will be eligible to test once for reentry into the upcoming semester.
- If the student is unsuccessful in passing the exam for immediate readmission, they will have one more attempt before the next semester.
  - The cost of the exam is non-refundable.
  - Once the exam is scheduled, students will be charged the full cost of the exam(s), whether or not the exam is taken.
A student requesting readmission into NUR 201 or NUR 202 must achieve an 75% or higher on the ATI RN Fundamental and RN Maternity/Pediatric exam (initial attempt) or alternate versions for a second attempt. There will not be more than two attempts allowed for any readmission exams. Students are responsible for the cost of the exams.
- Students applying for immediate readmission will be eligible to test once for reentry into the upcoming semester.
- If the student is unsuccessful in passing the exam for immediate readmission, they will have one more attempt before the next semester.
  - The cost of the exam is non-refundable.
  - Once the exam is scheduled, students will be charged the full cost of the exam(s), whether or not the exam is taken.
All readmission students are required to pass three formalized psychomotor skills testing: Skills include demonstration of a sterile procedure consisting of either a sterile dressing change or urinary catheterization and medication administration of an insulin mix and an IM injection.

Readmission Procedure

Step #1 - The student will provide a written petition to Dean/Director of Nursing via email by:

June 1^st - Immediate readmission for the fall (Exams offered June)
January 1^st - Immediate readmission for the spring (Exam offered January)
Feb 1^st - Readmission for fall entry after a semester lapse (Exams offered June)
September 1^st - Readmission for spring entry after a semester lapse (Exams offered November)

Late petitions will not be considered. The student will complete a written petition form indicating their name, and the semester requested for readmission.

Step #2 - The Nursing Admissions Committee will review all petitions for readmission based on qualifications outlined in the above policy. The Committee will consist of the Dean/Director, a nursing faculty member, representatives from admissions and advising offices and the nursing data analyst. Other members may be added as deemed appropriate by the Dean/Director of Nursing.

Step #3 – Decisions will be made within 2 weeks of deadline. Student will receive an approval or denial letter via email from the Dean/Director of Nursing based on the policy guidelines explaining the committee’s decision and rationale if the student is declined readmission. Students offered readmission to the ADN program are not eligible to defer.

If petition to begin the readmit process is approved, the Nursing Administrative Assistant will contact the applicant regarding scheduling of the ATI exam(s).

Any ATI exams taken as part of the program or for prior readmission consideration are not acceptable alternatives.

Step #4 - Upon successful scoring on the required ATI exam(s), students requesting readmission into NUR102/201/202, will be scheduled to complete the psychomotor portion of the readmission process. The student must respond to the Dean/Director, in writing, via email, within three business days to confirm the testing appointment for the skill(s). If the student cannot accommodate the appointment date, an alternate appointment will be offered once only. Evaluation is conducted with faculty and the applicant and is graded as pass or fail.

Students who are readmitted after an academic failure will be required to enroll in tutoring services throughout the nursing program. Failure to enroll in tutoring will result in a written academic warning.

After satisfying the ATI exam(s) and psychomotor skills assessment requirements, students applying for readmission into the Nursing program will be accepted on a space available basis.

Readmit students are required to submit:

Updated Verification of Student Health History & Physical Exam form completed by their health care provider prior to the first day of classes.
Documentation of currency of all admission requirements for the program as stated in the Program’s Admission Policy e.g. - immunizations requirements, CORI/SORI, and current CPR certification.

Students accepted for readmission into the program will be subject to the program requirements and policies stipulated in the semester of a student’s re-admission, and thereafter, while the student remains in the program.

Revised: ADN Faculty Committee, 5/22/19, 8/6/19, 11/19/19, 1/24/20, 11/4/20, 12/9/20, 2/25/21, 3/25/21, 6/28/21, 8/19/21, Reviewed 11/23/2021; Revised 02/09/22, 3/9/22, 5/18/22, 6/28/22, Reviewed 11/16/22, revised 3/20/23, 5/8/23, 11/13/23