TVCC's Nursing Department offers three levels of education, as well as a two bridge programs for students seeking to enter the high demand nursing industry:

• Vocational Nursing Certificate

• Associate Degree Nursing, AAS

• LVN-to-ADN Transition, AAS

• Paramedic-to-ADN Transition, AAS

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, BSN

Vocational Nursing - for becoming a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) provide essential patient care in clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities, homes, and other healthcare settings. Their quick thinking, clinical skills, and compassionate care play a vital role in supporting patients’ health and recovery. Upon approval by the Texas Board of Nursing, graduates of TVCC’s Vocational Nursing Program are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination – PN (NCLEX-PN) to become licensed as a vocational nurse (LVN).

The Vocational Nursing program is available to students in two locations:

Palestine (Fall entry) and Terrell HSC (Spring entry)

If approved by the Texas Board of Nursing, graduates of TVCC’s VN Program are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination – PN to become licensed as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN).

There is a selection process for this program. It is the student’s responsibility to read the current health occupations brochure or contact an advisor regarding the current process. Students may apply if they expect to complete the prerequisite courses or become TSI complete by the end of the fall semester.

Note: Criminal history may disqualify individuals from obtaining or maintaining nursing certifications.

All nursing VN applicants will be given instructions for obtaining fingerprints for an FBI criminal background check for the Texas Board of Nursing. These should be completed at least 90 days prior to the start of nursing classes as the student must be cleared by the Board of Nursing before the semester starts.  The Board of Nursing will contact the student if a petition for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the licensing examination (NCLEX-PN) is required.  The student must have a “blue” card, a positive outcome letter or an eligibility letter (declaratory order) before starting classes. Students who need to complete this requirement will be sent an email in January with instructions.  If the case must be sent to the enforcement division, the processing may take 6-24 months, so applicants must apply early. If a student is not able to start nursing courses due to waiting for a declaratory order, a space will be reserved for the following year pending a positive outcome from the Texas Board of Nursing.

Any nursing applicant who has been diagnosed with, treated, or hospitalized in the past five years for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder, or addicted to or treated for the use of alcohol or any other drug within the past five years, must petition the Texas Board of Nursing for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the licensing examination, the NCLEX-PN.

The Texas Board of Nursing can be reached at 512-305-7400. The application for a declaratory order can be downloaded from the BON website at www.bon.texas.gov/forms_declaratory_order.asp.

Licensed Vocational Nursing-to-Associate Degree Nursing Transition

Students must be currently a licensed vocational nurse in Texas (or with privileges to practice in Texas) to be eligible for the LVN to ADN nursing transition program.

This three-semester pathway (for students who enter with 30 general education/VN courses) is designed to validate and update the previous experiences and education of licensed vocational nurses. Upon successful completion of the transition courses in the summer, the transition students enter the second year of the Associate Degree Nursing program.

Paramedic-to-Associate Degree Nursing Transition

Students must be currently a certified or licensed paramedic with at least one year of experience to be eligible for the paramedic to ADN nursing transition program.

This pathway is designed to validate and update the previous experiences and education of paramedics. Upon successful completion of the transition courses in the summer, the transition students enter the second year of the Associate Degree Nursing program.

Associate Degree Nursing - for becoming a Registered Nurse (RN)

Registered nurses care for patients in clinics, hospitals, homes, or other community settings. People’s lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care provided by these workers. If approved by the Texas Board of Nursing, graduates of TVCC’s ADN Program are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination – RN to become licensed as a registered nurse (RN).

The TVCC ADN program is approved by the Texas Board of Nursing. The associate degree nursing program at Trinity Valley Community College at the Health Science Center located in Terrell, Texas is accredited by the:

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate degree nursing program is Continuing Accreditation. View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at www.acenursing.org/search-programs.

There is a selection process for this program. It is the student’s responsibility to read the current health occupations brochure or contact an advisor regarding the current process. Students may apply if they expect to complete the prerequisite courses or become TSI complete by the end of the fall semester. The brochure includes information about the selection process, immunization requirements, and estimated costs, etc.

The deadline for completing all pre-admission testing requirements and submitting the online application is December 1. Applicants will have until January 31 to submit fall semester transcripts and TSI completion documentation.

Note: Criminal history may disqualify individuals from obtaining or maintaining nursing certifications.

All nursing ADN applicants will be given instructions for obtaining fingerprints for an FBI criminal background check for the Texas Board of Nursing. These should be completed at least 90 days before the start of nursing classes as the student must be cleared by the Board of Nursing before the semester starts. The Board of Nursing will contact the student if a petition for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) is required. The student must have a “blue” card, a positive outcome letter, or an eligibility letter (declaratory order) before starting classes. Students who need to complete this requirement will be sent an email in January with instructions. If the case must be sent to the enforcement division, the processing may take 6-24 months, so applicants must apply early. If a student is not able to start nursing courses due to waiting for a declaratory order, a space will be reserved for the following year pending a positive outcome from the Texas Board of Nursing.

Any nursing applicant who has been diagnosed with, treated, or hospitalized in the past five years for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder, or addicted to or treated for the use of alcohol or any other drug within the past five years, must petition the Texas Board of Nursing for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the licensing examination, the NCLEX-RN.

The Texas Board of Nursing can be reached at 512-305-7400. The application for a declaratory order can be downloaded from the at the BON website.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Nurses should be lifelong learners and the next step in academic progression for associate degree-prepared nurses is the bachelor’s degree in nursing. The RN-to-BSN program focuses more in-depth on concepts such as research, theory, community health, leadership, and health policy. The RN-to-BSN program focuses on looking at their practice from a systems or population perspective, rather than focusing on individual patient care. TVCC offers an RN-to-BSN bachelor’s degree completion program starting in each fall and spring semester.

The RN-to-BSN completion program is the last year of a four-year, 120-credit hour curriculum leading to a bachelor of science degree. The program is for ADN educated RNs who wish to earn their bachelor's degree in nursing.

The TVCC RN-to-BSN program is approved by the Texas Board of Nursing. The baccalaureate nursing program at Trinity Valley Community College at the Health Science Center located in Terrell, Texas is accredited by the:

There is a selection process for this program. It is the student’s responsibility to read the current health occupations brochure or contact an advisor regarding the current process. Students may apply if they are Texas Core Curriculum Complete and have an unencumbered RN license (Texas or privilege to practice in Texas) or are enrolled in the last semester of an ADN program. The brochure includes information about the selection process and estimated costs, etc.

The deadline for completing all pre-admission testing requirements and for submitting the online application is March 31st for fall admission and October 31st for spring admission.