Practical Nursing - Diploma - Dakota County Technical College | DCTC - a 2-Year Minnesota School Offering Associate Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs to the Twin Cities, MN

Practical Nursing - Diploma

All PNSG courses must be taken in the sequence below. Please contact your program advisor with questions.

Nursing students are required to obtain a C or higher in all PNSD and general education courses.

Get the Practical Nursing Data Sheet

2024-2025 Required Courses

First Year - Fall Semester

Course Title	Credits
HEAL 1061 Nursing Assistant HEAL - 1061: Nursing Assistant Description HEAL 1061 This course introduces concepts of basic human needs and the function of the nursing assistant in long term care and or home health care. Basic nursing skills will be demonstrated and practiced in the laboratory setting. Upon successful completion of classroom studies, the student will participate in 24 hours of supervised clinical experience in a long term care setting. This course is a prerequisite for the Practical Nursing Program. It meets the objectives of Federal State Statutory requirements for nursing assistant training. Prerequisites: None. Individuals who provide direct contact services to clients of licensed facilities are required to have complete criminal background studies. Disqualified persons will not be permitted to work in these facilities. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: None Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: HEAL1061 — PDF	4
HEAL 1101 Anatomy and Physiology HEAL - 1101: Anatomy and Physiology Description HEAL 1101 This four-credit lecture course is designed for students preparing for a career in the medical field. Emphasis will be on anatomical terminology and structure and function of the following components of the human body: cells, tissues, integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, senses, cardiovascular, blood, digestive, reproductive, urinary, endocrine, lymphatic, and respiratory systems. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: None Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Summer 2025 Course Outline: HEAL1101 — PDF	4
HEAL 1150 Health Career Mathematics HEAL - 1150: Health Career Mathematics Description HEAL 1150 This course will assist students in mastering the skills necessary to determine drug dosages. Applicable basic skills will be reviewed, followed by proportions and a study of the metric system and the apothecaries' system. A major portion of the time will be spent solving drug dosage word problems. Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: HEAL1150 — PDF	1
HEAL 1501 Medical Terminology for Nursing HEAL - 1501: Medical Terminology for Nursing Description HEAL 1501 This introductory course in medical terminology for nursing students focuses on accurate spelling and pronunciation of terms and building knowledge of basic medical vocabulary with an emphasis on prefixes, suffixes, roots, and combining vowels. Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: HEAL1501 — PDF	1
PSYC 1350 Lifespan Development PSYC - 1350: Lifespan Development Description PSYC 1350 This psychology course is an introduction and overview of the scientific study of development throughout the life span from prenatal through old age, death, dying and bereavement from a developmental perspective. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: None Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Summer 2025 MNTC Goals: 5,7 Course Outline: PSYC1350 — PDF	4
Total Semester Credits:	14

First Year - Spring Semester **2nd application is required before starting this semester

Course Title	Credits
PNSG 1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice PNSG - 1010: Foundations of Nursing Practice Description PNSG 1010 Foundations of Practical Nursing provides an introduction to the theoretical foundation for focused-assessment and nursing skills. The student is given an opportunity to demonstrate these skills in the laboratory setting. An introduction to the nursing process provides the student with a beginning framework for decision making. The key concepts of teamwork and collaboration, safety, quality improvement, professional identity/behavior, patient/relationship centered care, nursing judgement/evidence based practice, managing care of the individual patient, and informatics/technology are introduced. Prerequisite: acceptance into the PN Program. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: HEAL 1060 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1061 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1101 Anatomy and Physiology HEAL 1150 Health Career Mathematics HEAL 1501 Medical Terminology for Nursing PSYC 1350 Lifespan Development Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1010 — PDF	4
PNSG 1355 Pharmacology PNSG - 1355: Pharmacology Description PNSG 1355 Included in this course is information on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, common adverse/side effects, and contraindications to drug use. Emphasis is placed on drug classifications and nursing care related to the safe administration of medications to patients across the life span. Prerequisite: acceptance into the PN Program. Credits: 3 Prerequisites: HEAL 1060 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1061 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1101 Anatomy and Physiology HEAL 1150 Health Career Mathematics HEAL 1501 Medical Terminology for Nursing PSYC 1350 Lifespan Development Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1355 — PDF	3
PNSG 1400 Adult Health Nursing I PNSG - 1400: Adult Health Nursing I Description PNSG 1400 Nursing Care of Adults Health I introduces students to the care of older patients with a focus on health promotion and safety. Emphasis is on common health problems of the adult in restorative and residential facilities as well as safety and end-of-life care. Application of pathophysiology, nutrition and pharmacology are applied to common diseases within each topic area. THEORY TOPICS INCLUDE: Basic alterations in fluid and electrolytes, oxygenation, cardiac output and tissue perfusion, regulation and metabolism, cognition and sensation, immunity, integument, mobility, digestion, elimination, excretion, physical and psychosocial variations, chronic illness, end of life care, environmental safety and emergency preparedness.Prerequisite: acceptance into the PN Program. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: HEAL 1060 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1061 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1101 Anatomy and Physiology HEAL 1150 Health Career Mathematics HEAL 1501 Medical Terminology for Nursing PSYC 1350 Lifespan Development Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1400 — PDF	4
PNSG 1600 Clinical I PNSG - 1600: Clinical I Description PNSG 1600 Clinical I provides the student an opportunity to apply nursing judgement using the nursing process to implement safe, patient/relationship centered care in selected settings. The clinical student demonstrates focused assessments, data collection, implementation of skills learned in the lab setting, documents findings and reinforces teaching plans for individual patients with common problems. The student develops communication and customer service skills working with individual patients and team members. Prerequisite: acceptance into the PN Program. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: HEAL 1060 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1061 Nursing Assistant HEAL 1101 Anatomy and Physiology HEAL 1150 Health Career Mathematics HEAL 1501 Medical Terminology for Nursing PSYC 1350 Lifespan Development Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1600 — PDF	4
Total Semester Credits:	15

Second Year - Fall Semester

Course Title	Credits
PNSG 1410 Adult Health Nursing II PNSG - 1410: Adult Health Nursing II Description PNSG 1410 Adult Health Nursing II focuses on the care of adults with common medical/surgical health problems. Emphasis is placed on physiological disorders that require management in an acute care facility. Application of pathophysiology, nutrition, and pharmacology are applied to co-morbid diseases within each topic area. Prerequisites: PNSG1010, 1355, 1400, 1600. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: PNSG 1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice PNSG 1355 Pharmacology PNSG 1400 Adult Health Nursing I PNSG 1600 Clinical I Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1410 — PDF	4
PNSG 1620 Clinical II PNSG - 1620: Clinical II Description PNSG 1620 Clinical II provides the student an opportunity to apply nursing judgement using evidence based care, critical thinking and clinical judgement to implement safe, patient/relationship centered care to individual patients across the lifespan (including maternal/child/pediatric). The clinical student reflects on the value of patient centered care, teamwork and collaboration, informatics, quality improvement, safety, managing care of the individual patient, and nursing judgement/evidence based care in his/her career as a LPN. Prerequisites: PNSG1010, 1355, 1400, 1600. Credits: 4 Prerequisites: PNSG 1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice PNSG 1355 Pharmacology PNSG 1400 Adult Health Nursing I PNSG 1600 Clinical I Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1620 — PDF	4
PNSG 1755 Behavioral Health Concepts PNSG - 1755: Behavioral Health Concepts Description PNSG 1755 Psychosocial nursing care focuses on the care of patients with psychiatric and behavioral disorders. Emphasis is placed on common psychiatric and behavioral disorders as well as promoting and maintaining the mental health of individuals. Role and standards of practice for mental health nursing, therapeutic communication skills when working wit psychiatric and behavioral disorders, therapeutic modalities including pharmacotherapeutics, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, chemical impairment and substance abuse, abuse and violence. Prerequisites: PNSG1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice, PNSG1400 Adult Health Nursing I, PNSG 1355 Pharmacology, PNSG 1600 Clinical I. Credits: 2 Prerequisites: PNSG 1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice PNSG 1355 Pharmacology PNSG 1400 Adult Health Nursing I PNSG 1600 Clinical I Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1755 — PDF	2
PNSG 1805 Maternal and Child Health PNSG - 1805: Maternal and Child Health Description PNSG 1805 Nursing Care of Women/Newborns/Children provides an integrative approach to the care of the childbearing woman, newborns, and children. Prominence is placed on normal pregnancies, normal growth and development, and common pediatric disorders. TOPICS FOR THEORY: Legal and ethical issues, reproductive health care, antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care, newborn care, pediatric emergencies and accident prevention, communicable diseases, alterations in fluid and electrolytes, oxygenation, cardiac output and tissue perfusion, regulation and metabolism, cognition and sensation, immunity, integument, mobility, regulation and metabolism, ingestion/digestion/absorption/elimination, and excretion. Prerequisites: PNSG1010, 1355, 1400, 1600. Credits: 2 Prerequisites: PNSG 1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice PNSG 1355 Pharmacology PNSG 1400 Adult Health Nursing I PNSG 1600 Clinical I Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG1805 — PDF	2
PNSG 2001 Nursing Capstone PNSG - 2001: Nursing Capstone Description PNSG 2001 This course facilitates the transition of the student to the LPN role and to the workplace. Concepts related to career development options that enhance career mobility are reviewed. Standards of practice and the importance of practicing according to state regulations and statutes for the scope of practice for the LPN are examined. Prerequisites: PNSG1010, 1355, 1400, 1600. Credits: 2 Prerequisites: PNSG 1010 Foundations of Nursing Practice PNSG 1355 Pharmacology PNSG 1400 Adult Health Nursing I PNSG 1600 Clinical I Corequisites: None Future Offering: Spring 2025 Course Outline: PNSG2001 — PDF	2
Total Semester Credits:	14

Total Credits:	43